Part I - Xがあります／います
When saying that something exists in Japanese, you will have to use one of two verbs: ある or いる (conjugated as あります and います, respectively, in the present form). Which you have to use depends on whether the object in question is living or non-living. For non-living objects, you use あります.
EX. ここにバーガ・キングがあります。
(Koko ni Baagaa Kingu ga arimasu.)
There is a Burger King here.
For living objects, you always use います.
EX. あそこに学生がいます。
(Asoko ni gakusei ga imasu.)
There is a student over there.
There are a few things to note here for the use of あります.
First: When mentioning a place and using あります, the place takes the particle に instead of the particle で. The place in question also usually comes at the front of the sentence, rather than being placed at any old spot.
EX. そこに銀行があります。
(Soko ni ginkou ga arimasu.)
There is a bank there (near you).
今年、アニメエクスポで合いましょうね。
(Kotoshi, Anime Ekusupo de aimashou ne.)
Let's meet up at Anime Expo this year.
Second: The item that is being described usually takes the particle が instead of the particle は to mark itself as the subject. That throws a lot of first-year students off (including yours truly).
Third: It's also possible to use あります to say that an event is going to happen.
EX. あした、コンテストがあります。
(Ashita, kontesuto ga arimasu.)
Tomorrow, we have a contest.
