japanese language desu imasu?

[wiruc]

Hi,

I'm in basic japanese class and want to know what the difference between these two would be or if they're the same interchangeable.

"Where is the cat?"

Neko wa doko desu ka?
Neko wa doko ni imasu ka?

Also would the answer be the same for both questions if I use desu instead of ni imasu?

Asoko ni imasu. (over there?) Can i leave out imasu so it becomes "Asoko ni."? Would it be the same for "Soko ni."?

What if I was more specific being "Kuruma no mae ni imasu." (In front of the car) would I be able to drop Imasu?

Good explanation will be appreciated
Does "Kuruma no mae desu." make sense for that answer as well?

[BGrimey]

Doko desu ka cannot be used for animate objects such as cats, people, etc. It can be used for place nouns such as buildings or schools.

Neko wa doko ni imasu ka is the correct answer.

Asoko ni imasu - Yes you can leave out imasu if it is understood between speaker and listerner that the speaker is asking where is the animate object. Or stating the animate object is over there. You should probably add the particle (yo) which means "I tell you" or "dont you know"

Example - Neko wa doko ni imasu ka. Asoko ni yo. Soko ni yo. Then again you can drop the ni and just say Soko or Asoko. Soko ni or Asoko ni is not good usage if its not followed by the particle yo or ne

Kuruma no mae ni imasu. No you cannot drop the imasu. For a less formal approach use the (n) desu.

Kuruma no mae(n) desu.

Edit: Yes it makes since. You can use the predicate desu to answer a question about an animate object.

Example - Kodomo wa doko ni imasu ka? Shokudo desu.
But you cant use desu to ask where an animate object is at.

Example - otonoko wa doko desu ka. This is wrong.
But you can use desu ka to ask where an inanimate object is at.

i.e. Beeru wa doko ni arimasu ka. Beeru wa doko desu ka. Both make since.

Quick review. Desu ka can be used to replace ni "arimasu" ka since arimasu means the object in the question is inanimate. Desu can be used to answer where an inanimate or animate object is at. Desu ka cannot be used to ask where an animate object is at. In other words desu ka cannot replace ni "imasu" ka.

Imasu ka - where is animate object
arimasu ka - where is inanimate object