I came across this sentence, and I was wondering, how would the nuance change if I changed the で to に?
この街は異邦人であふれている
この街は異邦人にあふれている
1 Answer
There is not clearcut distinction, but roughly,
- に is less frequently used in speech
- に is used more often with non-tangible objects.
Conversely, I feel で is kind of more neutral.
To me, 異邦人にあふれている is a little odd, possibly because 異邦人 is a physical object.
Most common examples with に would be やさしさ/活気/希望にあふれた (full of tenderness/liveliness/hope).
Note that に can be the standard location particle as in 世の中にあふれた怪しい話 (literally fishy stories of which there's plenty in the world).
-
Do you think similar stuff applies to any kind of verb that uses に and its meaning is something close to "being full"? As in 満ちる? Commented Sep 28, 2023 at 8:39
-
1@prdelsmradkava As for に満ちた, yes. And I guess 満ちた more often comes with に (i.e., it comes with intangible object). But いっぱい cannot really take に. It always comes with で (regardless of the tangibility). E.g. 幸せでいっぱい. Commented Sep 28, 2023 at 13:49