Japanese Language Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for students, teachers, and linguists wanting to discuss the finer points of the Japanese language. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I've read a post on this topic, but really not sure of the difference when applied to something like this:
私は朝飯のみに茶を飲む
私は朝飯のみで茶を飲む
From what I read, I'm guessing one of them is incorrect, as に is used for specific times and で for ranges of time in which an action happened. So I'm guessing に is the incorrect one. Could someone confirm me this please?
朝飯に茶を飲む drink tea as breakfast
朝飯で茶を飲む drink tea at breakfast
In case my English is weird, the former sounds as if the tea was the main part of the breakfast. Only drinking tea, eating nothing else, and calling it 朝飯 is not usual, I think. 朝飯にトーストを食べる sounds good, though.
"朝飯のみで茶を飲む" means the speaker drinks tea while having breakfast but not during the rest of the day. If that's what you want to say, it's correct. But it still is a bit awkward and see @Choko's answer for better expressions. 朝飯【あさめし】 sounds a bit rough or old.
cf.
誕生日に指輪を買う buy a ring on someone's birthday (gramatically OK but the situation is unlikely)
誕生日プレゼントに指輪を買う buy a ring as a birthday present
* 誕生日で指輪を買う weird
You say 「[朝]{あさ}ごはんに」「[朝食]{ちょうしょく}に」「[朝飯]{あさめし}に」 for "for breakfast".
私は朝飯のみに茶を飲む
→ I would rather say it this way:
私は[朝食]{ちょうしょく}[時]{じ}にのみお茶を飲む。
私は朝ごはん(or朝食)の[時]{とき}(に)だけお茶を飲む。
私は朝ごはん(or朝食)の[時]{とき}(に)しかお茶を飲まない。etc.
("I only drink tea at breakfast", or in other words, "The only time I drink tea is (at) breakfast").
You use に for [時]{とき} and [時]{じ}, too.
If you want to use [朝飯]{あさめし} (and probably if you're a guy) I think you'd say it like this:
[俺]{おれ}は[朝飯]{あさめし}の[時]{とき}(に)だけ[茶]{ちゃ}を飲む。
俺は朝飯の時(に)しか茶を飲まない。
By the way, you'd say 私は朝食(or朝ごはん)にお茶しか飲まない to say "I have only tea for breakfast", or "Tea is the only drink I have at breakfast."
