Japanese - Ask questions thread

Basically if you have a question about the language, ask it and fellow 4channers might see it and answer it for you.

To start it off. When an animate object (iru) dies, is it considered inanimate(aru)?

I'm having problems with Ni and De:

Icecream (wo) spoon (de) eat.

Subject eats icecream with spoon.

Is that the correct usage of the particle? Putting it after the item that was used to perform the action?


Which makes more sense?

Here (de) I am.
(koko de iru)
Here (ni) I am.
(koko ni iru)

I read somewhere that ni is more for a location that you are AT, while de is more for a location that you are performing an action on; and that e (へ [it is read "eh" right? not "heh"?]) is used when you are still performing the action and MOVING towards that location.

Also, as said earlier in the thread, "ageru" can be used to indicate that you are doing a favor in the -te form. Can someone supply an example sentence? I know that kudasai (下さい) with the -te form is similar (please); although it means that you are essentially saying "lower yourself to my level and do this please" or "I am humbling myself, do this please" –– indicated by the kanji for sageru. What subtexts do ageru and sageru have in the language? Which is more polite? Which is more common (I hear kudasai quite a bit in anime...)?

Finally:

Which is more polite? Structuring a request with kudasai/kure (while we're at it, what's the difference between these two words?) or using the polite imperative? Is there a more polite way to require something? Anything more disrespectful than using the imperative informal?