place (wa) / (ni)
 

こんばんわ!

I wanna know why they use different words (は and で) in these two sentences: (from Minna no nihongo 2)

-IMC は 何を つくって いますか. (IMC wa nani o tsukutte imasuka - What does IMC manufacture?)
-あの みせで なにを うって いますか. (ano mise de nani o utte imasuka - What does that store sell?)

Like why don't you put で in the first sentence or put は in the second one? Or even why don't they use に in both? To me they mean quite the same. So what's the difference?

Thanks a lot.

>-あの みせで なにを うって いますか. (ano mise de nani o utte imasuka - What does that store sell?)

In this case, the subject is omitted. What is the subject?

In Japanese, it is not natural that the store sells something. Not the sore but the owner or the staff sells the products to the customers at the store.

Oh, I got it!
But for the first sentence? (IMC wa.......) IMC is the subject? Is it only the verb "sell" in this case that's different?

Yes, IMC is the subject. I can not catch the point of your question.

I mean, in the second sentence the store cannot sell things, but in the first sentence the company can produce things so I was just making sure if it was just the different use of only the verb "sell."

But never mind, I got the point now. Thank you:)

I wrote middle length of post and it had gone when my PC hung up.

Anyway, TOYOTA makes/sells cars and IKEA makes/sells furnitures. My post could be too strict. I think local small shops could tend to be humanized in Japan.