Japanese verb conjugation is a bit more complicated than English because we rely heavily on helper words to change the meaning of verbs, whereas Japanese relies more heavily on suffixes. Japanese verb structure also mirrors the society's class driven structure. If someone is above or below you in station (or life), you speak to them using different verb forms.
~ます Forms
If someone is your boss, a year (or more) older, been at a job longer, or you just want to be polite, you speak to them using the polite (also called formal, ていねい) form. Many other verb forms are also derived from the polite ~ます form, so we will be starting here.
| |
Positive |
Negative |
| Present |
~ます |
~ません |
| Past |
~ました |
~ませんでした |
~ます form is the present positive form.
ハンバーガーをたべます
Eat (a) hamburger(s).
ます - す + せん = ません
~ません is the present negative form.
ハンバーガーをたべません
Don't eat (a) hamburger(s).
ます - す + した = ました
~ました is the past positive form.
ハンバーガーをたべました
Ate (a) hamburger(s).
ません + で + した = ませんでした
~ませんでした is the past negative form.
ハンバーガーをたべませんでした
Didn't eat (a) hamburger(s).
~ます has 2 other forms: "Let's~!" and "Shall we~?"
ます - す + しょう = ましょう
~ましょう means "Let's ~!"
ハンバーガーをたべましょう
msp; Let's eat (a) hamburger(s).
ますせん + か = ませんか
~ませんか means "Shall we ~?"
ハンバーガーをたべませんか
Shall we eat (a) hamburger(s)?
~たい Form
The ~たい form is used to express the desire to do (or not to do) something.
Removing ~ます and adding ~た~ changes from ~ます to ~たい form.
| |
Positive |
Negative |
| Present |
~たい |
~たくない |
| Past |
~たかった |
~たくなかった |
~ます - ます + たい = たい
~たい is the present positive form.
ハンバーガーをたべたい
Want to eat (a) hamburger(s)
たい - い + くない = たくない
~たくない is the present negative form.
ハンバーガーをたべたくない
Don't want to eat (a) hamburger(s)
たい - い + かった = たかった
~たかった is the past positive form.
ハンバーガーをたべたかった
Wanted to eat (a) hamburger(s)
たくない - い + かった = たくなかった
~たくなかった is the past negative form
ハンバーガーをたべたくなかった
Didn't want to eat (a) hamburger(s).
Like ~たい form, drop ます for the following.
~ へ ~ にいきますmeans "Go to ~ and ~."
としょかんへよみにいきます
Go to the library to read.
~ へ ~ にかえります means "Return to ~ and ~."
うちへよみにかえります
Return to my house to read.
~ へ ~ にきます means "Come to ~ and ~."
こえんへあそびにきます
Come to the park to play.
~て Form
The rules for the Informal Forms are decided by a verb's ~て group, making it the next logical form to cover. ~た form follows the same rules as ~て form, just swap "て" for "た". We will cover the た form in more detail in the Informal Forms section below.
~て form is derived from ~ます form, by removing ます and either changing the last character or just adding て.
By itself, it is the imperative (also called command) form and is used to tell someone to do something.
The official groups are:
1. い
2. え, い special
3. します, きます
Nothing is ever really that simple, though. I've broken them into groups based on their final form.
Note: The difference between し and します verbs is, can the part of the word before "します" stand alone?
I.E. せいちょうします's せいちょう is its own word with the same meaning, whereas はなします's はな is not its own word.
(Yes, はな means flower, but it is a completely different meaning from はなします.)
Verbs ending in え, い special, し, します, and きます
たべます - ます + て = たべて
Eat -> Eat!
おきます - ます + て = おきて
Wake up -> Wake up!
はなします - ます + て = はなして
Speak -> Speak!
せいちょうします - ます + て = せいちょうして
Grow up -> Grow up!
もってきます - ます + て = もってきて
Bring -> Bring!
Verbs ending in い, り, and ち
かいます - います + って = かって
Buy -> Buy!
つくります- ります + って = つくって
Make -> Make!
まちます - ちます + って = まって
Wait -> Wait!
Verbs ending in き
かきます - きます + いて = かいて
Write -> Write!
Verbs ending in ぎ
およぎます - ぎます + いで = およいで
Swim -> Swim!
Verbs ending in み and び
のみます - みます + んで = のんで
Drink -> Drink!
あそびます - びます + んで = あそんで
Play -> Play!
The ~て form is more than just the command form. It changes depending on what you add after it.
~てください means "Please ~ ."
たべて ください
Please eat
~てもいいですか means "May I ~ ?"
わたしは(wa)たべて もいいですか
May I eat?
~ています means "(Currently) ~ing."
たべて います
(Currently) Eating
~てはいけません means "Must not ~ ."
たべては(wa)いけません
Must not eat
~て~て ~ます means "Immediately after ~ do ~ then ~. "
たべて シャワーをあびて ねます
(immediately after) Eat, then shower, then sleep.
~てから~ます means "Somtime after ~ , ~ ."
たべてから テレビをみます
Sometime after eating, watch TV.
The next three forms are all expressions of gratitude.
~ は ~てくれます means "~ does ~ for me."
はは は(wa)せんたくして くれます
My mom does laundry (for me).
(Only used when the action is for yourself)
~ は ~ に ~て あげます means "~ does ~ for ~ ." (Give)
はは は(wa) ちちにせんたくして あげます
My dad is grateful that my mother did the laundry for him.
Note: There is no real equivalent in English for "~ は ~ に ~て あげます"
It is to gratefully give an action to someone
Something like "My father is grateful my mother gave doing the laundry to him."
~ は ~ に ~て もらいます means "~ does ~ for ~ ." (Receive)
はは は(wa) ちちにせんたくして もらいます
My mother is grateful that my dad did laundry for her.
Note: There is no real equivalent in English for "~ は ~ に ~て もらいます"
It is to gratefully receive an action from someone
Something like "My mother gratefully received my dad doing the laundry"
Informal Forms
The Informal (ふつ) Forms are for addressing people close to you, like friends, or people below you in station, like a work subordinate. These forms consist of dictionary form (じしょけ), the ~な forms, and ~た form, making it less cohesive than the previous sets.
| |
Positive |
Negative |
| Present |
~じしょ |
~ない |
| Past |
~た |
~なかった |
Dictionary form (じしょけ) also depends on the て group.
For い special and え drop ます and add る.
For い, き, ぎ, り, び, ち, and し, change from the い sound to the う sound.
I.E. い -> う
き -> く
します and きます become する and くる respectively.
Dictionary form (じしょけ) is the present positive form.
たべます - ます + る = たべる
Eat
しります - ります + る = しる
Know
せいちょうします - します + する = せいちょうする
Grow up
もってきます - きます + くる = もってくる
Bring with
Dictionary form can be combined with こと~ to change the meaning.
~ことができます means "Can (do) ~ ."
もってくることができます
Can bring with
~ことができません means "Cannot (do) ~ ."
もってくることができますせん
Cannot bring with
~ことがです means "Usually (do) ~ ."
もってくることがです
Usually bring with
As mentioned previously, ～た form follows the same rules as ~て form.
~た form is the past positive form.
ハンバーガーをたべた
Ate (a) hamburger(s)
ソーダをかった
Bought a soda
ともだちとはなした
Spoke with a friend
おんがくにきいた
Listened to music
およいだ
Swam
ソーダをのんだ
Drank a soda
~た form's meaning also changes depending on what you add after it.
~たことがあります means "Have experienced ~ ."
ハンバーガーをたべたことがあります
Have eaten (a) hamburger(s)
~たり ~たりします means "Usually (do) ~ and ~ ."(In no particular order)
どようびにせんたくしたりかいものしたりします
On Saturdays I usually do laundry and go shopping
(In no particular order)
With the ~な~ forms, for え, い special, します, and きます て groups, drop "ます" and add "な~"
For り, ち, し, き, ぎ, み, and び groups the い sound becomes あ
I.E. り -> ら
For い て group, い -> わ
~ない form is the present negative form.
たべます - ます + ない = たべない
Don't eat
しります - ります + らない = しらない
Don't know
かいます - います + わない = かわない
Don't buy
ない - い + かった
~なかった Is the past negative form.
たべない - い + かった = たべなかった
Didn't eat
しらない - い + かった = しらなかった
Didn't know
かわない - い + かった = かわなかった
Didn't buy
The ~な forms' meaning also changes depending on what you add after them.
~ないでください means "Please don't ~ ."
かわなないでください
Please don't buy
~なければなりません means "Must (do) ~ ."
かわなければなりません
Must buy
~なくてもいいです means "Don't have to (do) ~ ."
かわなくてもいいです
Don't have to buy
Formal Possibility
Forms
The Permissive Forms are for giving permission to do something. Like the Informal Forms, these forms consist of dictionary form, the ~な forms, and ~た form
Note: Converting "ません" to ~ない form changes from formal to informal.
| |
Positive |
Negative |
| Present |
~>Dictionaryかもしれません |
~ないかもしれません |
| Past |
~たかもしれません |
~なかったかもしれません |
Dictionary form + かもしれません is the present positive form.
ハンバーガーをたべるかもしれません
Might eat (the) hamburger(s)
~た + かもしれません is the present negative form.
ハンバーガーをたべたかもしれません
Might not eat (the) hamburger(s)
~ない + かもしれません is the past positive form.
ハンバーガーをたべないかもしれません
Might have eaten (the) hamburger(s)
~なかった + かもしれません is the past negative form.
ハンバーガーをたべなかったかもしれません
Might not have eaten (the) hamburger(s)