Language/Japanese/Grammar/Verb-Conjugation
◀️ Particle は and が — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Noun and Adjective Modification ▶️ |
As a Japanese language teacher with 20 years of experience, I understand the importance of learning verb conjugation in Japanese. In this lesson, you will learn how to conjugate verbs in present and past tense, as well as positive and negative forms.
Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Particles に and で & Particles も and しか.
Types of Verbs[edit | edit source]
- 1. godan verbs: any verb that does not end with -る (-ru), verbs that end with (consonant) + a / u / o + る (except the irregular verbs), some other verbs that end with -る (-ru)
- Examples: 書く (kaku, to write), 休む (yasumu, to rest), 有る (aru, to be (at a place, only used for inanimate nouns)), 撮る (toru, to take (a picture)), 走る (hashiru, to run)
- 2. ichidan verbs: verbs that do not belong to the other types
- Examples: 見る (miru, to see), 食べる (taberu, to eat)
- 3. 来る (kuru, to come): an irregular verb of its own type
- 4. する (suru, to do): an irregular verb of its own type
Present Tense[edit | edit source]
In Japanese, present tense verbs are often used to describe habitual or ongoing actions. To conjugate a verb in the present tense, you simply remove the -ます ending and add the appropriate ending based on the final vowel sound of the verb. Here are the different verb endings for present tense conjugation:
Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
食べる | taberu | to eat |
飲む | nomu | to drink |
見る | miru | to see |
- Verbs that end with -う:Change the -う to -います for polite/formal situations, or -う for a more casual tone.
- Verbs that end with -く:Change the -く to -きます for polite/formal situations, or -く for a more casual tone.
- Verbs that end with -ぐ:Change the -ぐ to -ぎます for polite/formal situations, or -ぐ for a more casual tone.
- Verbs that end with -す:Change the -す to -します for polite/formal situations, or -す for a more casual tone.
- Verbs that end with -つ:Change the -つ to -ちます for polite/formal situations, or -つ for a more casual tone.
- Verbs that end with -ぬ:Change the -ぬ to -にます for polite/formal situations, or -ぬ for a more casual tone.
- Verbs that end with -ぶ:Change the -ぶ to -びます for polite/formal situations, or -ぶ for a more casual tone.
- Verbs that end with -む:Change the -む to -みます for polite/formal situations, or -む for a more casual tone.
- Godan verbs that end with -る:Change the -る to -ります for polite/formal situations, or -る for a more casual tone.
- Ichidan verbs:Drop the -る ending and add -ます for polite/formal situations, or -る for a more casual tone.
- 来る: Use 来ます (きます) for polite/formal situations, or 来る (くる) for a more casual tone.
- する: Use します for polite/formal situations, or する for a more casual tone.
Past Tense[edit | edit source]
In Japanese, past tense verbs are often used to describe completed actions. To conjugate a verb in the past tense, you need to know the final vowel sound of the verb. Here are the different verb endings for past tense conjugation:
Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
食べた | tabeta | ate |
飲んだ | nonda | drank |
見た | mita | saw |
- Godan verbs that end with -う, -つ, or -る:Change the -う to -った.
- Verbs that end with -す:Change the -す to -した.
- Verbs that end with -く:Change the -く to -いた.
- Verbs that end with -ぐ:Change the -ぐ to -いだ.
- Verbs that end with -む, -ぬ, or -ぶ:Change the -む, -ぬ, or -ぶ to -んだ.
- Ichidan verbs:Drop the -る and add -た.
- 来る: Use 来た (きた).
- する: Use した.
Positive and Negative Forms[edit | edit source]
In Japanese, verbs can be in positive or negative form. To make a verb negative, you add ない (nai) after the stem. Here are the different verb endings for positive and negative forms:
Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
食べる | taberu | to eat |
食べない | tabenai | to not eat |
- To make verbs that end with -う negative, change the -う to -わ (not -あ) and add ない.
- To make verbs that end with -く negative, change the -く to -か and add ない.
- To make verbs that end with -ぐ negative, change the -ぐ to -が and add ない.
- To make verbs that end with -す negative, change the -す to -さ and add ない.
- To make verbs that end with -つ negative, change the -つ to -た and add ない.
- To make verbs that end with -ぬ negative, change the -ぬ to -な and add ない.
- To make verbs that end with -ぶ negative, change the -ぶ to -ば and add ない.
- To make verbs that end with -む negative, change the -む to -ま and add ない.
- To make godan verbs that end with -る negative, change the -る to -ら and add ない.
- To make ichidan verbs negative, drop the -る and add ない.
- The negative form of 来る is 来ない (こない).
- The negative form of する is しない.
Examples[edit | edit source]
Here are some examples of verb conjugation in different forms:
Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
食べます | tabemasu | I eat |
食べません | tabemasen | I don't eat |
食べました | tabemashita | I ate |
食べませんでした | tabemasen deshita | I didn't eat |
Tips[edit | edit source]
- Practice makes perfect. Try to speak and write in Japanese as much as possible to get familiar with the verb conjugation.
- Listen to Japanese music, watch anime, or read manga to get a better understanding of how verbs are used in different situations.
- Pay attention to the different verb endings and try to memorize them by practicing with different verbs.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Japanese Verb Conjugation Rules: An Ultra Guide
- Japanese Verb Conjugation Groups
- The Ultra Handy Japanese Verb Conjugator
- Japanese Verbs: U-verbs, Ru-verbs and Conjugation
Videos[edit | edit source]
Learn Japanese verb conjugation: The polite form MASU (ます形 ...[edit | edit source]
japanese verb conjugation part1 full - YouTube[edit | edit source]
Learn Japanese Verb Groups - YouTube[edit | edit source]
Learn Japanese verb conjugation: Potential form (know how to, be ...[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Questions
- How to Use Have
- Conjunctions and Compound Sentences
- Adjectives 形容詞
- Negation
- Introduction to Japanese Sentence Structure
- Feminine 女性
- Particles も and しか
- Nouns 名詞
- Questions 質問
◀️ Particle は and が — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Noun and Adjective Modification ▶️ |