Dictionary Form (Plain Form) - This is the form listed in the dictionary is used among close friends and family in informal situations.
Polite Form - This form is used in situations required politeness or a degree of formality, and is more appropriate for general use.
Plain Forms | Polite Forms | |
Nouns | ||
先生 | だ | です |
だった | でした | |
Adjectival Nouns | ||
きれい | じゃない | じゃ (or では) ないです/ じゃ (or では) ありません |
じゃなかった | じゃ (or では) なかったです/ じゃ (or では) ありませんでした | |
でしょう | ||
じゃ (or では) ないでしょう | ||
～い Adjectives | ||
おもしろい | おもしろいです | |
おもしろくない | おもしろくないです | |
おもしろかった | おもしろかったです | |
おもしろくなかった | おもしろくなかったです |
Verbs
Present Tense
Japanese verb forms have two main tenses, the present and the past. There is no future tense. The present tense is used for future and habitual action as well. The informal form of the present tense is the same as the dictionary form. The ~ masu form is used in formal situations.
Past Tense
The past tense is used to express actions completed in the past (I saw, I bought etc.) and present perfect tense (I have read, I have done etc.). Forming the informal past tense is simpler for Group 2 verbs, but more complicated for Group 1 verbs. The conjugation of Group 1 verbs varies depending on the consonant of the last syllable on the dictionary form. All Group 2 verbs have the same conjugation pattern.
Group 1 | ||
Formal | Replace ~ u with ~ imashita | kaku --- kakimashita nomu --- nomimashita |
Informal | (1) Verb ending with ~ ku: replace ~ ku with ~ ita | kaku --- kaita kiku --- kiita |
(2) Verb ending with ~ gu: replace ~ gu with ~ ida | isogu --- isoida oyogu --- oyoida | |
(3) Verb ending with ~ u, ~tsu and ~ ru: replace them with ~ tta | utau --- utatta matsu --- matta kaeru --- kaetta | |
(4) Verb ending with ~ nu, ~bu and ~ mu: replace them with ~ nda | shinu --- shindaasobu --- asonda nomu --- nonda | |
(5) Verb ending with ~ su: replace ~ su with ~ shita | hanasu --- hanashitadasu --- dashita | |
Group 2 | ||
Formal | Take off ~ru, and add ~ mashita | miru --- mimashita taberu ---tabemashita |
Informal | Take off ~ru, and add ~ ta | miru --- mita taberu --- tabeta |
Group 3 | ||
Formal | kuru --- kimashita, suru --- shimashita | |
Informal | kuru --- kita, suru ---shita | |
Present Negative
To make sentence negative, verb endings are changed into negative forms (The ~ nai Form).
Formal | All Verbs (Group 1, 2, 3) | |
Replace ~ masu with ~ masen | nomimasu --- nomimasen tabemasu --- tabemasen kimasu --- kimasen shimasu --- shimasen | |
Informal | Group 1 | |
Replace the final ~ u with ~anai (If verb ending is a vowel + ~ u, replace with ~ wanai) | kiku --- kikanai nomu --- nomanai au --- awanai | |
Group 2 | ||
Replace ~ ru with ~ nai | miru --- minai taberu --- tabenai | |
Group 3 | ||
kuru --- konai, suru ---shinai | ||
Past Negative
Formal | All Verbs (Group 1, 2, 3) | |
Add ~ deshita to the formal present negative form | nomimasen --- nomimasen deshita tabemasen --- tabemasen deshita kimasen--- kimasen deshita shimasen--- shimasen deshita | |
Informal | All Verbs (Group 1, 2, 3) | |
Replace ~ nai with ~ nakatta | nomanai --- nomanakattatabenai --- tabenakattakonai --- konakatta shinai ---shinakatta | |
Inviting
Formal (won’t you?) | All Verbs (Group 1, 2, 3) | |
Replace ~ masu with ~ masen ka | nomimasu --- nomimasen ka tabemasu --- tabemasen ka kimasu --- kimasen ka shimasu --- shimasen ka | |
Formal (Let’s) | All Verbs (Group 1, 2, 3) | |
Replace ~ masu with ~ mashoo | nomimasu --- nomimashoo tabemasu --- tabemashoo kimasu --- kimashoo shimasu --- shimashoo | |
Plain Forms | Polite Forms | Notes | |
～る Verbs | Group 2 | ||
To eat | 食べる | 食べます | The basic form of Group 2 verbs end with either "~iru" or "~ eru". |
Don’t eat | 食べない | 食べません | |
ate | 食べた | 食べました | |
Didn’t eat | 食べなかった | 食べませんでした | |
Let’s eat Won’t you eat | 食べましょう 食べませんか | ||
～う Verbs | Group 1 | ||
To drink | のむ | のみます | The basic form of Group 1 verbs end with "~ u". |
Don’t drink | のまない | のみません | |
Drank | のんだ | のみました | |
Didn’t drink | のまなかった | のみませんでした | |
Let’s drink | のみましょう | ||
Won’t you drink? | のみませんか | ||
Plain Forms | Polite Forms | Notes | |
Irregular Verbs | |||
To come | 来る | 来ます | There are only 2 irregular verbs. They do not behave like each other or like any other verbs so must be simply memorised. |
Isn’t coming | 来ない | 来ません | |
Came | 来た | 来ました | |
Didn’t come | 来なかった | 来ませんでした | |
Won’t you come? | 来ませんか | ||
To do | する | します | |
Isn’t doing | しない | しません | |
Did | した | しました | |
Didn’t do | しなかった | しませんでした | |
Let’s do | しましょう | ||
Won’t you do X? | しませんか |
