How to Study Verbs

1. Understand Verb Types:

Group 1 ( う-verbs) : End in う, つ, む, る, etc. (e.g., 書く - to write).

Group 2 ( る-verbs) : End in る with an -i or -e sound before it (e.g., ⻝べる - to

eat).

Group 3 (Irregular verbs) : Only two, する (to do) and 来る (to come).Group 1 (う
-verbs)

2. Master the Forms:

Dictionary form • ⾏く - to go

Polite form • ⾏きます - to go

Negative form • ⾏きません - to not go

3. Group Verbs by Theme:

⻝べる
• Daily activities: (taberu), 飲む (nomu), 寝る (neru).
• Movement: ⾏く 来る (iku), (kuru),帰る (kaeru).
4. Practice Conjugation:
• Memorize patterns for past tense ( ⻝べました - ate), negative (⻝べません - don’t
eat), etc.

5. Use Context:
• Make simple sentences:
•朝ごはんを⻝べます。 (Asa gohan wo tabemasu.) "I eat breakfast."
•友達に会います。 (Tomodachi ni aimasu.) "I meet a friend."
• Verb Endings and Politeness Levels Japanese verbs change form
based on tense (past, present) and politeness (casual, polite). Let’s
break it down:

Examples:
Casual / Plain
•⾏く - to go • ⻝べる - to eat • 来る - to come
Polite ( ます) Examples:
•⾏きます - to go • ⻝べます - to eat • 来ます - to come
Casual Negative ない Examples:
• ⾏かない - not go • ⻝べない - not eat • 来ない - not
come

Polite Negative ません Examples:

•⾏きません - not go • ⻝べません - not eat
来ません
• - not come

だ だ
• Using " " a) for Statements (Casual)
だ
• is the casual form of the verb です
("to be").
• Used after nouns or adjectives to make casual, affirmative statements.

Examples:

• これは本だ。 "This is a book."

• 学⽣だ。"I’m a student."
• How to Identify Which Form to Use

1. Is it a statement or question?
• Polite: Use ます です
or forms.
• Casual: Use dictionary form or だ.
2. Is it negative?
• Polite: Use ません. • Casual: Use ない.
3. Who are you speaking to?
• Casual: Friends, family, informal writing → Use dictionary form, ない, だ. • Polite:
Strangers, superiors, formal situations → Use ます ません です
, ,
What forms will you use in the following situations?

⾏きます
1. Polite Affirmative: • "I will go." • Answer: (ikimasu)
寿司を⻝べない
2. Casual Negative: • "I don’t eat sushi." • Answer: (Sushi wo
tabenai)
明⽇来ません
3. Polite Negative: • "I won’t come tomorrow." • Answer: (Ashita
kimasen)
学⽣だ
4. Casual Affirmative: • "I am a student." • Answer: (Gakusei da)
Basic Sentence Structure Japanese word order is generally:

1. Subject + Object + Verb (SOV)

Examples:
•私は本を読みます。"I read a book."
•彼は映画を⾒ます。 "He watches a movie."
2. Start with Simple Patterns

a) Using は for Topics:

• 私は学⽣です。(Watashi wa gakusei desu.) "I am a student."
• ⽝はかわいいです。(Inu wa kawaii desu.) "Dogs are cute."
b) Using に/で for Locations:
• 学校に⾏きます。(Gakkou ni ikimasu.) "I go to school."
• 公園で遊びます。(Kouen de asobimasu.) "I play at the park."

c) Using を for Objects:

• 昼ごはんを⻝べます。(Hirugohan wo tabemasu.) "I eat lunch."
• ⾳楽を聞きます。(Ongaku wo kikimasu.) "I listen to music."

3. Focus on Verbs Practice conjugating verbs to fit the situation:

⾏きます (ikimasu) - I go
• Polite affirmative:
⾏きません (ikimasen) - I don’t go
• Polite negative:
⾏く (iku) - go
• Plain affirmative:
⾏かない (ikanai) - don’t go Example Sentence Building:
• Plain negative:
• Polite:学校に⾏きます。(Gakkou ni ikimasu.) "I go to school."
学校に⾏きません。(Gakkou ni ikimasen.) "I don’t go to school."
• Negative:

4. Use Particles for Detail

• Add time: 朝７時に学校に⾏きます。 (Asa shichi-ji ni gakkou ni ikimasu.) "I go to

school at 7 AM."
• Add reason: 勉強するために図書館に⾏きます。 (Benkyou suru tame ni toshokan ni
ikimasu.) "I go to the library to study."

5. Practice Exercises Build Sentences: Use the following words to create sentences:

1. Subject:私 2. Verb: ⻝べる (taberu - to eat)

(watashi - I)
3. Object: 寿司 4. Time: 昨⽇ (kinou - yesterday)
(sushi)
• Answer: 昨⽇寿司を⻝べました。(Kinou sushi wo tabemashita.)
"I ate sushi yesterday”
 Basic Verbs Action Verbs

• する : 勉強する • ⻝べる : 寿司を⻝べる

• ⾏く : 学校に⾏く • 飲む : ⽔を飲む
• 来る : 友達が来る • ⾒る : テレビを⾒る
• 聞く: 先⽣に質問を聞く

Helper Verbs for Describing Actions and States

• ある(aru) - "to be" (used for inanimate objects or abstract things)

• Example: 机の上に本がある (tsukue no ue ni hon ga aru) - There is a book on the
desk.
• いる(iru) - "to be" (used for living things, people, animals)
部屋に猫がいる
• Example: (heya ni neko ga iru) - There is a cat in the room. •
• できる (dekiru) - "to be able to do"
⽇本語ができる
• Example: (nihongo ga dekiru) - I can speak Japanese •

Modal Verbs

(To Want, To Need, etc.)

• 欲しい (hoshii) - "to want" (used with nouns)
• Example: 新しい⾞が欲しい (atarashii kuruma ga hoshii)
- I want a new car.

• たい(tai) - "want to" (attached to the verb stem)

• Example: ⻝べたい (tabetai) - I want to eat
• Conjugation: ⻝べたくない (tabetakunai) - I don’t want to eat

Common State Verbs

• ある (aru) and いる (iru): As mentioned earlier, they are used for existence, but あ
る is for inanimate objects, and いる is for living things. Understanding which to use
is important. • なる (naru) - "to become"
• Example: 医者になる (isha ni naru) - to become a doctor
•知る (shiru) - "to know"
• Example: それを知っている (sore wo shitteiru) - I know that