Japanese Verbs and Adjectives

Japanese Verbs and Adjectives ADJECTIVES ii adjectives na adjectives

modifying a noun: add ‘i’ modifying a noun: add ‘na’

omoshiroi eiga genkina sensei

present past

affirmative oishii desu oishikatta desu

negative oishiku arimasen oishiku arimasendeshita

Exception: “ii”

present past

ii desu yokatta desu

yoku amarimasen yoku arimasendeshita

na adjectives

present past

genki desu genki deshita

genki ja arimasen genki ja arimasendeshita

Conjugation ii adjectives

“It looks like” or something ‘seemingly’ has properties ii adjectives drop i, add sō desu exception “ii” na adjectives drop na, add sō desu

oishi sō desu yosa sō desu genki sō desu

(bentuk negative menjadi ‘nai’ to ‘nasa’ sebelum ‘sō desu’.

VERBS Verb

taberu

kau

Root

tabe

kai

Present

tabemasu

kaimasu

Present Negative

tabemasen

kaimasen

“have not… yet” Changes and activities

mada… + Neg

mada… tabemasen

mada… kaimasen

“Why don’t we?”

Pres Neg + ka

tabemasenka

kaimasenka

“Let’s…”

Pres + mashō

tabemashō

kaimashō

“Shall we..? “Let me do…” Pres + mashōka

tabemashōka

kaimashōka

“Probably…” Verb + deshō Also: Checking for agreement (ie “you understand Chinese, right?”)

taberu deshō

kau deshō

Cautious prediction Verb + darō (ie “I think … would be interested in…”)

taberu darō

kau darō

Question on ones opinion Verb + deshōka (ie “Which is more difficult?)

taberu deshōka

kau deshōka

TE forms (formal) RU verbs -> remove ‘ru’ and add ‘te’ U verbs -> remove ‘ru’*, ‘u’, ‘tsu’ and add ‘tte’ -> remove ‘mu’, ‘bu’, ‘nu’ and add ‘nde’ -> remove ‘ku’ and add ‘ite’ -> remove ‘gu’ and add ‘ide’ -> remove ‘su’ and add ‘shite’ Irregular: suru -> shite kuru -> kite

taberu -> tabete kau -> katte, matsu -> matte, toru -> totte yomu -> yonde, osobu -> osonde, shinu -> shinde kaku -> kaite (Exception: iku -> itte) oyogu -> oyoide hanasu -> hanashite

* If vowel before ‘ru’ is ‘a’, ‘o’, or ‘u’, it’s a U verb. If vowel is ‘i’ or ‘e’, could be RU or U verb. “Please do for me…”

Te + kudasai

tabete kudasai

katte kudasai

“You may do…”

Te + mo ii desu

tabete moiidesu

katte moiidesu

“You may not do…”

Te + wa ikemasen

tabete wa ikemasen

katta wa ikemasen

Do 2 or more activities

Te + other verb

tabete, nomimasu

katte, urimasu (sell)

Past event connected to Te + iru present, or action occurring now

tabeteimasu “is eating”

katteimasu “is buying”

“Trying something…”

Te + miru (“to see”)

tabetemiru

kattemiru

An action performed in preparation for something.

Te + oku

tabete oku

katte oku

Te forms for

ii adj

adj + kute Irregular “ii” adj + de noun + de

oishikute yokute genkide nihonjinde

tabemasu

kaimasu

tabe ni ikemasu “go to eat”

kai ni ikemasu “go to buy”

tabetai desu

kaitai desu

tabetagatteimasu tabetaku aremasen

kaitagatteimasu kaitaku arimasen

na adj noun + desu Verb stems Purpose of movement

stem + ni + move verb

Hope or aspiration stem + tai desu “I want to do…” “They want to do…” stem + tagatteimasu Conjugates as ii adj: ‘

(Verb stems cont.) Too much’ or ‘to excess’ stem + sugiru (RU verb) ii & na adj  drop ‘i’ & ‘na’

tabe sugimashita taka sugimasu “too expensive”

kai sugimashita shizuka sugimasu “too quiet”

Short forms (casual) Used in casual conversations, and as a sign of familiarity (Long forms imply ‘keeping a proper distance’) - No need for ‘ka’ for questions; rising tone is sufficient - ‘Da’ at end of ‘na’ adj or ‘noun & desu’ is usually dropped Conjugation Verbs Present Past Te form, replace te/de with * Present Negative:

Past na adjectives Present Past Noun + desu Present Replace desu with da Past

“Please don’t…”

Negative

yomu Dictionary form yonda Replace ‘i’with katta ta/da

yomanai (see below) yomanakatta

RU verb -> drop RU, add ‘nai’ U verb -> drop U, add ‘anai’ (verb ends with ‘u’, add ‘wanai’ instead eg ‘kau’) Irregular verb: suru -> shinai kuru -> konai aru -> nai

ii adjectives Present

Quoted speech “He/she/they said…” “I think that…”

Affirmative

kawaii Dictionary forms kawaikatta Replace ‘i’with katta

kawaikunai Replace arimasen with nai kawaikunakatta Replace ‘i’with katta

shizukada Replace desu with da shizukadatta Replace ‘da’ with datta

shizukajanai Replace arimasen with nai shizukajanakatta Replace ‘i’ with katta

gakusei da Replace arimasen with nai gakuseidatta Replace ‘da’ with datta

gakuseijanai gakuseijanakatta Replace ‘i’ with katta

short + to + itteimashita tabeta iru to itteimashita short + to + omoimasu tabeta to omoimasu ‘to’ represents the ending of a quoted section “….”

katta to itteimashita kau to omoimasu

neg + De kudasai

kawanai de kudasai

tabenai de kudasai

(Short forms cont.) Verbs & adjectives as nouns short + noga (or kotoga)

taberunoga “act of eating”

kaukotoga “act of buying”

“I intend to do…”

present + tsumori desu

taberutsumori desu

kautsumori desu

“Do such things as A & B”

past + ri… suru

tabetari, nondari shimasu

kattari, uttari shimasu

“Have the experience of…” past + kotoga aru

tabetakotoga arimasu ka?

Kattakotoga arimasu ka?

“It is better (for you) to do…” affirmative: past + hōgaii desu negative: present + hōgaii desu

tabeta hōgaii desu taberu hōgaii desu

katta hōgaii desu kau hōgaii desu

tabanai nakucha ikemasen

kawanai nakucha ikemasen

“(So&so) must do…” “It is necessary to…”

neg + nakucha ikemasen

Explanatory sentences short + ndesu (casual: “no”) taberu ndesu kau ndesu “As it happens…” “I am eating (which is why I can’t talk right now)” For ‘na’ adj & nouns: “na” comes between shizukanan desu gakuseinan desu “Something is scheduled…” present + yotei desu

taberu yotei desu

Potential verbs Someone ‘can’, or ‘has the ability to’ do something, or something is ‘possible’. Conjugates as RU verb. RU verb -> drop final –RU, add –rareru U verb -> drop final –U, and –eru

taberareru ikeru

Irregular: kuru -> korareru suru -> dekiru Dekiru always takes ‘ga’ it’s particle. Others can still use ‘wo’ or ‘ga’. (note: some speakers drop ‘ra’ from RU Potential verbs)

kau yotei desu