Verb Tenses

Now that we know the different verb types, verb bases and the connection the subject and direct objects have with verbs, let's try creating more sentences changing the tense and formality.

The Predicate is the main core of the Japanese sentence and contains a verb or a verbal form. In Japanese, a verbal form may be a noun and a copula or a verbal adjective. As a reminder, here are four types of predicates in Japanese:

• Verb
• Noun + copula
• na-adjective + copula
• i-adjective

While Japanese sentences may have a Topic, they must always have a Predicate. The predicate is placed at the end of a sentence and everything else comes before it but is not considered part of it.

Remember, a sentences does not always need the Topic so in the example above, 今日は (kyou wa) does not need to be said. Even the Subject 私が (watashi ga) can be dropped. Unlike English, the only thing you need to make a complete sentence in Japanese is a Verb and nothing else, assuming the listener already knows the rest by context.

The most basic way to make sentences with verbs that we'll use for now until we learn more ways to develop more complex sentence is Subject, Object, Verb. Do not confuse this with the so-called SOV word ordering as this only applies to very basic sentences and the Subject and Object may be placed in any order.

※ As you discover more real world Japanese, you will likely see the topic は particle instead of the subject が particle being used. You'll eventually become use to seeing these and naturally understand the differences between the two as well as the contrast they make in casual speech.

New Words to Learn

Before we look at how to conjugate verb tenses, here are some more verbs to start using and practice making sentences with. It may be a good idea to check out real Japanese writing on social media or news articles and see if you can spot any of these sentence patterns to see how they work.

※ Some of these words may have similar or different meanings so do check these out using a dictionary. There are plenty of online dictionaries such as japandict.com or jisho.org.

Verb Tenses with Politenessformal

The formal verb conjugations are known as ~masu form. These are the easiest verb tenses to conjugate which is why we will be starting with the formal ~masu form first. Remember from the lesson about Verb Bases? We'll be using them now.

Here is a list of how to conjugate any verb into the following tenses:

Simple right? All we did was use Base 2 of the verb and added the ~masu tense to the end. The Ichidan verbs drop the る (taberu => tabe => tabemasu). The Godan verbs change the /u/ sound to an /i/ sound (wakaru => wakari => wakarimasu). Here are some examples to see how these work:

Casual Verb Tensesinformal

For the informal verb tense conjugations, these are a little more tricky due to them using the Base ta form with Godan verbs. Also note that the present tense is simply the Dictionary Form and these are the forms children in schools learn first; a reason why some guides encourage using just informal (casual) language and then ignore almost everything else about being polite or respectful.

Here is another list of how to conjugate any verb into the following informal tenses:

As you can see, different bases are used and only two of them have a stem. Also, pay attention to the Base ta form with the Godan verbs. Here are the same examples but using the informal forms:

What is Teineigo (丁寧語)?optional

Please note that this section is a reminder about Keigo that was discussed in a previous lesson about "What is です (desu)?" and may be skipped if you do not need reminding.

Teineigo is a form of polite language in Japanese known as Keigo used to show respect and politeness towards others. It is often used when speaking to strangers or someone of higher social status, such as a teacher or an employer and such.

If you do not use Keigo with those in higher social status than you (e.g. a teacher), it would be very rude. It can even come across as if you are looking down on them. Think of it like, if I use Keigo, I am not looking down on you, I am showing you respect.

Teineigo is rather easy to spot when you notice that nouns and adjectives end in です (desu) or when verbs are conjugated with the 〜ます (~masu) forms. Just keep in mind that 〜ます does not have a translation; even though it is viewed as the auxiliary verb "will" or "shall" in English, 〜ます is simply there for the politeness, formality and respect.

— Keigo in Non-Formal Situations

However, when it comes to people you are close to like family and friends, you would not use Keigo. This kind of formality in Japanese actually creates distance between the speaker and listener.

Using 〜ます with people close to you such as a friend or family member is like putting distancing between yourself and them. With a friend, they may think that you do not want to get close to them. Think of it like a bubble representing your own personal space; these people you use formal language with are placed outside of that personal space (e.g. you see them less of a friend).

There are times you may use Keigo like the です or 〜ます verb stems with friends such as when you are having an argument. If they start using Keigo with you, it can be a sign they have decided they want to keep their distance from you. You may reply also using Keigo to show you also want to keep your distance from them (maybe you do not see each other as friends any more?)

Keigo may be used to give subtle hints of disagreement; for example, imagine you invited a friend to go somewhere with you, they may use casual speech to agree 分かった (wakatta) and that would be like "ok" (understood) but if they used Keigo to agree 分かりました (wakarimashita) "ok", while both verbs mean the same thing, this politeness actually gives the hint that actually, maybe it is not a good idea.