Japanese verb conjugations and adjective declensions

This page is a list of Japanese verb and adjective conjugations. Since these are almost all regular, they can all be included on one page. Japanese verb conjugation is the same for all subjects, first person ("I", "we"), second person ("you", "ye") and third person ("he/she/it" and "they"), singular and plural. The plain form of all verbs ends in "u". There are very few irregular verbs, and this page contains a comprehensive list of their conjugations. In modern Japanese, there are no verbs ending in zu, fu, pu, or yu.

Present and future

In Japanese, events in the present and future share the same tense—sometimes called the "non-past tense"—and the distinction between them is communicated in other ways (for example, through the context, or via words that convey the time). The non-past form of a verb is the same as its dictionary form – it is used as the headword, or lemma – and no conjugation needs to be done. For example:
*(私は)買い物をする "(watashi wa) kaimono wo suru": "(I) shop", or "(I) will shop".
*(私は)明日 勉強する "(watashi wa) ashita benkyou suru": "Tomorrow, (I) will study". (Japanese pronouns usually are omitted when it is clear about whom the speaker is talking.)

In most cases, the non-past tense cannot be used to indicate one's current state, such as in the English sentence "I am shopping". Rather, it can only be used to express habit or other actions that are expected to continue into the future, such as in "I shop". To convey the former, the "te" form with "iru" must be used.

Past tense

The past tense is very similar in conjugation to the "te" form. Most of the past tenses are formed by replacing "te" with "ta". The only exceptions are the adjective forms.

*The rule for polite verbs ending in る "ru" applies to the consonant-stem honorific verbs いらっしゃる "irassharu", おっしゃる "ossharu", くださる "kudasaru", ござる "gozaru", and なさる "nasaru", which have irregular "i" forms. They are formed by replacing the "ru" with simply "i", instead of "ri".

Usage

The "i" form has many uses, typically as a prefix. These include:

*To form polite verbs when followed by the -ます "-masu" ending: 行く "iku" → 行きます"ikimasu", 使う "tsukau" → 使います "tsukaimasu".
*To express a wish when followed by the ending たい "tai": 食べたい "tabetai": "I want to eat it", 行きたい "ikitai": "I want to go". (The "tai" ending conjugates as an い "i" adjective.)
*To express a strong negative intention when followed by -はしない "-wa shinai": 行きはしないよあんな所 "iki wa shinai yo, anna tokoro" "no way I'm going someplace like that".
*To form a command when followed by
**-なさい "-nasai": これを食べなさい "kore o tabenasai": "eat this", あそこへ行きなさい "asoko e ikinasai": "go over there".
**-な "-na": 真っすぐ帰りな "massugu kaerina" "go straight home": 仲良く遊びな "nakayoku asobina" "play nice". (Used with children, etc.)
*To express that something is easy or hard when followed by -易い "-yasui" or -難い "-nikui": したしみ易い "shitashimiyasui": "easy to befriend": 分かり難い "wakarinikui": "hard to understand".
*To express excessiveness when followed by the verb -過ぎる "-sugiru": 飲み過ぎる "nomisugiru": "to drink too much". ("sugiru" can also be used with the stems of adjectives.)
*In yakuza speech, to express disrespect (such as hatred or contempt) for the doer of an action when followed by the verb -やがる -"yagaru": 殺しやがる "koroshiyagaru": "to kill (as a hated or contemptible person)". (The "te" form can be substituted for the "i" form.)The "i" form also has some uses on its own, such as:
*To express purpose, with に "ni": 食べに行きました "tabe ni ikimashita": "I went there to eat".
*In formal honorifics such as お使い下さい "o tsukai kudasai": "Please use this".
*In conjunctions in formal writing.For some verbs, the "i" form also forms part of related words in ways that are not governed by any general rules. For example:
*The "i" form of 食べる "taberu" (to eat) can prefix 物 "mono" to form 食べ物 "tabemono" (food). Similarly with 飲む "nomu".
*The "i" form of 賭ける "kakeru" (to bet) is a word on its own: 賭け "kake", which means "a bet".
*離す "hanasu" (to separate) can be suffixed to the "i" form of "kiru" (to cut) to form 切り離す "kirihanasu" (to cut off).

"Te" form

The "te" form of a Japanese verb is used when the verb has some kind of connection to the following words. The conjugation of the "te" form is similar to the conjugation of the past tense.

*The "ru" ending of the causative form becomes the new verb ending. This conjugates as a vowel stem verb.
*Negatives are not normally made into causatives. Instead, a negative ending is added to the causative of the verb. Thus, for example, "Tabesasenai": "Do not let eat".
*Adjectives are made causative by using the adverb form plus "saseru".

Usage

The causative is used for:
*Making someone do something: 宿題をさせる "shukudai o saseru": "(I) make (him) do homework".
*Letting someone do something: 外で遊ばせる "soto de asobaseru": "(I) let (him) play outside".
*With explicit actors: 先生が子供に勉強をさせた "sensei ga kodomo ni benkyou wo saseta": "The teacher made the children study."
*The honorific forms させて貰う "sasete morau" or させて頂く "sasete itadaku" using the verbs 貰う "morau" or its humble equivalent 頂く "itadaku".

Causative passive

The causative passive form is obtained by first conjugating in the causative form and then conjugating the result in the passive form.UsageAs its rule suggests, the causative passive is used to express causation passively: 両親に勉強させられる "ryōshin ni benkyō saserareru": "(I) am made to study by (my) parents".

Because words such as させられる "saserareru" are considered to be difficult to pronounce, frequently in colloquial speech, the middle part of the causative passive would contract. That is, させられる "saserareru" would become さされる "sasareru". Another example such as "(I) was made to buy (something)" would formally be 買わせられた "kawaserareta" from the verb 買う "kau", but colloquially, it is frequently contracted to 買わされた "kawasareta".

Conditional "eba" form

The "eba" conditional form is characterized by the final "u" becoming "eba" for consonant stem verbs, and "ru" becoming "reba" for vowel stem verbs.

*The る "ru" ending of the passives becomes the new verb ending. This conjugates as a vowel stem verb. Thus past, て "te", or polite forms can all be added to the verb.
*The copula, だ da, does not form a passive.
*For the ます masu form, the ます "masu" is added to the passive of the plain verb.

Usage

The passive is used
*as a passive: このテレビは東芝によって作られた "kono terebi wa Toshiba ni yotte tsukurareta": "This TV was made by Toshiba",
*as a suffering passive, indicating that a regrettable thing was done to someone, and
*as a form of honorific.

Volitional

Usage

In general, the volitional form expresses intention, such as in these cases:
*In volitional ("let's" or "I shall") statements: 勉強しよう "benkyō shiyō": "Let's study" or "I shall study".
*To ask volitional ("shall we") questions: 行こうか "ikō ka": "Shall (we) go?"
*To express what one is thinking of doing, via 思う "omou": 買おうと思う "kaō to omou": "(I) am thinking of buying (it)".
*In the form しようとする "shiyō to suru": be about to or be trying to. 犬が死のうとしている "Inu ga shinō to shite iru": "The dog is dying."

ee also

* Japanese consonant and vowel verbs

External links

* [http://www.timwerx.net/language/jpverbs/index.htm Step-by-step lessons on learning various usages]