Explanation of Japanese Verb forms for Romaji readers
see also Verb Groupings for Romaji readers, and Counters; Numbers, Time.

The Plain Form

The Masu Form

The Imperative Form

The Te Form

The Conditional Form

The Volitional Form

The Potential Form

The Passive Form

The Causative Form

The Causative Passive Form

Polite Speech Verb Groupings Verb Groups in Hiragana

The Plain Form,

The plain form, including the plain forms of the present, past, conditional, presumptive, volitional, potential, passive, causative, and causative passive forms, is used in everyday conversation among friends, family, and other close relationships. The present tense of the plain form of verbs is sometimes called the "dictionary form."

Note that Group 1 verbs that have the final -u preceded by a vowel have a slightly different conjugation for the negative form. Such that kau becomes kawanai, iu, becomes iwanai, and omou becomes omowanai.

Generally the plain form is used as follows.

1. Informal conversations:

ashita tomodachi ni au?
Will you meet your friend toorrow?

un, au.
Yes, I will.

uun, awanai.
No, I wont.

kinou tomodachi ni atta?
Did you meet your friend yesterday?

uun, awanakatta.
No, I didn't

2. Within a clause of a complex sentence:

kare wa ashita kuru to iimashita.
He said he would come tomorrow.

kare wa ashita iku ka dou ka wakarimasen.
I don't know whether he will go or not tomorrow.

kare wa aruku'n desu ka?
Will he walk?

kare ga oshieru no wa getsuyoubi desu
He teaches on Mondays.

kare ni ashita hanasanai-you ni itte kudasai.
Please tell him not to talk tomorrow.

The Masu Form

The Masu form is often referred to as the "polite form." Suitable for a wide range of circumstances, the masu form is considered a polite conventional way of speaking. Note that the present masu form covers both the English present and future tenses. The present masu form is made by attaching -imasu/-imasen to the stem of Group 1 verbs, or -masu/-masen to the stem of Group 2 verbs. The masu forms for the potential, passive, causative passive forms are made by dropping the final -ru syllable, and attaching -masu/-imasen. For the masu forms for the humble and honorific forms, refer to the entries for naru, nasaru, suru, and itasu.

ashita dekakemasu ka.
Will you go out tomorrow?

iie, dekakemasen.
No, I wont.

kesa shinbun o yomimashita ka.
Did you read the newspaper this morning?

iie, yomimasen.
No, I didn't.

piano o hikimasu ka.
Do you play the piano?

ame ni furaremashita.
I was caught in the rain.

moo ichido yaraseraremashita.
They made me do it one more time.

The Imperative Form

The imperative (command) form is said by a superior to an inferior. This form is made by adding -e to the stem of Group 1 verbs, and by adding -ro to the stem of Group 2 verbs. For negative imperatives, add the adjunct na to the plain present form of the verb. Note that with some verbs, the imperative form conventionally is not used.

suware
Sit down.

okane o tamero.
Save your money.

shizuka ni shiro.
Be quiet.

dare ni mo iu na.
Don't say this to anyone.

A less harsh way to make a command is to use nasai. Add -i + nasai to the stem of Group 1 verbs, and -nasai to the stem of Group 2 verbs. shi-nasai and ki-nasai are for suru and kuru.

suwari-nasai
Sit down.

kaku no wa yame-nasi
Stop writing.

The Te Form

The Te form can be considered to be the japanese equivalent of the English gerund. For most verbs, the te forms are made as follows:

Group 1 verbs:

Group 2 verbs:

Change the -ru endings to -te.

miru (to see)

mite

State of Doing
The te form, when combined with iru/imasu, indicates a state of doing; in other words, a state where the action is continuous.

1. ima nani o shite imasu ka.
   What are you doing now?
   
   
2. nihon-go o benkyoo shite iru
   I'm studying Japanese.
   
   
3. yuube hachi-ji goro watashi tegami o kaite imashita.
   I was writing a letter at about eight o'clock last night.

Present Perfect
The present perfect tense is also indicated by the te form. It is made by combining the te form with iru/imasu. Note that the te iru form is often used in Japanese for conditions that are not always indicated in English by the present perfect tense.

1. eiga wa moo hajimatte imasu ka.
   Has the movie started yet?
   
   
2. iie. mada hajimatte imasen.
   No, it has not started yet.
   
   
3. ame wa yande iru
   The rain has stopped.
   
   
4. michi wa migi ni magatte iru.
   The road curves to the right.
   
   
5. kare wa futotte imasu
   He is fat.
   
   
6. kare wa chichi-oya ni nite imashita.
   He looked like his father.
   
   
7. tanaka-san o shitte imasuka.
   Do you know Mr. Tanaka?
   iie, shirimasen.
   No, I don't.
   
   
8. kanajo no namae o oboete imasu.
   I remember her name.
   
   
9. nihon-go no jisho o motte imasu.
   I have a Japanese dictionary.
   
   
10. kissaten de matte imasu.
    I'll wait for you at the coffee shop.

Recording Events
The te form is used when recording events according to a time sequence. In some cases, where one action stops and another starts is not always clear.

1. resutoran ni haitte, koohii o nonda.
   I went into a restaurant and had some coffee.
   
   
2. roku-ji ni okite, uchi o dete, hachi-ji ni kaisha ni tsuita.
   I got up at six, left the house, and reached the company at eight.
   
   
3. tomodachi ni atte, eiga o mite kara, uchi ni kaerimashita.
   I met a friend,saw a movie, and then went home.
   
   
4. kaban o motte kimasu.
   I'll bring my briefcase.
   
   
5. paatii ni tomodachi o tsurete ikimasu.
   I'll take my friend to the party.

Something Caused Something.
The te form is used to indicate that something happened, something that caused something else (often an emotion)

1. tegami o yonde, anshin shimashita.
   Having read the letter I was relieved.
   
   
2. nyuusu o kiite, bikkuri shita.
   i was surprised to hear the news.
   
   
3. byooki ga naotte, ureshii.
   I'm glad you got well.

Giving and Receiving
The te form is used with verbs such as ageru and morau to indicate giving and receiving. The level of politeness required for a particular situation dictates which verbs follow the te form; for instance, a person of lower status would rarely use ageru to a superior. In the examples below, notice how the verb following the te form changes according to the degree of politeness.

1. tomodachi wa shashin o misete kuremashita
   My friend showed me some photos.
   
   
2. sensei wa shashin o miete kudasaimashita.
   My teacher (kindly) showed me some photos.
   
   
3. tomodachi ni shashin o misete moaimashita.
   I got my friend to show me some photos.
   
   
4. sensei ni shashin o misete itadakimasu.
   I got my teacher to show me some photos.
   
   
5. tomodachi ni shashin o misete agemashita
   I showed some photos to my friend.
   
   
6. sensei ni shashin o misete sashiagemashita.
   I showed some photos to my teacher.
   
   
7. tanaka-san wa haha ni shashin o misete kuremashita
   Mr. Tanaka showed my mother some photos.
   
   
8. shachoo wa chichi ni shashin o misete kudasaimashita.
   The president of the company showed my father some photos.
   
   
9. haha wa tanaka-san ni shashin o misete moraimashita.
   My mother got Mr. Tanaka to show her some photos.
   
   
10. chichi wa shachoo ni shashin o misete itadakimashita.
    My father got the president of the company to show him some photos.
    
    
11. imooto wa tomodachi ni shashin o misete agemashita.
    My younger sister showed me some photos of her friend.
    
    
12. imooto wa sensei ni shashin o misete sashiagemashita.
    My younger sister showed some photos to her teacher.

With other Verbs and Adjuncts.
The te form is also used with other verbs and adjuncts.

1. haitte mo ii desu ka.
   May I come in?
2. sawatte wa ikemasen.
   Don't touch.
3. doa o nokku shite mimashita.
   I tried knocking on the door.
4. ashita juu-ji kite hoshii desu.
   I want you to come at ten o'clock tomorrow.
5. heya o sooji shite okimashita
   I cleaned the room (to have it ready in advance)
6. gohan o tabete shimaimashita.
   I finished the meal.

The Conditional Form,

One way to make the conditional form for all verbs is to drop the final -u and add -eba. Thus furu becomes fureba. The negative conditional form is made by dropping the final -i of the plain negative form and adding -kereba; therefor, furanai becomes furanakereba.

Another way to make the conditional form is to add the adjunct ra to the past palin forms or past masu forms, such as futta ra, furanakatta ra, furimashita ra, or furimasen deshita ra. I've written this as two words for clarity but convenionaly it is written as one word (futtara).

While there are slight changes in nuance between the forms using ra and the forms using -eba, in many cases, they can be used interchangeably with little difference in meaning.

1. ame ga fureba, uchi ni imasu.
   ame ga futtara, uchi ni imasu.
   ame ga furimashitara, uchi ni imasu. (polite)
   If it rains I'll stay home.
   
   
2. jisho o mireba, wakarimasu.
   jisho o mitara, wakarimasu.
   If you check the dictionary, you will understand

Generally speaking, when a specific request follows the conditional clause, or if the sentence has the meaning "when something happens, I will do this," the form using ra is preferred over the form using -eba.

1. kare ni atta ra, yoroshiku to itte kudasai. (correct)
   If you meet him, please say 'hello' for me.
   kare ni aeba, yoroshiku to itte kudasai. (incorrect)
   
   
2. nyuu yooku ni tsuitara, renraku suru tsumori desu. (correct)
   When I reach New York, I intend to get in touch with you.
   nyuu yooku ni tsukeba, renraku suru tsumori desu. (incorrect)
   

The Volitional Form,

To indicate Volition we add -oo/-imashoo to the verb stem of Group 1 verbs, and -yoo/-mashoo to Group 2 verb stems. Please note that for some verbs the volitional form is note is not commonly used

1. rainen nihon e ikoo to omoimasu.
   I think I'll go to Japan next year.
   
   
2. saifu o kaeshimashoo.
   Let's return the wallet.
   
   
3. nichiyoobi ni eiga o miyoo to omou.
   I think I'll see a movie on Sunday.
   
   
4. yamemashoo.
   Let's quit.
   
   
5. benkyoo shimashoo.
   Let's study.
   

The Potential Form,

To express the possibility or capability of doing something we use the Potential form. This is made by adding -eru/-emasu to the stem of Group 1 verbs and by adding -rareru/raremasu to Group 2 verbs. The negative form is made using -enai/-emasen and -rarenai/-raremasen. Note again that for some verbs the Potential form is not used.

1. ashita juuji goro aemasuka.
   Can I meet you about ten o'clock tomorrow?
   
   
2. ashita aenakeraba, asatte wa doo desuka.
   If I cannot meet you tomorrow, how about the day after?
   
   
3. nanji goro deraremasuka.
   About what time can you go out?
   

The Passive Form,

The Passive form indicates that something was done to you, or to another object, rather than you did or are doing something yourself. Similar to passive smoking. You are adversely affected. It is formed by adding -areru/-aremasu to the stem of Group 1 verbs (-wareru/-waremasu for verbs ending in tow vowels like omou), and -rareru/-raremasu for Group 2 verb stems. The negative form is -arenai/aremasen (-warenai/-waremasen for two vowels) and -rarenai/-raremasen.

Note that the potential and passive forms of Group 2 verbs are identical and that both transitive and some intransitive verbs can be used in a passive sentence. Also note that the passive form of some verbs are rarely used.

1. doroboo ni okane o nusumaremashita.
   (My) money was stolen by a thief.
   
   
2. uchi ni kaeru tochuu de, ame ni furaremashita.
   On my way home, I was caught in the rain.
   
   
3. minna ni mitsumerarete, komatta.
   I didn't know what to do because everyone was staring at me.
   

To convey the idea of making someone do something we form the causative verb by adding -aseru/-asemasu (-asenai/-asemasen for the negative forms) to the stem of most Group 1 verbs. If the verb ends with two vowels then we add -waseru/-wasemasu (-wasenai/-wasemasen for negatives). To Group 2 we add -saseru/-sasemasu (-sasenai/-sasemasen for the negatives). Note again that for some verbs the causative form is rarley used.

1. kare wa musuko o kaimono ni ikaseta.
   He made his son go shopping.
   
   
2. kanojo wa kodomo ni piano o narawasemashita.
   She made her child laern to play the piano.
   
   
3. watashi ni harawasete kudasai.
   Please let me pay.
   
   
4. sono koto wa moo sukoshi kangaesasete kuremasuka.
   Could you please let me think it over some more

The Causative Passive Form

The idea of this form is the idea "I was made to do something and I was adversely affected by it." We make this form by adding -aserareru/-aseraremasu (-aserarenai/-aseraremasen for the negative forms) to most Group 1 stems. To two vowel endings we add -waserareru/-waseraremasu (-waserarenai/-waseraremasen for negative forms). With Group 2 verb stems we add -saserareru/-saseraremasu (-saserarenai/-saseraremasen for the negatives). For some verbs the causative passive form is rarely used.

1. shigoto de hon kon ni ikaseraremashita.
   I was made to go to Hong Kong on business.
   
   
2. watashi-tachi wa uta o utawaseraremashita.
   we were made to sing a song.
   
   
3. kare wa sensei ni takusan benkyou saserareta.
   He was made to study a lot by his teacher.
   

Polite Language: Honorific and Humble Speech

Honorific Speech is used when the subject is, or is related to, someone else and humble speech is used when the subject concerns yourself or that which is associated with yourself.

You can put it into three categories:

1. A speaker uses polite speech when talking to an in-group member (same school or company) who is senior to you in age or status. You also use polite language if talking to a fellow worker _about_ your (mutual) boss.

2. If a non group member is obviously senior to you in status or age then polite language is used, or when talking to someone of another group about their seniors. Unless you are very good friends with the person to whom you are speaking. In that case you may well use casual speech, especially in private.

3. When not sure of the status or age of someone you are talking to it is best to, and usually done so by the Japanese, use polite speech.

Generally speaking the Masu form is polite enough for use with new acquaintances or seniors you work with. Unless your studies or work demand a high level of both language and etiquette I would think that the verb conjugations below are not really necessary. But handy to know should someone use them on or around you. Or if you just plain want to impress folk.

Note too that many verbs have special honorific and humble verb counterparts. For example the verb "to go" iku has the humble verb form of mairu and the honorific form of irassharu.

For verbs that don't have such counterparts the forms are made this way:

A. Honorific: o + verb stem + ni naru (this is the most common way)

1. sensei wa hon o o-yomi ni narimasu.
   The teacher reads the book.
   
   
2. tegami o o-kaki ni narimashitaka.
   Have you written the letter?
   

B. honorific: passive form
using the passive form of verbs is also used to express politeness.

1. tanaka-san, kinoo honya ni ikaremashitaka.
   Mr Tanaka, did you go to the bookstore yesterday?
   
   
2. sensei wa denwa de sugu kotaeraremashita.
   The teacher answered immediately by telephone.
   

C. honorific: douzo + o + verb stem + kudasai
A polite way to make a request.

1. douzo o-kake kudasai.
   Please have a seat.
   
   
2. douzo o-meshiagari kudasai.
   Please start eating.

D. Humble: o + verb stem + suru
This is the commonest way to make the humble form.

1. ashita, shachou-shitsu ni o-kaeshi shimasu.
   I will return it to the president's office tomorrow.
   
   
2. mina sama ni kyuuryou ni tsuite o-hanashi shitai to omoimasu.
   I would like to talk to everyone about salaries.

suru can generally be replaced with itasu.

1. suutsu-keesu o o-mochi itashimasu.
   Let me carry your suitcase.
   
   
2. suu-fun-kan no uchi ni o-yobi itashimasu.
   I will call for you in a few minutes.

Transitive and Intransitive

In Japanese verbs classified as transitive take a direct object and in doing so use the particle o.

1. watashi wa tegami o kakimashita.
   I wrote a letter.
   
   
2. mado o shimete kudasai.
   Please close the windows.

A verb classified as intransitive does not take a direct object and usually does not use an o as a particle.

1. kyuuryou ga agarimashita.
   Salaries went up.
   
   
2. kabe ni e ga kakatte iru.
   There is a picture hanging on the wall.

Some Japanese intransitive verbs use the particle o as shown below. These intransitives usually have meanings referring to motion and used with o give the idea of "going through a defined area."

1. watashi wa kooen made hashirimashita.
   I ran to the park.
   
   
2. watashi wa go-fun de koosu o hashirimashita.
   I ran the course in five minutes.

When a verb has both a transitive and an intransitive form the particle is very important in dictating the meaning.

1. shigoto ni isogu.
   Hurry to work.
   
   
2. shigoto o isogu.
   To work faster.