• Verb tenses asides from the present tense in Japanese.
• conjugation shorthand all starts from the base singular form of the word

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Verb stem

Tae Kim - Verb Stem

• ru verb stem - v1~ru.
  • ta{}beru -> ta{}be.
• u verb stem - v5c~u-i.
  • i{}ku -> i{}ki
• exceptional stems
  • suru -> shi
  • kuru -> ki
• Verb stems can also be a target for another verb, typically a motion verb go, come. by attaching the ni to the verb stem
  • hiru{昼} go han{} wo ta{}be ni iku go to eat lunch.
  • watashi{} ni ka{}i ni ku{}ru come to meet me.
  • tomodachi{友達} to eiga{} wo mi{} ni i{}ku go to watch movie with friends.

Present tense

• v5cu can be -su; ku; gu; mu, bu, nu; ru, tsu

Existence verbs - express whether someone or something exists and where

• iru ru verb v1 - to exist for animate, like human or animals
  • jikan{} ha aru is there time -> do you have time?
  • kagi{鍵} ha, TE_BURU no ue{上} ni aru key exists above of table -> key is above table.
  • ginkou{銀行} ha, yuubinkyoku{郵便局} no tonari{隣} ni aru bank exists next of post office -> bank is next to post office.
• aru u verb v5 - to exist for inanimate objects or abstract concepts, like time
  • ARISUchan ha, doko ni iru at what place does Alice-chan exist -> where is Alice-chan?
  • ARISU ha, gaqkou{} no ushi{後}ro ni iru exists behind of school -> behind the school.

Plain negative present tense

• ru verbs v1~ru-nai.
  • ta{}beru -> benai
  • mi{}ru -> nai
  • ne{寝}ru -> nai
  • o{起}kiru -> kinai to wake, to occur
  • kanga{考}eru -> enai to think
  • oshi{教}eru -> enai
  • de{出}ru -> nai
  • ka{変}eru -> enai
  • ki{着}ru -> nai
• cu verbs v5c~u-anai.
  • ma{待}tsu -> tanai.
  • hana{話}su -> sanai.
  • ki{聞}ku -> kanai to ask or listen
  • oyo{遊}gu -> ganai
  • aso{遊}bu -> banai to play
  • no{飲}mu -> manai
  • kae{帰}ru -> ranai
  • wa{分}karu -> karanai to understand, know
  • shi{死}nu -> nanai.
• u verbs ending in u the hiragana v5~u-wanai.
  • ka{買}u -> wanai
• exceptions
  • suru -> shinai
  • ku{}ru -> konai
  • aru -> nai

Polite present verb conjugation

• polite positive: stem-masu
• polite negative: stem-masen

Verb te-form

Progressive tense

Tae Kim - the progressive tense mostly indicate an ongoing action; can also describe an ongoing state resulting from the action, like "I'm married".

• te-form-iru as grammatical construct only, but also can express existence of an animate object
  • ta{}beru -> beteiru
  • yo{}mu -> ndeiru
• the progressive tense can be considered a ru-verb and follow the conjugation rules including the polite form.

Progressive conjugation examples

• Positive progressive v1~ru
  • inu{} ha, ya{痩}seteiru in state of having gotten skinny v1~ru-te.
• Negative progressive v5c~u.
  • sore ha, mou shi{知}qteru yo already in state of having acquired v5~ru-qte that knowledge.
  • PEN wo *mo{持}qteiru* in state of holding v5?
  • keqkon{結婚}shiteimasu ka in state of being married v5~su-shite?
  • nani{}mo *shiteimasen* in state of doing nothing.
  • inu{犬} wo *ka{飼}qteiru* in state of raising v5~u-qte.
  • neko{猫} ha, ka{}qteinai not in state of raising.
  • neko{} ha, futo{太}qteiru in state of having gotten fat v5~ru-qte.

Shortened progressive form

• i in -iru can be dropped in more casual situations
  • nani{} wo *shiteru* no doing?
  • nani{} wo *yo{}nderu* no reading?
  • inu{} ha, *ka{}qtenai* raising, owning.
  • PEN wo *mo{}qteru* holding?

Past tense

Plain past tense - verbs te-form - {~te-ta, or ~de-da}.

• v1~ru-ta: ta{}be~ru-ta -> beta ate
  • ta{}betei~ru-ta -> beteita was eating
• v5~su-shita.
• v5~ku-ita.
• v5~gu-ida.
• v5~mu-nda, v5~bu-nda, v5~nu-nda.
  • no{}~mu-nda -> nda drank.
• v5~u-qta, v5~ru-qta, v5~tsu-qta.

Plain negative past tense

• conjugate to the negative form and ~i-kaqta.
• v1~ru-nakaqta.
  • ta{}be~ru-nakaqta -> benakaqta did not eat.
  • ta{}betei~ru-nakaqta -> beteinakaqta was not eating.
• v5c~u-nakaqta.
  • no{}m~u-anakaqta -> manakaqta did not drink
• v5~u-wanakaqta.

Polite past tense

• stem-mashita.
• v1~ru-mashita.
  • ta{}be~ru-mashita -> bemashita
• v5c~u-imashita
  • no{}m~u-imashita -> no{}mimashita

Polite negative past tense

• stem-masendeshita.
• v1~ru-masendeshita.
  • ta{}be~ru-masendeshita -> bemasendeshita
• v5c~u-imasendeshita.
  • no{}m~u-imasendeshita -> mimasendeshita

State-of-Being past tense

Tae Kim
Conjugations rules for nouns and na-adj are identical, and the rule is also the same for i-adj and negative forms as they both end in i.

Plain past state-of-being

• nouns and na-adj: -daqta
  • gakusei{}-daqta -> gakusei{}daqta was a student.
  • hima{}-daqta -> hima{}daqta was free
• i-adj or negative forms: ~i-kaqta
  • kawai~i-kaqta -> kawaikaqta was cute
  • kawaikuna~i-kaqta -> kawaikunakaqta was not cute.
  • gakusei{}jana~i-kaqta -> janakaqta was not a student.
  • hima{}jana~i-kaqta -> janakaqta not not free.
  • i{行}kita~i-kaqta -> kitakaqta.
  • i{}kitakuna~i -> kitakunakaqta.
• exceptions
  • ii conjugates from yoi - yo~i-kaqta -> yokaqta.
  • kaqkoii - kaqkoyo~i-kaqta -> kaqkoyokaqta.

Polite past nouns and adjectives

• nouns and na adj -deshita
  • gakusei{}deshita was a student, politely.
  • hima{}deshita was free, politely.
• i adj and negative forms: plain past tense -desu
  • kawai~i-kaqtadesu -> kawaikaqtadesu
  • kawaikuna~i-kaqtadesu -> kawaikunakaqtadesu
  • gakusei{}jana~i-kaqtadesu -> *gakusei{}janakaqtadesu* was not a student, politely
  • hima{}jana~i-kaqtadesu -> *hima{}janakaqtadesu* was not free, politely
  • i{}kita~i-kaqtadesu -> *i{}kitakaqtadesu* wanted to go, politely
  • i{}kitakuna~i-kaqtadesu -> *i{}kitakunakaqtadesu* didn't want to go, politely.
• except
  • ii - yo~i-kaqtadesu -> *yoikaqtadesu* was good, politely
  • ka{高}qkoii - kaqkoyo~i-kaqtadesu -> kaqkoyokaqtadesu.