Japanese grammar · Beginner (A1)
The ます form
ます, ません, ました and ませんでした, the three verb groups, and how to make the ます form from the dictionary form.
Four polite endings
The ます form is the polite form of a verb, the one you use with colleagues, shop staff and people you don't know well. It has four endings: ます (-masu), ません (-masen, not), ました (-mashita, did) and ませんでした (-masen deshita, didn't).
Japanese verbs don't change for the person: (ikimasu) means “I go”, “you go”, “she goes” or “they go”. The u of -masu is nearly silent, so sounds like “ikimass”.
| Form | (taberu, eat) | (iku, go) |
|---|---|---|
| present and future | (tabemasu) | (ikimasu) |
| negative | (tabemasen) | (ikimasen) |
| past | (tabemashita) | (ikimashita) |
| past negative | (tabemasen deshita) | (ikimasen deshita) |
- 毎朝六時に起きます。Maiasa rokuji ni okimasu.I get up at six every morning.
- 明日は会社に行きません。Ashita wa kaisha ni ikimasen.I'm not going to work tomorrow.
- 昨日、映画を見ました。Kinō, eiga o mimashita.I watched a film yesterday.
Present means now, usually, and later
Japanese has no separate future tense. The ます form covers habits (“I usually do”) and the future (“I will do”, “I'm going to do”); time words make the meaning clear: (mainichi hashirimasu, I run every day), (ashita hashirimasu, I'll run tomorrow).
With verbs that describe a state, such as (arimasu, there is) and (wakarimasu, I understand), it also means “now”. For an action happening right now, like “I'm eating”, Japanese uses a different form, ～ています (-te imasu), which is taught in A2 with the te-form.
- 毎日コーヒーを飲みます。Mainichi kōhī o nomimasu.I drink coffee every day.
- 来週、大阪に行きます。Raishū, Ōsaka ni ikimasu.I'm going to Osaka next week.
- 今晩は家で晩ご飯を食べます。Konban wa ie de bangohan o tabemasu.I'll have dinner at home tonight.
The three verb groups
Dictionaries list verbs in their plain present form, the dictionary form, which always ends in a u sound: (taberu), (kaku), (nomu). To make other forms, you need to know which of three groups a verb belongs to.
Ru-verbs end in -iru or -eru and simply drop る. U-verbs change their last sound. There are only two irregular verbs, (suru, do) and (kuru, come), plus the many verbs made with する, such as (benkyō suru, study).
Most verbs ending in -iru or -eru are ru-verbs, but not all. Some common ones are u-verbs and have to be learned: (kaeru, go home), (hairu, enter), (hashiru, run), (shiru, get to know), (kiru, cut).
| Group | How to recognise it | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ru-verbs | end in -iru or -eru | (taberu, eat), (miru, see), (okiru, get up) |
| u-verbs | all other verbs, and some ending in -iru or -eru | (kaku, write), (nomu, drink), (kaeru, go home) |
| irregular | only two, plus compounds with する | (suru, do), (kuru, come), (benkyō suru, study) |
Making the `ます` form
For ru-verbs, drop る and add ます. For u-verbs, change the last u sound to the matching i sound and add ます: く becomes き, む becomes み, す becomes し, つ becomes ち. The part before ます is called the ます stem, and many other forms are built on it.
becomes (shimasu), and (kuru) becomes (kimasu): the kanji stays the same, but its reading changes.
| Dictionary form | ます form | Group |
|---|---|---|
| (taberu, eat) | (tabemasu) | ru-verb: drop る |
| (miru, see) | (mimasu) | ru-verb: drop る |
| (kaku, write) | (kakimasu) | u-verb: く → き |
| (oyogu, swim) | (oyogimasu) | u-verb: ぐ → ぎ |
| (hanasu, speak) | (hanashimasu) | u-verb: す → し |
| (matsu, wait) | (machimasu) | u-verb: つ → ち |
| (asobu, play) | (asobimasu) | u-verb: ぶ → び |
| (yomu, read) | (yomimasu) | u-verb: む → み |
| (kaeru, go home) | (kaerimasu) | u-verb: る → り |
| (kau, buy) | (kaimasu) | u-verb: う → い |
| (suru, do) | (shimasu) | irregular |
| (kuru, come) | (kimasu) | irregular |
Using the `ます` stem
The stem is the base for several useful patterns. Replace ます with ませんか to invite someone, and with ましょう to say “let's”; these have their own page. Add たいです to say what you want to do: (tabetai desu, I want to eat).
With a verb of movement, the stem + (ni) gives the purpose of going somewhere: (eiga o mi ni ikimasu, I'm going to see a film).
- 一緒に昼ご飯を食べませんか。Issho ni hirugohan o tabemasen ka.Would you like to have lunch together?
- 少し休みましょう。Sukoshi yasumimashō.Let's take a short break.
- 京都でお寺を見たいです。Kyōto de otera o mitai desu.I want to see temples in Kyoto.
- 友達と映画を見に行きます。Tomodachi to eiga o mi ni ikimasu.I'm going to see a film with a friend.