Japanese verb · u-verb · first needed at elementary level (A2)
歩く
aruku
to walk
The route you walk along takes (o): (michi o aruku). The te-form (aruite) also means “on foot”: (aruite iku), to go on foot.
Present
現在形
Now, habits and the future. The plain form is for friends and family; polite ～ます is the default.
| plain | 歩くaruku | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 歩きますarukimasu | |
| plain negative | 歩かないarukanai | |
| polite negative | 歩きませんarukimasen |
Past
過去形
What happened, or what has happened. The plain form is for friends and family; polite ～ました is the default.
| plain | 歩いたaruita | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 歩きましたarukimashita | |
| plain negative | 歩かなかったarukanakatta | |
| polite negative | 歩きませんでしたarukimasen deshita |
Te-form
て形
Joins actions (“and then”) and builds ～ています (doing now), ～てください (please do) and ～てもいいですか (may I).
| te-form | 歩いてaruite | |
|---|---|---|
| -te imasu (doing now) | 歩いていますaruite imasu | |
| -te kudasai (please do) | 歩いてくださいaruite kudasai | |
| -te mo ii desu ka (may I) | 歩いてもいいですかaruite mo ii desu ka |
Volitional
意向形
Let's: the plain form between friends, ～ましょう in polite speech. ～ましょうか suggests (shall we?) or offers help (shall I?).
| plain (let's) | 歩こうarukō | |
|---|---|---|
| polite (let's) | 歩きましょうarukimashō | |
| polite (shall we?) | 歩きましょうかarukimashō ka |
Potential
可能形
Can walk: (mō arukenai), I can't walk any more.
| plain | 歩けるarukeru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 歩けますarukemasu | |
| plain negative | 歩けないarukenai | |
| polite negative | 歩けませんarukemasen |
Causative
使役形
Making or letting someone walk: (inu o arukaseru), to walk the dog.
| plain | 歩かせるarukaseru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 歩かせますarukasemasu | |
| plain negative | 歩かせないarukasenai | |
| polite negative | 歩かせませんarukasemasen |
Conditional
条件形
If: ～ば for general conditions, ～たら for “if” and “when, once”, ～なければ for “if not”.
| -ba | 歩けばarukeba | |
|---|---|---|
| -tara | 歩いたらaruitara | |
| -nakereba (if not) | 歩かなければarukanakereba |
Examples
- 駅まで歩いて十分です。Eki made aruite juppun desu.It's ten minutes' walk to the station.
- 毎日一時間歩きます。Mainichi ichijikan arukimasu.I walk for an hour every day.
- 足が痛くて、歩けません。Ashi ga itakute, arukemasen.My foot hurts and I can't walk.