Japanese verb · u-verb · first needed at beginner level (A1)
会う
au
to meet
A u-verb ending in う: (awanai), (atte). The person you meet takes (ni): (tomodachi ni au).
Present
現在形
Now, habits and the future. The plain form is for friends and family; polite ～ます is the default.
| plain | 会うau | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 会いますaimasu | |
| plain negative | 会わないawanai | |
| polite negative | 会いませんaimasen |
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 | 会ったatta | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 会いましたaimashita | |
| plain negative | 会わなかったawanakatta | |
| polite negative | 会いませんでしたaimasen 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 | 会ってatte | |
|---|---|---|
| -te imasu (doing now) | 会っていますatte imasu | |
| -te kudasai (please do) | 会ってくださいatte kudasai | |
| -te mo ii desu ka (may I) | 会ってもいいですかatte 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) | 会おうaō | |
|---|---|---|
| polite (let's) | 会いましょうaimashō | |
| polite (shall we?) | 会いましょうかaimashō ka |
Potential
可能形
Can meet: (mata aemasu ka), can we meet again?
| plain | 会えるaeru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 会えますaemasu | |
| plain negative | 会えないaenai | |
| polite negative | 会えませんaemasen |
Causative
使役形
Letting two people meet, introducing someone: (ryōshin ni awaseru), to introduce someone to your parents.
| plain | 会わせるawaseru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 会わせますawasemasu | |
| plain negative | 会わせないawasenai | |
| polite negative | 会わせませんawasemasen |
Conditional
条件形
If: ～ば for general conditions, ～たら for “if” and “when, once”, ～なければ for “if not”.
| -ba | 会えばaeba | |
|---|---|---|
| -tara | 会ったらattara | |
| -nakereba (if not) | 会わなければawanakereba |
Examples
- 駅で友達に会います。Eki de tomodachi ni aimasu.I'm meeting a friend at the station.
- また会いましょう。Mata aimashō.Let's meet again.
- 昨日、偶然先生に会った。Kinō, gūzen sensei ni atta.I ran into my teacher yesterday.