Japanese verb · u-verb · first needed at beginner level (A1)
買う
kau
to buy
A u-verb ending in う: the negative uses わ, (kawanai), and the te-form is (katte).
Present
現在形
Now, habits and the future. The plain form is for friends and family; polite ～ます is the default.
| plain | 買うkau | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 買いますkaimasu | |
| plain negative | 買わないkawanai | |
| polite negative | 買いませんkaimasen |
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 | 買ったkatta | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 買いましたkaimashita | |
| plain negative | 買わなかったkawanakatta | |
| polite negative | 買いませんでしたkaimasen 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 | 買ってkatte | |
|---|---|---|
| -te imasu (doing now) | 買っていますkatte imasu | |
| -te kudasai (please do) | 買ってくださいkatte kudasai | |
| -te mo ii desu ka (may I) | 買ってもいいですかkatte 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) | 買おうkaō | |
|---|---|---|
| polite (let's) | 買いましょうkaimashō | |
| polite (shall we?) | 買いましょうかkaimashō ka |
Potential
可能形
Can buy. The object usually takes (ga) instead of (o). (eki de kippu ga kaemasu).
| plain | 買えるkaeru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 買えますkaemasu | |
| plain negative | 買えないkaenai | |
| polite negative | 買えませんkaemasen |
Passive
受身形
Being bought, mostly in business talk: (wakai hito ni yoku kawarete iru), it sells well among young people.
| plain | 買われるkawareru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 買われますkawaremasu | |
| plain negative | 買われないkawarenai | |
| polite negative | 買われませんkawaremasen |
Causative
使役形
Making or letting someone buy: (kodomo ni omocha o kawaseru). “Please let me pay” is (harawasete kudasai).
| plain | 買わせるkawaseru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 買わせますkawasemasu | |
| plain negative | 買わせないkawasenai | |
| polite negative | 買わせませんkawasemasen |
Conditional
条件形
If: ～ば for general conditions, ～たら for “if” and “when, once”, ～なければ for “if not”.
| -ba | 買えばkaeba | |
|---|---|---|
| -tara | 買ったらkattara | |
| -nakereba (if not) | 買わなければkawanakereba |
Examples
- スーパーで野菜を買いました。Sūpā de yasai o kaimashita.I bought vegetables at the supermarket.
- 駅で切符を買ってください。Eki de kippu o katte kudasai.Please buy a ticket at the station.
- 新しいパソコンを買おうと思っています。Atarashii pasokon o kaō to omotte imasu.I'm thinking of buying a new computer.