Japanese verb · irregular · first needed at beginner level (A1)
来る
kuru
to come
Irregular: the reading of 来 changes. It is く in (kuru), き in (kimasu) and (kite), and こ in (konai), (koyō) and (korareru).
Present
現在形
Now, habits and the future. The plain form is for friends and family; polite ～ます is the default.
| plain | 来るkuru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 来ますkimasu | |
| plain negative | 来ないkonai | |
| polite negative | 来ませんkimasen |
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 | 来たkita | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 来ましたkimashita | |
| plain negative | 来なかったkonakatta | |
| polite negative | 来ませんでしたkimasen deshita |
Te-form
て形
Joins actions and builds requests and permission. (kite imasu) means “has come, is here”, not “is coming”.
| te-form | 来てkite | |
|---|---|---|
| -te imasu (doing now) | 来ていますkite imasu | |
| -te kudasai (please do) | 来てくださいkite kudasai | |
| -te mo ii desu ka (may I) | 来てもいいですかkite 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) | 来ようkoyō | |
|---|---|---|
| polite (let's) | 来ましょうkimashō | |
| polite (shall we?) | 来ましょうかkimashō ka |
Potential
可能形
Can come: (korareru). Casual speech often shortens it to (koreru).
| plain | 来られるkorareru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 来られますkoraremasu | |
| plain negative | 来られないkorarenai | |
| polite negative | 来られませんkoraremasen |
Passive
受身形
Mostly the “suffering” passive, when someone's coming causes you trouble: (kyū ni kyaku ni korareta), guests turned up without warning. Same form as the potential.
| plain | 来られるkorareru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 来られますkoraremasu | |
| plain negative | 来られないkorarenai | |
| polite negative | 来られませんkoraremasen |
Causative
使役形
Making or letting someone come: (kosaseru). To ask if you may come, say (kite mo ii desu ka).
| plain | 来させるkosaseru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 来させますkosasemasu | |
| plain negative | 来させないkosasenai | |
| polite negative | 来させませんkosasemasen |
Conditional
条件形
If: ～ば for general conditions, ～たら for “if” and “when, once”, ～なければ for “if not”.
| -ba | 来ればkureba | |
|---|---|---|
| -tara | 来たらkitara | |
| -nakereba (if not) | 来なければkonakereba |
Examples
- 友達が日本に来ます。Tomodachi ga Nihon ni kimasu.A friend is coming to Japan.
- 明日、また来てください。Ashita, mata kite kudasai.Please come again tomorrow.
- 昨日は誰も来なかった。Kinō wa dare mo konakatta.Nobody came yesterday.