Japanese verb · u-verb · first needed at beginner level (A1)
飲む
nomu
to drink
A u-verb ending in む: the te-form is (nonde). Also used for taking medicine: (kusuri o nomu).
Present
現在形
Now, habits and the future. The plain form is for friends and family; polite ～ます is the default.
| plain | 飲むnomu | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 飲みますnomimasu | |
| plain negative | 飲まないnomanai | |
| polite negative | 飲みませんnomimasen |
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 | 飲んだnonda | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 飲みましたnomimashita | |
| plain negative | 飲まなかったnomanakatta | |
| polite negative | 飲みませんでしたnomimasen 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 | 飲んでnonde | |
|---|---|---|
| -te imasu (doing now) | 飲んでいますnonde imasu | |
| -te kudasai (please do) | 飲んでくださいnonde kudasai | |
| -te mo ii desu ka (may I) | 飲んでもいいですかnonde 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) | 飲もうnomō | |
|---|---|---|
| polite (let's) | 飲みましょうnomimashō | |
| polite (shall we?) | 飲みましょうかnomimashō ka |
Potential
可能形
Can drink. The object usually takes (ga) instead of (o).
| plain | 飲めるnomeru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 飲めますnomemasu | |
| plain negative | 飲めないnomenai | |
| polite negative | 飲めませんnomemasen |
Passive
受身形
Mostly the “suffering” passive: (otōto ni jūsu o nomareta), my brother drank my juice.
| plain | 飲まれるnomareru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 飲まれますnomaremasu | |
| plain negative | 飲まれないnomarenai | |
| polite negative | 飲まれませんnomaremasen |
Causative
使役形
Making or letting someone drink. (nomasete kudasai) means “please let me drink”.
| plain | 飲ませるnomaseru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 飲ませますnomasemasu | |
| plain negative | 飲ませないnomasenai | |
| polite negative | 飲ませませんnomasemasen |
Conditional
条件形
If: ～ば for general conditions, ～たら for “if” and “when, once”, ～なければ for “if not”.
| -ba | 飲めばnomeba | |
|---|---|---|
| -tara | 飲んだらnondara | |
| -nakereba (if not) | 飲まなければnomanakereba |
Examples
- コーヒーを飲みますか。Kōhī o nomimasu ka.Do you drink coffee?
- この薬を飲んでください。Kono kusuri o nonde kudasai.Please take this medicine.
- 一緒にビールを飲もう。Issho ni bīru o nomō.Let's have a beer together.