Japanese verb · u-verb · first needed at beginner level (A1)
住む
sumu
to live (somewhere)
A u-verb ending in む: (sunde). Where you live is said with (sunde imasu), and the place takes (ni): (Tōkyō ni sunde imasu).
Speed:
Present
現在形
Now, habits and the future. The plain form is for friends and family; polite ～ます is the default.
| plain | 住むsumu | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 住みますsumimasu | |
| plain negative | 住まないsumanai | |
| polite negative | 住みませんsumimasen |
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 | 住んだsunda | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 住みましたsumimashita | |
| plain negative | 住まなかったsumanakatta | |
| polite negative | 住みませんでしたsumimasen deshita |
Te-form
て形
(sunde imasu) is the normal way to say where you live.
| te-form | 住んでsunde | |
|---|---|---|
| -te imasu (doing now) | 住んでいますsunde imasu | |
| -te mo ii desu ka (may I) | 住んでもいいですかsunde mo ii desu ka |
Volitional
意向形
Let's live: (issho ni sumō), let's live together.
| plain (let's) | 住もうsumō | |
|---|---|---|
| polite (let's) | 住みましょうsumimashō | |
| polite (shall we?) | 住みましょうかsumimashō ka |
Potential
可能形
Can live: (petto to sumeru apāto), a flat where you can live with pets.
| plain | 住めるsumeru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 住めますsumemasu | |
| plain negative | 住めないsumenai | |
| polite negative | 住めませんsumemasen |
Conditional
条件形
If: ～ば for general conditions, ～たら for “if” and “when, once”, ～なければ for “if not”.
| -ba | 住めばsumeba | |
|---|---|---|
| -tara | 住んだらsundara | |
| -nakereba (if not) | 住まなければsumanakereba |
Examples
- どこに住んでいますか。Doko ni sunde imasu ka.Where do you live?
- 大阪に住んでいます。Ōsaka ni sunde imasu.I live in Osaka.
- 子供の時、京都に住んでいました。Kodomo no toki, Kyōto ni sunde imashita.I lived in Kyoto as a child.