Adjectives and the copula
Conjugations, Stage 1chunk 13 of 15Adjectives and the copula
The core shapes of adjectives and nouns: is, was, isn't, wasn't, probably. i-adjectives change their own ending; na-adjectives and nouns lean on da, desu and deshou.
- -i / da / desuSays something is X, casually or politely.
- -katta / dattaWas X.
- -kunai / ja naiIs not X.
- -kunakatta / ja nakattaWas not X.
- deshou / darouProbably; or, said rising, 'right?'.
Mix-ups Polite past is -katta desu, not -i deshita; ii becomes yo- in every changed form (yokatta, yokunai); da never follows an i-adjective.
-i / da / desu
adjective plain and politeSays something is X, casually or politely.
The base of every description. Casually an i-adjective stands alone (takai!) and da is often dropped (kirei!); politely add desu.
Make it i-adjectives: plain as is (takai, ii), polite + desu (takai desu, ii desu). Na-adjectives and nouns: plain + da (kirei da, gakusei da), polite + desu (kirei desu, gakusei desu).
Polite desu
Never put da after an i-adjective (takai da ✗); casually just say takai.
| takai | takai desu | 高いです | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ii | ii desu | いいです | |
| kirei | kirei desu | きれいです | |
| gakusei | gakusei desu | 学生です |
kono mise, chotto takai ne
This place is a bit pricey, huh.
この店、ちょっと高いね
kono omise wa chotto takai desu ne
This shop is a little expensive, isn't it.
このお店はちょっと高いですね
Heard not counted: the tokenizer can’t pick this form out
-katta / datta
adjective pastWas X.
Saying how something was: oishikatta, tanoshikatta. yokatta on its own also means 'I'm glad' or 'what a relief'.
Make it i-adjectives: drop -i, add -katta (takakatta); ii → yokatta. Na-adjectives and nouns: + datta (kirei datta, gakusei datta). Polite: -katta desu, or deshita after na-adjectives and nouns.
Polite -katta desu / deshita
Polite past is -katta desu, not -i deshita (takai deshita ✗).
| takai | takakatta | 高かった | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ii | yokatta | よかった | |
| kirei | kirei datta | きれいだった | |
| gakusei | gakusei datta | 学生だった |
kinou no raamen, mecha oishikatta
Yesterday's ramen was so good.
昨日のラーメン、めちゃおいしかった
kinou no raamen, totemo oishikatta desu
The ramen yesterday was very good.
昨日のラーメン、とてもおいしかったです
Heard 21,447× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles (5.7% of adjectives)Main list -katta / -datta (Stage 1)
-kunai / ja nai
adjective negativeIs not X.
Everyday 'not': samukunai?, amari suki ja nai. Often softened with sonna ni or amari.
Make it i-adjectives: drop -i, add -kunai (takakunai); ii → yokunai. Na-adjectives and nouns: + ja nai (kirei ja nai, gakusei ja nai). Polite: -kunai desu, ja nai desu or ja arimasen.
Polite -kunai desu / ja arimasen
ja nai? with a rising tone means 'isn't it?' (ii ja nai? = that's great, isn't it?), not 'it isn't'.
| takai | takakunai | 高くない | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ii | yokunai | よくない | |
| kirei | kirei ja nai | きれいじゃない | |
| gakusei | gakusei ja nai | 学生じゃない |
sonna ni takakunai yo, daijoubu
It's not that expensive, it's fine.
そんなに高くないよ、大丈夫
sonna ni takakunai desu yo, daijoubu desu
It's not that expensive. It's fine.
そんなに高くないですよ、大丈夫です
Heard 4,439× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles (1.2% of adjectives)Main list -kunai / -ja nai (Stage 1)
-kunakatta / ja nakatta
adjective negative pastWas not X.
Saying something wasn't so: anmari oishikunakatta. Usually softened with anmari or sonna ni.
Make it i-adjectives: drop -i, add -kunakatta (takakunakatta); ii → yokunakatta. Na-adjectives and nouns: + ja nakatta (kirei ja nakatta, gakusei ja nakatta).
Polite -kunakatta desu / ja arimasen deshita
ii changes to yo- here too: yokunakatta, never iikunakatta.
| takai | takakunakatta | 高くなかった | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ii | yokunakatta | よくなかった | |
| kirei | kirei ja nakatta | きれいじゃなかった | |
| gakusei | gakusei ja nakatta | 学生じゃなかった |
eiga, anmari omoshirokunakatta
The movie wasn't all that good.
映画、あんまり面白くなかった
eiga wa amari omoshirokunakatta desu
The movie wasn't very interesting.
映画はあまり面白くなかったです
Heard 342× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles (0.09% of adjectives)
deshou / darou
probably / right?Probably; or, said rising, 'right?'.
Guessing (ashita wa ame deshou) and checking that you agree (ii deshou?). Casual speech shortens it to desho and daro.
Make it Plain form + deshou or darou: takai deshou, ii deshou. Na-adjectives and nouns drop da: kirei deshou, gakusei deshou.
Polite deshou
Rising deshou? asks you to agree; falling deshou is a guess. darou is mostly male or written; most people say desho casually.
| takai | takai deshou | 高いでしょう | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ii | ii deshou | いいでしょう | |
| kirei | kirei deshou | きれいでしょう | |
| gakusei | gakusei deshou | 学生でしょう |
kore, kawaii desho? kinou katta n da
Cute, right? I bought it yesterday.
これ、かわいいでしょ?昨日買ったんだ
kore, kawaii deshou? kinou katta n desu yo
Isn't this cute? I bought it yesterday.
これ、かわいいでしょう?昨日買ったんですよ
Heard not counted: the tokenizer can’t pick this form outMain list darou (Stage 3)