How verbs work
Conjugations, Stage 1chunk 1 of 15Verb forms
The machinery every form below uses: which group a verb is in, how its stem shifts, the te/ta sound changes, and the few exceptions.
- ichidan, godan, suru, kuruEvery verb is in one of three groups, and the group decides how it changes.
- kaka-, kaki-, kake-, kako-Godan verbs shift their last vowel to a, i, e or o to fit the ending.
- -te / -taGodan verbs change sound before -te and -ta, depending on their last syllable.
- suru, kuru, iku, aru, iiThe few verbs (plus the adjective ii) that break the patterns.
Mix-ups Godan lookalikes like kaeru and hairu get treated as ichidan (kaeta, haita instead of kaetta, haitta).
ichidan, godan, suru, kuru
verb groupsEvery verb is in one of three groups, and the group decides how it changes.
Check a new verb's group once; every form follows from it.
Make it Ichidan verbs end in -iru or -eru and just drop ru (taberu → tabe-). Godan verbs change their last syllable (kau → kawanai, kaimasu). Only suru and kuru are irregular.
Lookalikes: kaeru (go home), hairu, shiru, hashiru, iru (need) and kiru (cut) end in -iru/-eru but are godan: kaetta, haitta, shitte. Kiru (wear) and iru (be) are ichidan.
| taberu | taberu | 食べる | |
|---|---|---|---|
| miru | miru | 見る | |
| kau | kau | 買う | |
| matsu | matsu | 待つ | |
| kaeru | kaeru | 帰る | |
| nomu | nomu | 飲む | |
| asobu | asobu | 遊ぶ | |
| kaku | kaku | 書く | |
| oyogu | oyogu | 泳ぐ | |
| hanasu | hanasu | 話す | |
| iku | iku | 行く | |
| suru | suru | する | |
| kuru | kuru | 来る |
gohan tabete, sugu kaetta yo
I ate and went straight home.
ご飯食べて、すぐ帰ったよ。
gohan o tabete, sugu kaerimashita
I ate and went straight home.
ご飯を食べて、すぐ帰りました。
Heard not counted: the tokenizer can’t pick this form out
kaka-, kaki-, kake-, kako-
the four stemsGodan verbs shift their last vowel to a, i, e or o to fit the ending.
Know which ending takes which vowel and you can build most forms of any godan verb.
Make it Godan: a before -nai (kakanai), i before -masu and -tai (kakimasu), e before -ba and can-do (kakeba, kakeru), o plus u for let's (kakou). Ichidan just drops ru and adds the ending (tabenai, tabemasu). Watch the sounds: a final u becomes wa (kawanai), tsu becomes chi (machimasu), su becomes shi (hanashimasu).
Verbs ending in a vowel plus u take wa before -nai: kau → kawanai, iu → iwanai (not kaanai).
| taberu | tabemasu | 食べます | |
|---|---|---|---|
| miru | mimasu | 見ます | |
| kau | kaimasu | 買います | |
| matsu | machimasu | 待ちます | |
| kaeru | kaerimasu | 帰ります | |
| nomu | nomimasu | 飲みます | |
| asobu | asobimasu | 遊びます | |
| kaku | kakimasu | 書きます | |
| oyogu | oyogimasu | 泳ぎます | |
| hanasu | hanashimasu | 話します | |
| iku | ikimasu | 行きます | |
| suru | shimasu | します | |
| kuru | kimasu | 来ます |
ima wa kawanai kedo, raigetsu kaou kana
I'm not buying it now, but maybe next month.
今は買わないけど、来月買おうかな。
ima wa kaimasen ga, raigetsu kaou to omoimasu
I won't buy it now, but I think I'll buy it next month.
今は買いませんが、来月買おうと思います。
Heard not counted: the tokenizer can’t pick this form out
-te / -ta
te/ta sound changesGodan verbs change sound before -te and -ta, depending on their last syllable.
-te, -ta, -tara and -teru all share these changes, so drilling them once pays off everywhere.
Make it Ichidan: drop ru, add te (tabete). Godan: u/tsu/ru → tte, mu/bu/nu → nde, ku → ite, gu → ide, su → shite. Exceptions: iku → itte, suru → shite, kuru → kite; -ta works the same way.
iku → itte, not iite. Some forms sound the same: itte can come from iku (go) or iu (say), katte from kau (buy) or katsu (win).
| taberu | tabete | 食べて | |
|---|---|---|---|
| miru | mite | 見て | |
| kau | katte | 買って | |
| matsu | matte | 待って | |
| kaeru | kaette | 帰って | |
| nomu | nonde | 飲んで | |
| asobu | asonde | 遊んで | |
| kaku | kaite | 書いて | |
| oyogu | oyoide | 泳いで | |
| hanasu | hanashite | 話して | |
| iku | itte | 行って | |
| suru | shite | して | |
| kuru | kite | 来て |
eki made aruite, densha ni notta
I walked to the station and got on the train.
駅まで歩いて、電車に乗った。
eki made aruite, densha ni norimashita
I walked to the station and got on the train.
駅まで歩いて、電車に乗りました。
Heard not counted: the tokenizer can’t pick this form outMain list -te (Stage 1)
suru, kuru, iku, aru, ii
the exceptionsThe few verbs (plus the adjective ii) that break the patterns.
They are among the most common words in speech, so their odd forms come up constantly.
Make it suru → shinai, shite, dekiru (can); kuru → konai, kite, korareru (can). iku → itte, itta; aru → nai; ii → yokunai, yokatta. Honorifics irassharu, kudasaru, ossharu and nasaru take -aimasu: irasshaimasu, kudasaimasu.
There is no aranai or kuranai: aru → nai, kuru → konai.
| taberu | tabenai | 食べない | |
|---|---|---|---|
| miru | minai | 見ない | |
| kau | kawanai | 買わない | |
| matsu | matanai | 待たない | |
| kaeru | kaeranai | 帰らない | |
| nomu | nomanai | 飲まない | |
| asobu | asobanai | 遊ばない | |
| kaku | kakanai | 書かない | |
| oyogu | oyoganai | 泳がない | |
| hanasu | hanasanai | 話さない | |
| iku | ikanai | 行かない | |
| suru | shinai | しない | |
| kuru | konai | 来ない |
jikan nai kara, kyou wa konai tte
He says he has no time, so he's not coming today.
時間ないから、今日は来ないって。
jikan ga nai node, kyou wa konai sou desu
Apparently he has no time, so he isn't coming today.
時間がないので、今日は来ないそうです。
Heard not counted: the tokenizer can’t pick this form out