Common Japanese Verbs and Their Conjugations

When diving into the richness of the Japanese language, understanding verbs is essential. Verbs not only carry the action in sentences but also integrate with the subject and object to convey complete thoughts. This article will explore some common Japanese verbs and how to conjugate them across different tenses, giving you a powerful tool to express yourself more effectively.

Basic Japanese Verbs

Let’s start with a few common Japanese verbs that you will encounter frequently. Here’s a short list along with their English meanings:

  1. 食べる (たべる) - Taberu: to eat
  2. 飲む (のむ) - Nomu: to drink
  3. 見る (みる) - Miru: to see/watch
  4. 行く (いく) - Iku: to go
  5. 来る (くる) - Kuru: to come
  6. する - Suru: to do
  7. 言う (いう) - Iu: to say
  8. 書く (かく) - Kaku: to write
  9. 読む (よむ) - Yomu: to read
  10. 寝る (ねる) - Neru: to sleep

These verbs are important building blocks and can form sentences with various subjects and objects. Now, let's look into how to conjugate these verbs into different tenses.

Verb Groups

Before we plunge into conjugations, let’s categorize these verbs into three groups based on their endings.

  1. Group 1: Godan Verbs

    • These verbs typically end with -u (う), -ku (く), -su (す), etc.
    • Example: 行く (いく) - Iku: to go

  2. Group 2: Ichidan Verbs

    • Also known as ru-verbs, these typically end with -eru (える) or -iru (いる).
    • Example: 食べる (たべる) - Taberu: to eat

  3. Group 3: Irregular Verbs

    • There are only two common irregular verbs: する (suru) and 来る (くる).
    • Example: する (する) - Suru: to do

Understanding these groups allows you to predict the conjugation patterns more easily.

Present Tense Conjugation

  • Ichidan Verbs: For Ichidan verbs, simply drop the -ru and add -masu for the polite form.
    • 食べる (taberu) -> 食べます (tabemasu): I eat
  • Godan Verbs: For Godan verbs, modify the last syllable and add -masu.
    • 行く (iku) -> 行きます (ikimasu): I go
  • Irregular Verbs: The only changes are:
    • する (suru) -> します (shimasu): I do
    • 来る (kuru) -> 来ます (kimasu): I come

Example Sentences

  • 毎朝、パンを食べます。(Maiasa, pan o tabemasu) - I eat bread every morning.
  • 友達と映画を見ます。(Tomodachi to eiga o mimasu) - I watch a movie with my friend.

Past Tense Conjugation

  • Ichidan Verbs: Change -masu to -mashita.
    • 食べます (tabemasu) -> 食べました (tabemashita): I ate
  • Godan Verbs: Change the ending from -u to -i and then add -mashita.
    • 行きます (ikimasu) -> 行きました (ikimashita): I went
  • Irregular Verbs:
    • します (shimasu) -> しました (shimashita): I did
    • 来ます (kimasu) -> 来ました (kimashita): I came

Example Sentences

  • 昨日、寿司を食べました。(Kinō, sushi o tabemashita) - I ate sushi yesterday.
  • 先週、友達と映画を見ました。(Senshū, tomodachi to eiga o mimashita) - I watched a movie with my friend last week.

Future Tense Conjugation

In Japanese, the future tense is generally expressed similarly to the present tense. Adding a time indicator like 明日 (ashita - tomorrow) helps clarify the context.

  • Ichidan Verbs: Use the present form:
    • 食べます (tabemasu): I will eat (tomorrow)
  • Godan Verbs: Use the present form:
    • 行きます (ikimasu): I will go (tomorrow)
  • Irregular Verbs:
    • します (shimasu): I will do (tomorrow)
    • 来ます (kimasu): I will come (tomorrow)

Example Sentences

  • 明日、友達とご飯を食べます。(Ashita, tomodachi to gohan o tabemasu) - I will eat a meal with my friend tomorrow.
  • 来週、日本に行きます。(Raishū, Nihon ni ikimasu) - I will go to Japan next week.

Te-Form Conjugation

The te-form is an essential structure in Japanese, used for making requests, connecting sentences, or forming progressive tenses. Each verb group has its own method for creating the te-form.

  • Ichidan Verbs: Drop -ru and add -te.
    • 食べる (taberu) -> 食べて (tabete): eating
  • Godan Verbs: This requires more variation based on the last syllable:
    • 行く (iku) -> 行って (itte): going
    • 飲む (nomu) -> 飲んで (nonde): drinking
  • Irregular Verbs:
    • する (suru) -> して (shite): doing
    • 来る (kuru) -> 来て (kite): coming

Example Sentences

  • 彼は今、テレビを見ています。(Kare wa ima, terebi o miteimasu) - He is currently watching TV.
  • 昨日、宿題をして、映画を見ました。(Kinō, shukudai o shite, eiga o mimashita) - I did my homework and watched a movie yesterday.

Summary

Learning the common Japanese verbs and their conjugations is crucial for gaining fluency and confidence in the language. By mastering these basic verbs, you'll not only enhance your vocabulary but also be able to express yourself clearly in various situations. Remember to practice regularly and build on this foundation to discover the exciting world of verb conjugation in Japanese!

In your exploration of Japanese, don't hesitate to reach out for resources, practice with native speakers, and immerse yourself in the language as much as possible. Happy studying!