Understanding Japanese Verb Conjugation: Present Tense

What Are Japanese Verbs?

Japanese verbs are action words used to describe what someone is doing. They play an essential role in forming sentences and conveying time and tone in conversations.

The Structure of Japanese Verbs

In Japanese, verbs are not divided into two parts (like English) but instead have a single stem. The way you end the stem determines the verb's tense and politeness level.

Verb Groups in Japanese

Japanese verbs are categorized into three main groups: Godan verbs, Ichidan verbs, and Irregular verbs. Understanding these groups is crucial for proper conjugation.

Godan verbs: These are the most common and have more shifting stem endings.
Ichidan verbs: These have a simpler and uniform ending in る (ru).
Irregular verbs: These don't follow the standard rules.

Conjugating Verbs in Present Tense

Conjugating verbs into the present tense is straightforward once you learn the patterns for each verb group. The present tense implies ongoing or regular actions in Japanese.

Godan Verbs

For Godan verbs, the final u in the dictionary form shifts to i in the present affirmative tense. Example: 書く (kaku) becomes 書きます (kakimasu).

Ichidan Verbs

Most Ichidan verbs can be conjugated simply by replacing the る with ます. For example, 食べる (taberu) becomes 食べます (tabemasu).

Irregular Verbs

There are only two truly irregular verbs in Japanese, which are 来る (kuru) and する (suru). These verbs change in different ways: 来る becomes 来ます (kimasu) and する becomes します (shimasu).

Examples of Present Tense Verbs

Common Mistakes to Avoid