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Basic Verb Forms In Japanese

The variations of any Japanese verb are made from four basic verb forms: dictionary form, negative form, stem form, and te-form. By adding things to the ends of these verb forms, replacing the ending sounds with another sound, or, in some cases, using them the way they are, Japanese expresses tense and level of formality, and prepares the verb to accept a helping verb (like is or has been in English). Here are explanations of the four forms:

Dictionary form: You see this verb form when you look up words in the dictionary It's kind of like an infinitive in English, but without the to. It's also called the informal or plain form because you use it when speaking informally to friends or family.
Negative form: The opposite of the dictionary form. If the dictionary form means "I do," the negative form means "I don't."
Stem form: This is the shortest form of a verb, but it can't stand alone - it needs a verb suffix that indicates tense or some other condition. For example, you add masu (mah-soo) to this form to make an affirmative polite verb.
Te-form: Called the te-form because most end in te (teh) or de (deh). This form is commonly used in combination with other verbs or with other helping verbs. By itself, it's understood as an informal request.

When I introduce a new verb, I give you the four forms in this order - dictionary, negative, stem, and te-form - along with the pronunciation. The following is an example with taberu (tah-beh-roo; to eat).

Form	Pronunciation
taberu	tah-beh-roo
tabenai	tah-beh-nah-ee
tabe	tah-beh
tabete	tah-beh-teh

Doing the conjugation thing

Like English, Japanese has regular and irregular verbs. All regular verbs conjugate according to a predictable pattern, while irregular verbs deviate from the pattern. Luckily, most verbs are regular.

Regular verbs come in two basic varieties: ru-verbs and u-verbs. Before you can conjugate any regular verb, you have to determine which type you're dealing with. Although all ru-verbs end in ru, some u-verbs do, too. Unfortunately, a verb's ending tells whether it's a ru-verb or a u-verb only about 80 percent of the time.

To find out whether a word ending in ru is a ru-verb or a u-verb, you have to try to conjugate it. If the conjugated form still has that final r in it, then the verb is a u-verb. If the conjugated form no longer has an r in it, then the verb is a ru-verb. The word kaeru is a good example because it comes in both forms and has two meanings. Look at the following chart. Notice how the ru-verb kaeru drops the r when it's conjugated, but the u-verb form doesn't.

Form	Ru-verb (To Exchange)	U-verb (To Go Home)
Dictionary	kaeru	kaeru
Negative	kaenai	kaeranai
Stem	kae	kaeri
Te	kaete	kaette

Below the table lists the conjugations of some frequently used ru-verbs.

Ru-verbs

Dictionary Form	Negative Form	Stem Form	Te-form	Meaning
taberu	tabenai	tabe	tabete	to eat
miru	minai	mi	mite	to watch
iru	inai	i	ite	to exist (people & animals)

Below the table lists the conjugations of some frequently used u-verbs.

U-verbs

Dictionary Form	Negative Form	Stem Form	Te-form	Meaning
hanasu	hanasanai	hanashi	hanashite	to speak
kaku	kakanai	kaki	kaite	to write
oyogu	oyoganai	oyogi	oyoide	to swim
nomu	nomanai	nomi	nonde	to drink
asobu	asobanai	asobi	asonde	to play
shinu	shinanai	shini	shinde	to die
kau	kawanai	kai	katte	to buy
toru	toranai	tori	totte	to take
matsu	matanai	machi	matte	to wait

Below the table lists the conjugations of some frequently used irregular verbs.

Irregular Verbs

Dictionary Form	Negative Form	Stem Form	Te-form	Meaning
aru	nai	ari	atte	to exist (inanimate things)
iku	ikanai	iki	itte	to go
kuru	konai	ki	kite	to come
irassharu	irassharanai	irasshai	irasshatte	to exist, come, go(honorific)
suru	shinai	shi	shite	to do

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Basic Verb Forms In Japanese