Chino Japanese Verbs at A Glance (ISBN 4770019858)

JAPANESE VERBS AT A GLANCE
Naoko Chino Translated by Tom Gaily

KODANSHA INTERNATIONAL Tokyo • New York • London

Distributed in the United States by Kodansha America, Inc., 575 Lexington Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022, and in the United Kingdom and continental Europe by Kodansha Europe Ltd., 95 Aldwych, London WC2B 4JF. Published by Kodansha International Ltd., 17-14 Otowa I-chome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8652, and Kodansha America, Inc.

Copyright © 1996 by Naoko Chino All rights reserved. Printed in Japan. First edition. 1996 99000110987654

ISBN 4-7700-1985-8

CONTENTS

About This Book

About Japanese Verbs Abbreviations

Chapter 1

An Outline of Japanese Verb Forms Conjugation Groups 12 Verb Conjugations 14 Tense 18

Chapter 2

How Verbs Are Used

Formal Forms 24 Continuing Actions 25

Asking Favors and Making Requests 27 Commands and Prohibitions 29 Polite Forms 36 Giving and Receiving 46 Asking for Permission 52 Making an Invitation 55 Expressing Intention 57 Expressing Wishes 61 Conditionals 64 Expressing Requirements and Obligations 66 Describing a Past Experience 68

Describing a Habitual Action 69

Expressing Ability 71

6 7 8 9

11

24

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs 74 States of Being 79 Passive Voice 80 Causative 83 Causative-Passive 85

Giving Advice and Making Suggestions 86 Expressing Time Relationships 88

Giving a Reason 96 Expressing Regret 97 Expressing Conjecture 98

Reporting Something Heard or Experienced 101

Chapter 3

Verb Endings

Start of Action 103 Half-Completed Action 104 Continuation of Action 105 End of Action 105 Thoroughness of Action 106

Incomplete or Failed Action 109

Entering and Inserting 112

Getting Used to an Action 112

Redoing or Rechecking an Action 113

Mutual Action 113 Excessive Action 114 Attaching Actions 114

Going or Coming for a Purpose 115 Going, Coming, or Returning after Doing Something 116 Gradual Change 117

Chapter 4

Useful Expressions

-Ba ... hodo 119 dake atte 120

dake demo / dake wa 120 -gachi 121

gurai nara ... ho ga ii 122 ikura -te mo ... nai 123 to ieba 123 to itte mo ii hodo da 124

wa iu made mo naku 125 to iu yori wa mushiro 126 (to iu) wake de wa nai 126 A kara B ni kakete 127 to kuraberu to 128 0 kagiri ni 128 kagiri wa 129 ka to omou to / ka to omottara 129

kanarazu shi mo ... to wa kagiranai / to wa ienai 130 kaneru 131 ni kakawarazu 132 koto wa nai 133

103

119

koto ni wa 133 koto rno nai 134 koto wa ... ga 135 -nai uchi wa 136 ni wa oyobanai 136 -ppanashi 137

shiyo ga nai 138 sae ... -ba 138 shika nai 139 ni shitagatte I ni tsurete 139 ni suginai 140

tabi ni 141 -ta ka to ornou to I-ta totan 141 -tara kaette 141 -te wa irarenai 143

-te tamaranai 143 -te hajirnete 144

-te bakari wa irarenai 144 -te rno ... -te rno 145

o tsiijite 146 yo ni 146 -yo to rno -nai 147 -yo to ... rnai to 147 ya ina ya 148

-zaru 0 enai 148 -zu ni 149

Appendix: Verb Conjugations Index

150 174

About This Book

This book provides useful information about verbs for beginning and intermediate students of Japanese. It's a handy reference to tum to when you have questions about Japanese verbs and how to use them.

Charts and tables make the key points understandable at a glance, and the many example sentences show how to use verbs correctly in context. This book does not attempt a complete exposition of Japanese grammar. Instead, it provides a wealth of practical information in one specific area for people who need to speak or write Japanese.

The book is organized according to how verbs are used. If you want to know how to ask a person to do something, for example, just check the Index for "asking favors and making requests" and go to that page.

Special sections are devoted to areas of Japanese verbs that often cause difficulty for students, including polite forms, causatives, passives, and transitive/intransitive pairs. Each of these areas is covered clearly and in detail with charts, explanations, and example sentences.

Finally, the appendix lists the conjugations of verbs that are most often encountered by beginning and intermediate students. If you are unsure how to conjugate a verb correctly, a quick trip to the back of the book will provide the answer.

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81

About Japanese Verbs

The meanings and functions of Japanese verbs vary according to the suffixes that are attached to the verb stem. These verb conjugation patterns, which determine the forms of the suffixes, fall into three main categories:

1 When the verb stem ends in a consonant 2 When the verb stem ends in a vowel

3 When the verb is irregular

In some languages, such as French or English, the rules for conjugating verbs are quite complex, but in Japanese they are relatively simple, partly because the conjugation patterns are not affected by gender, person, or number. Even tense conjugations are quite regular. Whereas in English many common verbs (such as go) have irregular forms for the past tense (went) and past participle (gone), Japanese rules for the formal and informal past tense apply equally to all verbs with only a handful of exceptions.

One irregular form in Japanese is the copula da t:., which corresponds roughly to "be" verbs in English. Its basic forms are the formal present desu \."T, the informal past datta t:_ -:J t::., and the formal past deshita \." L, tz:

As in English, there are both transitive and intransitive verbs. But not all verbs are paired in this way, and Japanese transitivity is quite different from that in English. This feature of Japanese is explained in the section on transitive and intransitive verbs (p. 74).

Perhaps the most complicated area of Japanese verbs is keigo ~gg, or polite language. In Japanese, the level of politeness varies depending on the relative age and social position of the speaker and hearer. While the full ins-and-outs of Japanese polite language are quite complex, there is an easy

19

solution for students who are afraid that an inappropriate form may sound rude: use the verb's formal (-masu - * -t ) form. It will be appropriate in almost any situation. Later, as your understanding of polite language deepens, you'll be able to branch out into more sophisticated structures that will help you better understand and communicate with Japanese people.

Abbreviations

Abbreviation Meaning Examples
(i) Group I verbs nomu M\t"
(consonant-stem verbs) tatsu Jr.?
@ Group 2 verbs tabe ru 11t« ~
(vowel-stem verbs) miru ~~
@ Group 3 verbs kuru *~
(irregular verbs) suru 1"~
[ ] Shows the plain form of [nomu M\u]
verbs used in illustrative
examples.
/-masu! / - iI: 1" / Form of verbs after the nomi/IIIR!SJI/
final -masu - iI: 1" has M\.;;../'III=j=/
been removed; removal
of -masu is often indicated tabehlfl1gfJj
thus: hIfl1gfJj /'III=j=/; the 11t«/'III=j=/
result might be called the
"/-masu! stem"; to be
distinguished from the
-masu form itself, which
has -masu appended
(e.g., tabemasu 11t«iI: 1") 101
I-nail /-ld;P/ Form of verbs after the nomah1l#l
final -nai -ld; P has been '" ;j; / *"'" /
removed; removal of -nai
is often indicated thus: tabe!lfll#l
hFlI#l/*"",/; the result f;t«/*"",/
might be called the "I-nail
stem"; to be distinguished
from the -nai form itself,
which has -nai appended
(e.g., tabenai f;t«ld; \ ,)
I-u! /-OJ/ Stem of the plain form of nomN ("'tr)
verbs after the final -u
- OJ has been removed;
removal of I-u! is often
indicated thus: N (which
can be done only in
romanization)
I-ru! /-9/ Form of verbs after the tabehfV
final -ru - 9 has been f;t«/*/
removed; removal of
-ru is often indicated
thus: hfV /*/
(neg.) Negative form
(i) Intransitive verb
(t) Transitive verb c

H

A

p

T

E

R

1

An Outline of Japanese Verb Forms

This chapter summarizes the basic information about Japanese verbs, including the conjugation groups and the plain, -masu, -te, past tense, and negative forms.

Conjugation Groups I:J.J~ (J) Ij'}(.; - -:f 9.t It

Japanese verbs fall into three main conjugation groups according to their plain form (dictionary form), In this book, the groups are called Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3.

Group 1: -U Ending ----------The plain form suffix of Group 1 verbs is the vowel -u. The conjugation pattern depends on the vowel or consonant that precedes the -u. In the following examples, the verbs are grouped by final syllable (left-hand column in Japanese order). In all but the first category (the -u category, where -u is preceded by a vowel), the preceding sound is a consonant (k, g, s, ts, n, b, m, or r).

-u -oj

arau ~oj monoiu !IWJ e oj kuu ~oj

hirou ~oj

to wash

to speak up

to eat (nonpolite) to pick up

12 I JAPANESE VERB FORMS

-ku -< aruku ~< to walk
ugoku JlJ< to move
kiku IltI < to hear, to listen
migaku Iff < to polish
-gu -<. oyogu m«' to swim
nugu ~<. to take off (clothing)
-su -1" orosu r.l51" to lower
kasu ~1" to lend
kesu rW1" to extinguish
hanasu ~1" to speak
-tsu -"'? tatsu fL-;) to stand
matsu f~-;) to wait
motsu Mo"'? to hold
-nu -~ shinu 7E~ to die
-bu -~ asobu ~~ to play
tobu 1R~ to fly
yobu 1Jl)!~ to call
-mu -U susumu 3lu to advance
sumu tEU to live
nomu !Xu to drink
yomu Mfu to read
-ru -~ oriru ~*~ to get down
owaru ~~ to end
kakaru n' n' ~ to be suspended
kaburu n'~~ to put on (a hat, etc.)
noru *~ to get on (a train, etc.)
haru ,;t.~ to affix
wakaru :b n' ~ to understand CONJUGA nON GROUPS 113

Some Group 1 verbs end in -iru or -eru, which are the standard endings of Group 2 verbs. The following are some common -iru and -eru verbs that belong to Group 1.

iru ~ ~ to be required

kaeru lIi& ~ to return

kiru W ~ to cut

shiru m ~ to know, to find out

hairu A ~ to enter

hashiru ~~ to run

Group 2: -Eru and -Iru Endings ------These verbs end in either -eru or -iru. All Group 2 verbs have the same conjugation pattern.

-eru akeru mHt~ to open
kakeru tJ, It ~ to suspend, to cover
taberu jt«~ to eat
deru ili~ to go out
neru ;fl~ to sleep
norikaeru ~ IJ ~.it ~ to change (trains)
-iru okiru itg ~ ~ to get up (from bed)
oriru ~* IJ ~ to get down
kiru ti~ to put on (clothing)
miru ~~ to see Group 3: Irregular Verbs --------This group consists of only two verbs:

kuru *= ~ to come

suru T~ to do

Copula ---------------

Though not strictly a verb, the copula da t2 has several forms that correspond to verb conjugations. These forms are mentioned in the appropriate sections of this chapter.

141 JAPANESE VERB FORMS

Terminology --------------Japanese textbooks and dictionaries use a variety of names for the three conjugation categories. Here are some of the more common terms.

• Group 1 verbs

godan doshi li$:fJJ~Rj

shiin gokan diishi -=f1fgg~fJJ~Rj kyohenka diishi §~ftfJJ~Rj

godan verbs consonant-stem verbs strong verbs

-u verbs

• Group 2 verbs

ichidan diishi -~lfJJ~Rj ichidan verbs

boin gokan dash; -re:1fgg~fJJ~Rj vowel-stem verbs

jakuhenka diishi ~~ftfJJ~Rj weak verbs -ru verbs

• Group 3 verbs

fukisoku doshi ~HlH!lJfJJ~Rj ka-gyii henkaku katsuyii doshi jJ fT~mmmfJJ~Rj (ka-hen doshi jJ ~tJJ~Rj)

sa-gyii henkaku katsuyii diishi 4ffT~mmmtJJ~Rj (sa-hen diishi 4f~tJJ~Rj)

irregular verbs

ka-row irregular verb (The only example is kuru *7.>.)

sa-row irregular verb (The only example is suru T 7.>.)

Verb Conjugations iIJ ~ii] (J) m m

Japanese verbs conjugate according to the suffixes that attach to the verb stem. These suffixes express a wide range of meanings, including tense, negation, passive mood, and causation. Two or more suffixes may be appended to a single stem.

The following sections describe the conjugation patterns for the -masu, -te, past tense, and negative forms. The rules for attaching other suffixes are introduced later in the book.

VERB CONJUGATIONS I 15

Plain Form or Dictionary Form mt~, !$iHf~ ---

suru

nomu jXt! taberu *.Q *.Q

T.Q

CD /-u! @/-ru! ® kuru

The plain form is used in informal situations. It is also the form listed in dictionaries.

The -Masu Form * 9*~ ----------

CD /-R/ + imasu

nomN + imasu -. nomimasu jXt! -. jX~ ~ T

@/-~+masu /-*/+ ~T

tabehal + masu -. tabemasu *«/*/ + ~ T -'*«~T

® kuru -. kimasu *.Q -. *~T

suru -. shimasu T.Q -. L- ~ T

The -masu form is commonly used in formal situations. It is added to the plain form of the verb as follows:

CD Drop the final -u and add -imasu:

nomu -. nomimasu jXt! -. jX~ ~ T

tatsu -. tachimasu JL"? -. JL -s ~ T

Note: Final -tsu - -:J becomes -chi - 1; and final -su - 1" becomes -shi - L.

@ Drop the final -ru and add -masu:

taberu -. tabemasu *«.Q -. *« ~ T

® kuru -. kimasu *.Q -. *~T

suru -. shimasu T.Q -. L- ~ T

Copula: The formal form of da t5. is desu -r'T.


• Formal examples CD alH· iXfi. * To Sake 0 nomimasu. I (will) drink sake.

@ ~ L-fi.~*"'*To

Sashimi 0 tabemasu. I (will) eat sashimi .

• lnformal examples CD ii~iXuo

Sake 0 nomu.

I (will) drink sake.

@ ~ L-;;'~*"'.Qo Sashimi 0 taberu.

I (will) eat sashimi.

@ T"::'_A~L-*To Tenisu 0 shimasu. I (will) play tennis.

Copula .:: :h.lj:~ 8 O)*fifll"t"T 0 Kore wa kyo no shimbun desu. This is today's newspaper.

@ T"::'_A ~T.Qo Tenisu 0 suru.

I (will) play tennis.

Copula ':::h.Ij:~80)*fifllt':o Kore wa kyo no shimbun da. This is today's newspaper.

The l-Masu! / - *"9/ Stem ------Many verb suffixes are attached to the -masu form of verbs after the masu * T has been removed, leaving what might be called the /-masu/ stem. In this book the removal of masu is indicated by placing it within slashes and striking through it (~. Examples follow for the three verb groups, the plain form followed by the -masu form with the -masu struck through, leaving the /-masu/ stem.

CD nomu - nom~ tatsu - tach~ @ taberu - tabehftFll!JR/ @kuru-k~ suru-sh~

iXu - iXfi./*=*/ JL~ - JL-s/*=*/ *"'.Q - *I"{/*=*/ *.Q -*/*=*/ T.Q - L- /*=*/

The -Te Form -eM ------------

I CD (See chart below.) @ /-JIR/ + te

/-'ifl:/ +-r

VERB CONJUGA nONS 117

suru -+ shite

tabehRI + te -+ tabete 1t""/*/ + -r -+ 1t",,-r

@ brn-+k~ *~-+*-r

The -te form is used to link clauses together and to show the order of actions, in addition to many other functions. It is formed as shown below.

The -te form of Group 1 verbs varies depending on the sound that precedes the final -u in the plain form.

Rule Example Example
(i)
-au = aIlV + tte arau - aratte ~? -+ ~"'?-r
-iu = iN + tte monoiu - monoitte !IWJ ~ ? -+!IWJ~"'?-r
-uu = uIfI/ + tte kuu =r kutte 1t? -+ 1t"'?-r
-ou = olal + tte hirou - hirotte ~? -+~"'?-r
-ku = IIRJI + ite kiku =r kdte Bft< -+ Bft~ \-r
Note (irregular form): tT< -+ tT"'?-r
iku - itte
-gu = 1'RI + ide oyogu - oyoide i*<" -+ i*P1:
-su = Imi/ + shite hanasu - hanashite ~T -+ g~ l-r
-tsu = IF.JR/ + tte matsu - matte f~-::J -+ ~"'? -r
-nu = ARl/ + nde shinu - shinde JE~ -+ JEA., 1:
-bu =!IJR/ + nde asobu - asonde 1hf S -+ 1hf A., ""(.
-mu = hfRV + nde yomu -yonde Me tr -+ Me A., ""(.
-ru = hta/ + tte kaeru - kaette 1i ~ -+ 1i"'? -r
hashiru - hashitte ;iE ~ -+ ;iE"'? -r
- noru r+notte *~ -+*"'?-r 181 JAPANESE VERB FORMS

@
-eru = ehal + te teberu -+ tabete 1t~.Q -+ 1t~-r
-iru = ihfV + te miru -+ mite ~.Q-+~-r
@
I kuru -+ kite I *.Q -+ *-r
T.Q -+ l.,-r
: suru -+ shite
Copula: The -te
form of da f:'
is de 1:. Tense T/A

Present and Future :iji1:E~ C: **~ -----The present and future tenses are expressed by the -masu form in formal use and by the plain form in informal use .

• Formal present-tense examples JJj{: P--:JtfpJP~I:~~ *T;Q'o /ziI: 7~1:~~ *To

Hara: Itsumo nanji ni okimasu ka. Hirose: Shichiji ni okimasu.

Hara: What time do you get up every day? Hirose: I get up at seven o'clock .

• Informal present-tense examples JJj{ : P--:J t fpJ~I:~ ~ .Q ?

r.til : 7P~I:~ ~ .Q 0

Hara: Itsumo nanji ni okiru? Hirose: Shichiji ni okiru.

Hara: When do you get out of bed every day? Hirose: I'm up at seven.

TENSE 119

• Formal future-tense examples

EH rp : IlJl B 'j:fiiJa~,:*~ ffi * +e-, LlJ[] : 8 p~':ffi * To

Tanaka: Ashita wa nanji ni ie 0 demasu ka? Yamaguchi: Hachi-ji ni demasu.

Tanaka: What time will you leave home tomorrow? Yamaguchi: I'll leave at 8 o'clock .

• Informal future-tense examples EHrp : IlJl B 'j:fiiJ~':*~ffi.Q ? LlJ[] : 8 P~':ffi.Q ~o

Tanaka: Ashita wa nanji ni ie 0 deru? Yamaguchi: Hachi-ji ni deru yo.

Tanaka: When are you going to leave home tomorrow? Yamaguchi: At 8 o'clock.

Past i&1~~ --------------

-c -+ i:

it«/::t=/ -+ it«t:::. -r:- -+ t:3.

M:1v/::t=/ -+ M:lvt:3.

*Q -+ *t:::.

T.Q -+ L.,t:::.

Formal

-masu - -mashita * T -+ * L., t:

nomiJltlfl!P.1a/ - nomimashita M:.;;t./*=9=/-+ M:.;;t.* L.,t:::.

Copula: da t:3. has the formal past tense deshita -z: L., i: and the informal past tense datta t:3. ? t:::..

Informal

®@ -te --ta

tabe/-~/ - tabeta -de --da

nonJ-~/ - nonda

@ kuru -kita suru =r shita

20 I JAPANESE VERB FORMS

The formal past tense of Groups 1 and 2 verbs is formed from the -masu form by replacing the final -masu - iT with -mash ita - i L t.:.

nomimasu - nomimashita iX.3t. iT- iX.3t. i L t: [iXU nomu]

The informal past tense verbs are formed by replacing the final -e of the -te or -de form with -a:

nonde +nonda iXA- -r: - iXA- t~

mite - mita ji "[ - ji t: [ji.Q miru]

The irregular Group 3 verbs have the following formal past tense forms:

kuru - kimashita *.Q - * i L i:

suru - shimashita T.Q - L i L t:

The informal past forms for Group 3 are:

kuru - kita *.Q - *t.:

suru - shita T.Q -+ L t.:

• Formal examples

mJf:l: IJfBIj:tlJm~A-I:~pi l"t.:J:o [~? au] urn : tlJm~A-I:o ft~-r:l"t.:iI'o [t~ da] Tanaka: Kino wa Yamada-san ni aimashita yo. Yamaguchi: Yamada-san ni? Genki deshita ka? Tanaka (male): I met Ms. Yamada yesterday. Yamaguchi (male): Ms. Yamada? How was she?

• Informal examples

mJf:l: IJfBIj:tlJm~A-I:~"?t.:J:o

tlJD : tlJm ~ A-I:o ft~t~"? t.:iI'o

Tanaka: Kino wa Yamada-san ni atta yo. Yamaguchi: Yamada-san ni? Genki datta ka? Tanaka (male): I saw Ms. Yamada yesterday. Yamaguchi (male): Ms. Yamada? How is she doing?

Negatives 1§:iE~ ------------The negative form is often called the "-nai form" because the informal present tense ends in -nai - '" ~ \.

• Present Negative ~t£:a~~

Formal

-masu - -masen iT_' i -It It-

nomimasu - nomimasen ~,ij. iT_' ~,ij. i -It It-

Informal

Q) I-HI + -anai

iklRlanai

tr< _. tr:b'liP /-+/ + lip it«/+/li~ ) *=.Q _. *=liP

T.Q _. L.,lip

@ I-JIfI/ + -nai tabelf'Ellnai

@ kuru - konai suru - shinai

The formal present negative of all verbs is formed from the -masu form by replacing the final -masu - i T with -masen

- i -It It-.

ikimasu _. ikimasen tr ~ iT_' tr ~ i -It It- [tr < iku] The informal present negative of Group 1, 2, and 3 verbs is formed as follows:

Q) If the final -u in the plain form is preceded by a consonant, change the -u to -anai:

iku _. ikanai tr < _. tr:b' li ~ )

tatsu +tatanai Jr-:J _. Jrt:=lip

Note: Final-fsu -') becomes -tanai -t=t.l:P.

If the final -u is preceded by a vowel, change the -u to -wanai. Note that -w- is inserted to separate the vowels.

au _. awanai 15; oj _. 15;;b li ~ )

@ Drop the final -ru -.Q and add -nai -li ~ ).

taberu -+ tabenai it«.Q _. it«li ~ )

@ kuru -+ konai *=.Q -+ *= li ~ )

suru -+ shinai T.Q -+ L.,;>J: ~ )

The negative form of the copula da t3. is de wa nai --C:' Ii li ~). In conversation, this form is often contracted to ja nai t; -'I';oj: P.

TENSE 121


• Formal examples

ESrp: T=-A~L,*Tn'o [T.Q] lllD : lbl;l:. T z: A 1;1:. L, * -It It-o Tanaka: Tenisu 0 shimasu ka?

Yamaguchi: Watashi wa tenisu wa shimasen. Tanaka: Do you play tennis?

Yamaguchi: No, I don't play tennis .

• Informal examples ESrp:T=-A~T.Q? lllD : L,~Po

Tanaka: Tenisu 0 suru? Yamaguchi: Shinai. Tanaka: You play tennis? Yamaguchi: No, I don't.

.The/-Nail / -~~ \/ Stem

Some verb suffixes are attached to the informal present negative form of verbs after the -nai - ~ ~ \ suffix has been removed. This form is called the I-nail stem and is abbreviated I-JIIllII / -~/ in charts. Here are examples of I-nail stems:

<D nomu - nomatatsu - tata@ taberu - tabe@ kuru -kosuru =r shi-

iJ.: tr -+ iJ.: * - JI.-:> -+ JI.t~-

k"".Q -+ k""*.Q -+ *T.Q -+ L,-

• Past Negative ~$:M

Formal

-masen - -masen deshita * -It It- -+ * -It It- -r: L, i: ikimasen - ikimasen deshita rr i1! * -It It- -+

rr i1! * -It It- -r: L, t:

TENSE 123

minai - minakatta

t.l: p --+ t.l: iJ' -:J i: rriJ't.l:p --+

fT iJ' t.l: iJ' -:J i: ~t.l:p --+ ~t.l:iJ'-:Jt::.

mimasen - mimasen deshita ~ i -It Iv --+

~ i -tt Iv "t" L. i:

Informal

nai - -nakatta

ikanai - ikanakatta

The formal past negative of all verbs is formed by adding deshita "t" L. i: after the formal present negative (-masen - i -tt Iv ) form:

ikimasen --+ ikimasen deshita fT ~ i -It Iv --+ rr ~ i

-It Iv -r L. t: [fT < iku] The informal past negative is formed by changing the final -nai - t.l: ~ \ of the informal negative to -nakatta - t.l: iJ' -:J i: .

• Formal examples

wEB: EBIft~Iv'ilff~, ~ttl:pi L.t::.iJ'o [P~ iru] f~nJ: pp;c pi-ltIv1:'L.t::.o

Yamada: Tanaka-san wa gogo, kaisha ni imashita ka? Satii: le, imasen deshita.

Yamada: Was Mr. Tanaka at the company during the afternoon?

Sate: No, he wasn't,


wEB : EBIft ~ Iv'ilff~, ~*±,:Pt::.? fH. : p~, Pt.l: iJ'-:J t::.o

Yamada: Tanaka-san wa gogo, kaisha ni ita? Satii: lya, inakatta.

Yamada: Was Tanaka in the office this afternoon? Sat6: No, he wasn't,

c

H

A

p

T

E

R

2

How Verbs Are Used

Formal Forms -c{,\n{,\~~~

In situations requiring politeness or a degree of formality, the -masu form (see Chapter 1) is used. Forms expressing more pronounced formality are discussed below under the heading "Polite Forms 16im."

~B'j:m~~tr~ iTo Kyo wa Ginza e ikimasu. I will go to Ginza today.

In informal settings among friends and family, the plain form is used.

~ B ,j:m~~tr < J: 0 [spoken by man] Kyo wa Ginza e iku yo.

I'm going to Ginza today.

~ B 'j:m~~tr < bo [spoken by woman] Kyo wa Ginza e iku wa.

I'll be off to Ginza today.

FORMAL FORMS 125

Formal

-te + imasu - -r + ~ \ ~ T

@ kiku - kiite imasu IJfi < --+ IJfi ~ \ -r ~ \ ~ T

@ taberu=r tabete imasu ~«.Q --+ ~«-rP~T

@ kuru+ kite imasu *=.Q --+ *= -r ~ \ ~ T

suru+ shite imasu T.Q --+ L, -r ~ \ ~ T

Informal

-te + iru - -r + ~ \ .Q

@ kiku - kiite iru

@ taberu - tabete iru @ kuru - kite iru

suru - shite iru

[ifJ < --+ IJfip-rp.Q ~«.Q --+ ~«-rP.Q *=.Q --+ *=-rp.Q T.Q --+ L, -r p .Q

Continuing actions are expressed by the -te form followed by imasu ~ \ ~ T (formal) or iru ~ \.Q (informal).

Present Progressive it.JfFt.MJi1:E~~ \ -c ~ \ ~ ~ft - The -te form followed by imasu ~ \ ~ T or iru ~ \.Q can be used to describe actions that are taking place in the present. This form is often translated with the -ing form of English verbs.

EE q:. : Jii* ~ A., , p ~ TtI'o

1t./fj: Ii.P, -c-t~, .~iH: L,-rP~To [T.Q suru] Tanaka: Suzuki-san, imasu ka?

Satii: Hai, demo ima, denwa 0 shite imasu. Tanaka: Is Ms. Suzuki here?

Sat6: Yes, but she's making a telephone call now.

In speech, the verb ending may be contracted to -te 'masu - -r ~ T or, as in the following example, -te 'ru - -r .Q.

::tt$ : :ffi-1' Ii. c!::: :: ?

261 HOW VERBS ARE USED

_::.~ : $~-r:'T i- t::w'l".Qo l= w,l"P.Q mite iru, from

Ji.Q miru]

Taro: Hanako wa doko? lira: Heya de terebi mite 'ru. Taro: Where's Hanako?

Jiro: She's watching TV in her room.

Habitual Actions !l.JfF~<~llIag I::~ L) ~ t, "'(

fi~p:tt.~~-€I-----------The -te form plus imasu ~ ~ i -t or iru ~ ~.Q can also describe constant states or repeated actions.

f~ifi ~ A,,;t~ftEBlR':f:l:A, 't"P i -t 0 [f3:U sumu] Satii-san wa Chiyoda-ku ni sunde imasu.

Mr. Sato lives in Chiyoda Ward.

Wifi ~ A,,;t:lU&~tt-r:'1Ipl"P.Q 0 [11 < hataraku] Ito-san wa biieki-gaisha de hataraite iru.

Ms. Ito works at a trading company.

Conditions ~1m ~~"9t1-€1 -------This form can also describe a condition or situation.

~EB : **(7)tt!CF~';tp-:> t ilEA, 't"P i-ttlo [ilEu komu] ~: *~'t"-ttlo

Tada: Tokyo no chikatetsu wa itsumo konde imasu ne. Mori: Hontii desu ne.

Tada: Tokyo subways are always crowded. Mori: That's really true.

f!r.ifi ~ A,,;t, P~kIlJUjl~n"tl"P i +, Satii-san wa, toki-doki megane 0 kakete imasu. Mr. Sato sometimes wears glasses.

1~ifi : llJEB ~ A,(7)$mC7).)(tn1-:>Pl" P i -ttl 0 [-:> <

tsuku]

llJD: -t"?'t"-ttlo $§H:P.Qn't l,.,hi-ttA,tlo

Gotii: Yamada-san no heya no denki ga tsuite imasu ne. Yamaguchi: So desu ne. Heya ni iru kamo shiremasen ne. Goto: The light's on in Mrs. Yamada's room. Yamaguchi: So it is. Maybe she's in the room.

ASKING FAVORS AND MAKING REQUESTS 127

Asking Favors and Making Requests ;f{F¥ 1= far iJ' ~ *-I ct.' ~ (, \ h

There are many ways to ask favors and make requests in Japanese depending on the relationship between the speaker and hearer. The following sections describe some of the most common patterns.

Polite Requests -------------

(1) -te + itadakemasen ka -'"( + Pt.:t;:Iti{i'Iv;6'

mite itadakemasen ka? ~ '"( ~ \ i: t3. It i {i'1v

;6'0 [~.Q miru]

(2) -te + kudasaimasen ka -'"( + < t3. ~ ~ \ i {i' 1v;6'

shire kudasaimasen ka? t, '"( < t;: ~ ~ \ i {i'1v

;6'0 [i".Q suru] (3) -nai + de itadakemasen ka - ~ ~ \ + -z::'~ \ td;: It i {i'1v;6'

minai de itadakemasen ka? ~~~ \1:"~ \td51t i{i'

1v;6'0 [~~ miru] (4) -nai + de kudasaimasen ka - ~ ~ \ + 1:" < t3. ~ ~ \ i {i' 1v;6'

shinai de kudasaimasen ka? t. ~ ~ \ 1:" < t2 ~ ~ \ i -t!" 1v;6'0 [T ~ suru]

As in English, polite requests in Japanese often take the form of a question. The first two of the patterns shown here use the -te form, while the second pair use the plain negative (-nai) form. The latter has a softening effect.

• (1) -te + itadakemasen ka - "( + {. \ t::. t=. It '* it Iv tJ\

J;5~ : T.ij.i{i'Iv;6~, ;:"5; I:;:'f±jiJf~.p'"(Pt;:t;:'t i {i' 1v;6'0 [11 < kakul

I.f1f: PP"tT ~o

28 I HOW VERBS ARE USED

Ten 'in: Sumimasen ga, kochira ni go-jiisho 0 kaite itadakemasen ka?

O-kyaku: Ii desu yo.

Store clerk: Excuse me, but would you please write your address here?

Customer: Okay.

• (2) -te + kudasaimasen ka - "( + < t=. ~ ~ , * it Iv 'h' 1I,ij B'lI~~ t, "[ < t:.: ~ p:;J; -Ii' A-n'o

Myonichi denwa 0 shite kudasaimasen ka?

Could you please call tomorrow?

• (3) -nai + de itadakemasen ka - t;;. ~, + 1: ~ , t: t=. It * 'It Iv 'h' T.ij. :;J; -Ii' A-, z z: -c' ?' J ~ :J ~ P_&:b ld: p '"Z:' p i: t:.: It :;J; -Ii' An'o [P_& oj suu]

Sumimasen, koko de tabako 0 suwanai de itadakemasen ka? Excuse me, would you please not smoke here?

• (4) -nai + de kudasaimasen ka - t;;. ~, + 1: < t::. ~ ~ , * it Iv 'h' z: z: I: .:' .ij. ~ ~ "[ ld: p "Co < t:.: ~ p :;J; -Ii' A- n' 0 [tt "[ .Q suteru]

Koko ni gomi 0 sutenai de kudasaimasen ka?

Would you please refrain from throwing away trash here?

Placing Orders, Requesting Delivery and Repairs, etc. 5±Jt~~li, f~!I~ ~ ~*Ict.'1f.f0) ~ (, \/5 ----

(2) -te + moraitai n' desu (ga)

todokete moraitai n' desu gao

-"[ + t; Pt.:PA-"C°T (nl)

mHt"[t ;Pt.:PA-"C°T n10 [@It.Q todokeru]

(1) -te + hoshii n' desu (ga) -"[ + II l,.,PA-'"Z:'T (nl)

naoshite hoshii n' ta L "[ II L ~ 'A- "C°T;61 0

desu gao [taT naosu]

These two largely interchangable forms can be used when

COMMANDS AND PROHIBITIONS 129

making purchases or asking to have something delivered or repaired .

• (1) -te + hoshii n' desu (ga) -"( + I;J: L.. L '/v1:T (tJ() to~ : ~Bt ~ Ja V-C Ii L.. PA... 1."TiI~o

J;5~ : "5 J: -:> c: .w,-It-r < t2 ~ Po

O-kyaku: Tokei 0 naoshite hoshii n' desu gao Ten'in: Chotto misete kudasai.

Customer: I'd like to have a watch repaired. Store clerk: Let me take a look at it.

.(2) -te + moraitai n' desu (ga) -"( + t; L 't=.L '/v1:T(tJ<) The verb moraitai t; ~ ) t: ~) is the -tai form of morau

t; oj.

to~ : T L.. ~ liAlWlliHt-r t; Pt::.PA...-rTiI~o

T L..~ : ii' t.z i ~ i t..,t::.o to~lW c: ':-f±jiJT~ ~ oj ~'o O-kyaku: Sushi 0 gonin-mae todokete moraitai n' desu gao Sushi-ya: Kashikomarimashita. O-namae to go-jiisho 0

dozo.

Customer: I'd like to have five servings of sushi delivered. Sushi seller: Very well. Your name and address, please.

Commands and Prohibitions $<fJ c!:: ~lt. ~ ~9~(,\jJ

Commands 1fIl-t' --------------

Polite

-te + kudasaimasen ka sutte kudasaimasen ka

-nai + de kudasaimasen ka (neg.)

- -r + < t2 ~ P * -It A... ii' P~-:>-r< t2~p*-ItA... ii' [P~ oj suu]

-lj:p + 1."< t2 ~ pi-lt A... ii'


suwanaide kudasaimasen ka

O'&:bt.J: P"'[' < t.: ~ P * -tt Iv 1,1'

Note: The latter is slightly more polite.

Formal

-te + kudasai sutte kudasai

-nai + de kudasai (neg.) suwanaide kudasai -mashii

suimashii

Informal -te tabete

-nai de (neg.) tabenai de

-te + chodai

tabete chddai /-JIIflSfb' + nasai tabe!lffEP.lRlnasai -te + kure

tabete kure

-nai + de kure (neg.) tabenai de kure !IffEP.IRI + na tabe!lffEP.lRlna

Blunt

Q)/-w+ e kikhl/e

-'"( + < t':~P

I!& '? '"( < t.: ~ p -t.J:P+l"<t':~~\ O'&:bt.J:P"'['< t.: ~ P -*L.J;?

O'&P*L.J;?

-'"(

~«'"( [~«.Q taberu] -t.J:~ \l"

~«t.J:Pl"

-'"( + t J; ? t.:p ~«'"(t J; ? t':P

/ -=**/ + t.J: ~ ~ \ ~«/=**/t.J: ~ ~ \ -'"«tt

~«'"«tt

-t.J:p"'['< tt ~«t.J:Pl"<tt /=**/+t.J: ~«/=**/t.J:


@/-JIR!+ ro tabehlf1!ro @ kuru -koi

suru - shiro or seyo

/-*/+0 tt~/*/0 *Q-*P

T Q - L 0 or -tt J:

When giving a command or telling someone not to do something, it's especially important to choose the right level of politeness and formality .

• Polite

For polite commands, use the -te form followed by kudasaimasen ka < t:3. i! ~ \ i -tt lviJ':

:$'J'i::r'i7f.-r:-ulk-?-r< t:3.i!pi-ttlviJ'o [Ulk'5 suu] Tabako wa soto de sutte kudasaimasen ka.

Would you please be so kind as to smoke outside?

To make a negative command-that is, to tell someone not to do something-use the plain negative (-nai) form of the verb followed by de kudasaimasen ka -Co < t:3. i! ~ \ i -tt Iv iJ'. The negative form is somewhat more polite than the positive form.

z z -Co:$' r+zs ~ulkbt.J:p-r:-< t:3. i! pi-ttlviJ'o Koko de tabako 0 suwanai de kudasaimasen ka. Would you be so kind as not to smoke here?

• Formal

Formal commands can be given with the -te form followed by kudasai < t:3. i! ~ \:

:$' J 'i::r 'i7f.-C°ulk -? -r < t:3. i! Po Tabako wa soto de sutte kudasai. Please smoke outside.

Teachers use this pattern to give directions to students. tl(gffi : :: O)mM~PJl8 i -Co,: VC < t:3. i! Po [T Q suru] ~~ : lip, biJ>I) i l"t.:o

Kyoshi: Kono shukudai 0 ashita made ni shite kudasai.


Gakusei: Hai, wakarimashita.

Teacher: Please do this homework by tomorrow. Student: Okay, I will.

The negative command is made with the plain negative

(-nai) form followed by de kudasai "(:' < t~ ~ ~ \.

;:;:"r?' I~:J ~P'&bf.j:p"(:' < t~ ~ Po

Koko de tabako 0 suwanai de kudasai. Please do not smoke here.

An indirect way of telling people what to do is to use the formal volitional form. Add -mashii - i L, J; oj to the /-masu/ stem.

?' I ~:J lin "(:'P,& P i L, J; oj 0 Tabako wa soto de suimashii. Let's have people smoke outside .

• Informal

The -te form can be used by itself to make informal commands among family or close friends.

ft«"'Co [ft«~ taberu] Tabete.

Eat!

T.taJ : -r OYij:JUl-tt-C [~-tt ~ miseru] WD : t~bfJ~o

Hirota: Sono shashin misete. Yamaguchi: Dame yo.

Hirota: Hey, show me the picture. Yamaguchi: No way!

The negative version of this form is the plain negative

(-nai) form followed by -de -"r.

-rtLlift«f.j:P"ro [ft«~ taberu] Sore wa tabenai de.

Don't eat that.

The -te form followed by chodai "5 J; oj t~ ~ \ is slightly more formal than the -te form by itself. As in the following


example, adults often use -te + chiidai - -r + t J; ? t~ ~ ~ when speaking to children or informally to other people of an equal or lower status. This pattern is more often heard in women's speech than men's.

HJ:~ : t J; ? C .f.1~? -c t J; oj t5Po [.f.1~ oj tetsudau] -r1:tt : z .nil' ;~V:I:rr < iI'; ~ C -Z:'tl.o

Hahaoya: Chotto tetsudatte chiidai.

Kodomo: Kore kara asobi ni iku kara ato de ne. Mother: Could you help me a bit?

Child: I'm going out to play now. I'll do it later.

Another type of informal command is formed by adding -nasai -I;;. ~ ~ ~ after the /-masu/ stem. This form is often used by mothers to their children or by teachers to their students .

.!f'. < rr ~ I;;. ~ Po [ff < iku]

Hayaku ikinasai. Hurry up.

The word kure <.n can be used after the -te form as a blunt command in informal situations. It is characteristic of men's speech.

~ btJ -c < no [~btJ.Q yameru] Yamete kure.

Stop it.

In the negative, kure < .n follows the plain negative (-nai)

plus de "T:. This pattern is characteristic of men's speech.

:9 J,::J Ii J:f:l"t"PJ/{;b I;;. P"T: < .no

Tabaka wa naka de suwanai de kure.

Don't smoke inside.

The particle na I;;. is added after the -masu form to make an informal command. Note that, despite its resemblance to the negative -nai -I;;. ~ ~ suffix, this na I;;. is affirmative. It is characteristic of men's speech .

.!f'.< ff~ 1;;.0 [rr< iku] Hayaku ikina.

Hurry up.


• Blunt

The following pattern, sometimes called the brusque imperative, is used for very blunt commands. It is characteristic of men's speech.

CD Replace the final -u with -e:

iku - ike rr < -+ rr't

tatsu - tate 1L"? -+ 1L L

@ Replace the final -ru with oro:

taberu - tabero ilt-"l: oQ -+ ilt-"l:;S

® kuru -+ koi *oQ -+ *t,

suru -+ shiro or seyo -t oQ -+ l.,;S or 1t ~

• Examples

-t<"*t '0 [*oQ kuru] Sugu koi.

Come quick.

!f. < l.,;S 0 [-t oQ suru] Hayaku shiro.

Do it fast.

As shown by the following examples, this blunt impera-

tive is sometimes used rhetorically.

m ~, ~*tto [~* oQ Juru]

Ame yo, Jure.

Fall, ° rain!

JlJl8~~':7itto [7ioQ naru] Ashita tenki ni nare.

0, let it be a fine day tomorrow.

Prohibitions ~lt -------------

Formal

-te + wa dame desu

sutte wa dame desu -te + wa ikemasen sutte wa ikemasen

Informal

-te + wa dame da sutte wa dame da -te + wa ikenai

sutte wa ikenai plain form + bekarazu suu bekarazu

plain form + na

suu na


Ulk '? -c 1;;1: t3. 51) 1."T --c + I;;I:P1t j;-ttA, ulk '? -c 1;;1: ~ ~ It j; -tt A,

- -c + 1;;1: t3. 51) t3.

Ulk '? -r 1;;1: t3. 51) t3. --c + I;;1:P1t Id:P Ulk '? -c 1;;1: ~ ~ It Id: ~ ~ '*~ + /'{.n'; f ulk? /'{.n' ; f ,*~+Id:

ulk? Id:

The following are several strategies for forbidding somebody from doing something,

• Formal

The word dame t3. 51) means that something is no good, wrong, or objectionable, so the -te form followed by wa dame desu 1;;1: t3. 51) 1."T means that one cannot or should not do something,

iBlnlil1ijpn' ;, i*p 1."1;;1: t3. 51) 1."T 0 [i* <' oyogu] Nami ga takai kara, oyoide wa dame desu.

The waves are high, so you shouldn't go swimming,

Another way to say the same thing is with ikemasen ~ ~ It

j; -tt A" the negative potential form of iku rr < :

:f.i~:[-§XA,1."';;I:~ \Itj;-ttA,o [§XU nomu] O-sake 0 nonde wa ikemasen.

You shouldn't drink alcohol.

• Informal

In informal situations, desu 1."T becomes da t3.:


aJ!t;6l~-rp.Q;6>tj, ~A,.fi-:J-r'it':b'/)t':o [fi< iku] Taifii ga kite iru kara, umi e itte wa dame da.

A typhoon is coming, so you can't go to the beach.

Similarly, ikemasen ~ \ ,t * -I:t Iv becomes ikenai ~ \ ,t t.J:~ \: ~~~Iv -r:"i~ \,t t.J:~ \0

Sake 0 nonde wa ikenai.

Don't drink alcohol.

The next pattern is used more in writing than in conversation. It often appears on warning signs. The plain form of the verb is followed by bekarazu «;6> tj T:

z: z: ,: 'iA.Q «;6> tj To

Koko ni wa hairu bekarazu.

Do not enter.

~~~tJ«;6> tjTo Sake 0 nomu bekarazu. Alcohol not permitted.

Another way to make a strong negative imperative in informal situations is to follow the plain form with the particle na t.J::

.:6O)A':'i~? t.J:o Ano hito ni wa au na. Don't meet that person.

Be careful not to confuse this pattern with the affirmative imperative formed with the -masu form followed by na t.J: (see page 33).

Polite Forms ~~~

There are two types of polite forms in Japanese: honorific and humble. The honorific form is used to show the speaker's respect toward an older person or a person in a higher social position. The humble form is used when the speaker talks about himself or herself to a superior.

POLITE FORMS 137

Honorifics .tJ~~! ------------Most polite forms are derived from the plain form in a regular manner. Honorifics can be expressed in two ways, as 0 + /-WElF.JfV + ni naru or by using the passive form of the verb .

• 0 + ... ni naru <1'3- - l::tJ.Q

o + /-1fflP.JR/ + ni naru o-kaki/IIFft!P.RiV ni naru

:to + / -#/ + 1:;oj:.Q :to3~ /#/I:;oj:.Q [3< kakul

In this form, the honorific prefix 0- :to - is added before the /-masu/ stem, which is then followed by the particle ni I: and the verb naru ;oj:.Q. Since the -masu form of kaku 3 < "to write" is kakimasu 3 ~ iT, the /-masu/ stem is kaki 3 ~ and the honorific polite form is okaki ni naru :to 3 ~ 1:;oj:.Q .

• Examples

In the following example, the student uses the honorific when speaking to her teacher.

~~ : 7t~, ~.~O)mlRl~:to~.;1,t.I:;oj: IJ i L,f.:n,o [~tJ' yomul

7t1:. : liP, ~.;1,t.i L,f.:n~ ...

Gakusei: Sensei. kesa no shimbun 0 o-yomi ni nari-

mashita ka?

Sensei: Hai, yomimashita ga ...

Student: Teacher, did you read this morning's newspaper? Teacher: Yes, I did.

In the next example, Yamamoto uses the honorific because he is talking about the company president and his family.

u.r<$: : *HHljJ-*h~'¥f~-IfifI:, 7;j 1) jJ A..:to i: t,(:;oj: .Q J( oj -rT~o [t.:-::> tatsul

EE rp : ~ B -r:'Tn'o ~ IJ i {t Iv -r:' L,f.:o

Yamamoto: Shacho go-ikka ga gogo ichiji ni, Amerika e o-tachi ni naru so desu ne.

Tanaka: Kyo desu ka? Shirimasen deshita.


Yamamoto: They say that the president and his family are leaving for America at 1:00 p.m.

Tanaka: Today? I didn't know that.

• Using the Same Form as the Passive ~~ c Ii'i.I L; ~

CD I-JflfI/ + reru ikahH#lreru @ I-JflfI/ + rareru

ts utomehrtlllrare ru @ kuru - korareru

suru --+ sareru

/-~/+h~ ff1.I'/~/h~ I-~/+ Gh~ iJJbfJ/~/Gh~ *~--+*Gh~ T~--+~h~

This honorific polite form is the same as the passive form, so it is created as shown by the chart above. (As mentioned on page 22, the abbreviation 1-1fiS1 indicates that -nai is dropped; in other words, that the I-nail stem is used in forming the passive.)

• Examples

In the first example, Yamamoto uses the honorific when

talking about the company president.

W:!.it : B Ili Oytl:!.ito) T~, :b 1.1' ~ ?

Il.P$:: ::J·)t.-71:ffn'h~T~l:To [ff< iku] Buchii: Nichiyii no shachii no yotei, wakaru? Yamamoto: Gorufu ni ikareru yotei desu.

Division chief: Do you know the president's schedule for Sunday?

Yamamoto: She's scheduled to go play golf.

In the next example, Yamamoto uses the honorific because he is talking to his boss.

Ur:<$: : B~-r:'Ii*Ald: c' Ii, c."5 G 0)7 J~- r -r:'~:bh i +e-, [~oj kau]

lllI!:!.it: of oj tl~, t':~ \t=~ \*"(0)7J~- l- t.:tlo Yamamoto: O-taku de wa kagu nado wa, dochira no depiito de kawaremasu ka?

POLITE FORMS 139

Kacho: So ne, daitai Shinjuku no depdto da ne. Yamamoto: In your family, at which department store do you buy furniture and things like that?

Section chief: Usually a department store in Shinjuku, I guess.

The following example has Yamamoto using the honorific when talking about an older person.

1lJ*: E89=J~A.,O):to5t~A.,li, nX:E8,,(:'~IJ~;t;;h-C 7 '7 /' 7,. r-; rEJlJ' :b ;h Q ."f ? "(:' T 0 [~IJ ~ ;t Q norikaeru, rEJlJ'? mukau]

~~ : ,,;t, 7 '7 /' 7,. i "(:' ...

Yamamoto: Tanaka-san no otosan wa, Narita de norikaerarete, Furansu e mukawareru so desu.

Kacho: He, Furansu made ...

Yamamoto: I heard that Mr. Tanaka's father will change planes at Narita and head for France.

Section chief: Really, all the way to France!

The honorific is used in the next example because Yamamoto is talking to (and about) his boss.

1lJ* : :: O)OfJ~*r§l: P; L- t.::P~li, E:: 1:*~ ltbtJ; ;hi L-t.::lJ'o [P; -:J L-~ Q irassharu, lt3tJQ tomeru] ~~: 3li< l:*p.'!*illJ~.tJ-:J-r:tJ., ."f::l:lt3tJt.::o Yamamoto: Kono mae kaisuiyoku ni irashita toki wa, doko ni kuruma 0 tomeraremashita ka?

Kachii: Chikaku ni yasui chiishajo ga atte ne, soko ni tometa.

Yamamoto: Where did you park your car when you went swimming at the ocean recently?

Section chief: There's a cheap parking lot nearby. I parked it there.

The honorifics in the next dialogue are used to talk about an older person.

~*: fr~A.,0)t5-£l1:itH,/~-T11:*;;hiTIJ'o [*Q kuru]

*E8: ;t;t, *;;hQt':0?t.f!piTJ:o t5-£l1:~, t5"i!f PP~': 'i, J: < ?" /' 7,. ~ ~ ;ht.::.:t ? -r'T J: 0 [T Q suru]


Aoki: Tani-san no okdsama mo piiti ni koraremasu ka? Yasuda: E, korareru darii to omoimasu yo. Okiisama, 0- wakai toki ni wa, yoku dansu 0 sareta so desu yo.

Aoki: Will Ms. Tani's mother come to the party, too? Yasuda: Yes, I think she will. I hear that she used to dance a lot when she was young.

Humble Forms ~~~ -----------

o + /-1flFI!fJIl/ + suru B + / -#/ + -t .Q

o-yomi.llf:ft:P.R;l! shimasu BMt~/**/ L-;}:-t

[Wtu yomu]

o + /-1flFI!fJIl/ + itashimasu B + / -**/ + ~ vi: L- ;}:-t o-yomi!Rfll!JlJ/ itashimasu BWt~/#/~ vi: L-;}: T

In the humble polite form, the honorific prefix 0- B- is added before the /-masu/ stem, which is then followed by the verb suru -t.Q (formal: shimasu L-;}: -t). For even greater humility, suru -t.Q can be replaced by its humble version itasu p i: -t (formal: itashimasu p t: L- ;}: -t) .

• Examples

In the following example, the student uses a humble form when talking to the teacher. The humble form-not the honorific-is appropriate here because the verb refers to the student's own action.

~j:_ : fL.;6~ B .f.f~ p L- ;}: -t 0 [.f.f~ oj tetsudau] ~~i1i : -t- ;h,;!:.t> IJ ill t: p ld: 0

Gakusei: Watashi ga o-tetsudai shimasu. Kyoshi: Sore wa arigatai na.

Student: I'll help you.

Teacher: I'm grateful for that.

Yamamoto uses the humble form to his boss:

ur* : -t- 0) ::1 /' eO .:L - ~ '"[:. L, i: IS, fL. ill M:! P 11 ~ B ~ ;t Pt::. L, ;}: +, [~;t.Q oshieru]

~*: f~':'b'"[:'~ QiI'ld:o

POLITE FORMS 141

Yamamoto: Sono kompyiaa deshitara, watashi ga tsukaikata 0 o-oshie itashimasu.

Kachii: Boku ni mo dekiru ka na.

Yamamoto: If you need to use that computer, I can teach you how to operate it.

Section chief: I wonder if I can do it.

In the next two examples, service workers use the humble form when speaking to their customers.

nt<frq)mHUt : ~~q)to'!3=~~to e: IJ L, i L, J: -j n'o [e: ~ toru]

nt<frit: tolip L, iTo [IB-j negau]

Ryokii no tenjii-in: Mina-sama no o-shashin 0 o-tori shi-

mashii ka?

Ryokiisha: Onegai shimasu.

Tour conductor: Shall I take a picture of you all? Tourists: Please do.

:re~ : IlJl8 0):1:£ z: .is, z: § "E0):1J I: to:re ~ to JIIHt p t: L, iTo [@1t ~ todokeru]

to~ : W~1:tj: ~ n' G, 7:1JtoWBP L,t::Plvt:lt Eo Hanaya: Myonichi no hiru goro, go-jitaku no ho ni 0- hana 0 o-todoke itashimasu.

O-kyaku: Rusu ni naru kara, yiigata onegai shitai n' da kedo.

Florist: We'll deliver the flowers to your home around noon tomorrow.

Customer: I'll be out, so please deliver them in the early evening instead.

Note that the tourists and the customer at the florist's use onegai suru toWB~ 'T ~. Although in derivation this phrase is the humble form of the verb negau Ii oj, it has become a set expression for making polite requests. While these people would not use other humble forms when speaking to service workers, onegai suru to'B~ 'T ~ and its variants onegai shitai to WIt ~ , L, t: ~, and onegai shimasu to ,It ~ , L, * Tare used in nearly all situations to mean "please do this for me."


Irregular Honorific and Humble Forms .t:~~fi C

~Ui~fiO)~53IJM ------------The following table shows the verbs that have irregular honorific or humble forms. The honorific and humble forms are given in both the plain form and the I-masu I form.

Plain

togo----------------------------------------

iku rr<

Honorific

irassharu, irasshaimasu PG-:JL-~.Q, p;-:JL-~pii"

oide ni naru, oide ni narimasu

15p-C'r: ~.Q,

15p-c'r:~ IJ ii"

Humble

mairu, mairimasu iP.Q, iPlJii"

tocome----------------------------------------

kuru *.Q

irassharu, irasshaimasu PG-:JL-~.Q, pG-:JL-~pii"

oide ni naru, oide ni narimasu 15p-c·r:~.Q,

15p-c'r: ~ IJ i i"

mairu, mairimasu ip.Q, iplJ ii"

tobe---------------------------------------

iru p.Q

irassharu, irasshaimasu PG-:JL-~.Q, PG-:JL-~pii"

oide ni naru, oide ni narimasu 15p-r-r:~.Q,

15p-r-r: ~ IJ i i"

oru, orimasu 15 .Q, 15 IJ i i"

toeru---------------------------------------taberu it«-.Q

meshiagaru, meshiagarimasu ti L-l:tI!.Q, BL-l:tI!lJii"

itadaku, itadakimasu

Note: The previously nonstandard otabe ni naru t.;~"'I: t...Q has now become frequently used.

ptd~<, pt::t~~ ii"

Honorific

POLITE FORMS 143

Humble

meshiagaru, meshiagarimasu B L, J::;6I.Q, BL,J::;6Q? *i"

Plain to drink------------------nomu ~tJ

itadaku, itadakimasu

Pt::.t= <. pt::.t=!*i"

Note: The previously nonstandard onomi ni naru toM:l<I: f.I: '5 has now become frequently used. tosay---------------------

iu ossharu, osshaimasu
~'j io-:;JL,-?.Q,
io-:;Jl..,-?p*i"
to see
miru goran ni naru,
~.Q goran ni narimasu
::'''In::t.J:.Q,
'::·~I:t.J:I')*i"
to know
shitte iru gozonji da,
~!h-rP.Q gozonji desu
::"ff t; e. ::"ff t; -C'i"
to do
suru nasaru, nasaimasu
T.Q t.J:~.Q,t.J:~P*i"
sareru, saremasu
Hl..Q, ~n*i"
to put on
kiru o-meshi ni naru,
:tf.Q o-meshi ni narimasu
iobO L,1:t.J:.Q,
iobO L,1:t.J: I') *i"
to meet
au o-ai ni naru,
~7 o-ai ni narimasu
io~PI:t.J:.Q,
io~I:t.J:1') *i" miisu, miishimasu $Ii", $l..,*i"

haiken suru, haiken shimasu

1f~i".Q,

n~L,*i"

zonjite oru, zonjite orimasu

ff t; -r io .Q , fft;-riol')*i"

itasu, itashimasu Pt::.i", pt::.L,*i"

kiru, kimasu

o-me ni kakaru, o-me ni kakarimasu

io ElI:;6>;6>.Q,

io ElI:;6>;6> I') * i"

to hear or ask ------------------

kiku o-klki ni naru,

Ilfl < o-kiki ni narimasu

ukagau, ukagaimasu

Plain Honorific Humble
tor.8l! (: t.l: -5, fii]?,fii]PiT
tor.8l! (: t.l: IJ iT
to visit
tazuneru o-tazune ni naru, ukagau,
iW;tJ.-5 o-tazune ni narimasu ukagaimasu
toiW;tJ.(:t.l: -5, fii]?,fii]PiT
toiW;tJ.(: t.l: IJ iT
to die
shinu o-nakunari ni naru, shinu, shinimasu
7E~ o-nakunari ni narimasu
toL:< t.l: IJ (:t.l:-5, 7E~, 7E(:iT
toL:< t.l: IJ (:t.l: IJ iT
nakunaru,
nakunarimasu
L:<t.l:-5,
L:<t.l:lJiT
to sleep
neru o-yasumi ni naru, yasumu,
;jl-5 o-yasumi ni narimasu yasumimasu
tof*.;9.(: t.l: -5, f*tJ, f*.;9.iT
tof*.;9.(:t.l:1J iT
to give
ageru o-age ni naru, sashiageru,
1: Ii' -5 o-age ni narimasu sashiagemasu
to1:If(:t.l:G, £L-1:IfG,
to1:Ii'(: t.l: IJ iT £L-1:IfiT
to receive
morau o-morai ni naru, itadaku, itadakimasu
tG? o-morai ni narimasu (giver not in
speaker's group)
to t G PI:t.l: 05, pt:;f!: < ,
tot GP(:t.l:1J iT Ptd:l! iT
to give
kureru kudasaru, kudasaimasu
<tLG <taG, <t!:~piT
(recipient in speaker's
group) POLITE FORMS 145

• Examples

In the next two examples, Yamamoto uses the honorific form when talking to his superiors.

Llr:* : ~ B ';l:fiiJ~i 1:'~U': pI;, '? L ~ P i Tn'o [P 0

iru]

~~: :711~.nt~on'l;" ~~< i1:'Po~o

Yamamoto: Kyo wa nanji made kaisha ni irasshaimasu ka? Kachii: Yiigata kaigi ga aru kara, yoru osoku made iru yo .. Yamamoto: Until what time will you be at the company

today?

Section chief: I have a meeting beginning in the early

evening, so I'll be here until late.

Llr*: W~, ~B';l:fiiJ~B\"'_I::nllJ iTn'o [jt-",o taberu] W~ : .:t oj t':;b, ~ \..,..snJ I:~PJ"[:' t jt-",~ oj n'o Yamamoto: Buche, kyo wa nani 0 meshiagarimasu ka? Bucho: So da ne, hisashiburi ni sushi de mo tabeyo ka. Yamamoto: What would you like to eat today?

Division chief: Let me see. Maybe I'll have sushi. I

haven't had that for a while.

In the next example, Yamamoto and the division chief use the humble o-me ni kakaru :10 § I: n' n' 0 when speaking in reference to themselves and their meeting the company's vice-president, who is ranked above them both. When in reference to the vice-president and his actions, they use honorific forms (ogenki :Io:7t3{i" ikareru rrn'fLo, go-shisatsu 1i!IJ ~l~, ossharu :10 '? L ~ 0). Yamamoto also uses the honorific nasaru f.i: ~ 0 when talking about the action of the division chief, who is his superior.

tlr* : ~ q) oj I;I:*U"[:', f~~mlH±~I::Io § I:n'n' Ij i t. tz ; [~oj au]

$~ : .:t -j, .:t fL 1:':Io:7t3{i, t.: '? t~ ?

LlJ*: ;t;t, f.i:A,1:'tFL*I:';l:3-0';lJ'A...:·~t~':rrn' fLocn', :Io"')\"'~"')-Ci\..,t~~o [rr< iku, i30j iu] $~ : .:t fL t.:: ~ .:t q) ilfJ ':, ~ J; "') C :10 § (: n' n'",) -C:lo P t~11n~~'~ 'n'f.i:o

LlJ * : .:t -j f.i: ~ "') i: 11 n~ P P n' t m fL i -It Iv;b a [T 0 suru]


Yamamoto: Kino wa honsha de, Sato-fukushachii ni o-me ni kakarimashita.

Buche: So, sore de o-genki datta?

Yamamoto: it, nandemo getsumatsu ni wa Yoroppa e goshisatsu ni ikareru to ka, osshatte 'mash ita yo.

Buchii: Sore ja sono mae ni, chotto o-me ni kakatte oita hii ga ii ka na.

Yamamoto: So nasatta Ito ga ii ka mo shiremasen ne. Yamamoto: Yesterday I met Vice-President Sato at company headquarters.

Division chief: Is that so? How was he?

Yamamoto: Fine. I understand that he's going to Europe on an inspection trip at the end of this month.

Division chief: Then maybe I should drop in on him beforehand.

Yamamoto: That might be best.

Giving and Receiving ~§t(J) § {, \/J

The forms for giving and receiving depend on the direction of the action and the relations of group membership, respect, and humility among the giver, receiver, and speaker.

Formal Forms----------------------------

A -+ B A gives N to B.

A wa B ni N 0 agemasu.

B +- A B receives N from A.

B wa Ani N 0 moraimasu. B ';tA ,: N ~ t; ~ ,~;-o


A wa B ni N 0 kuremasu.

When the respect relation between the parties is not important, the verbs ageru il; If Q, morau t;?, and kureru < nQ are used to describe giving and receiving. The choice of verb depends on whether or not the giver or recipient is in

GIVING AND RECEIVING 147

the speaker's group (which, of course, includes the speaker).

If the recipient B is not in the speaker's group, then the following is possible. (The formal patterns appear on the left, the informal on the right.)

A wa B ni N 0 agemasu. A Ii. B I: N ~~tt'itTo A gives N to B.

A wa B ni No ageru A Ii. B I: N ~ ~ (t' .Q 0 A gives N to B.

If A, the giver, is not in the speaker's group, then you can say:

B wa A ni N 0 moraimasu. B wa A ni No morau. B Ii. A I: N ~ t ; ~ ~ it To B Ii. A I: N ~ t ; oj 0

B receives N from A. B receives N from A.

In the following pattern, the recipient B must be in the speaker's group:

A wa B ni N 0 kuremasu. A Ii. B I: N ~ < ;h it To A gives N to B.

A wa B ni N 0 kureru. A Ii. B I: N ~ < ;h.Q 0 A gives N to B.

Another word meaning "give" is yam ~.Q. This somewhat brusque verb is used only when the recipient is much lower in status than the giver-typically, younger brothers or sisters, plants, and animals .

• Formal examples ~'i.EEw~lvl:tJJ.=f~~tt'it L-t.:o

Ototo wa Tayama-san ni kitte 0 agemashita.

My younger brother gave some stamps to Ms. Tayama.

EEw~Iv'i.~':tJJ.=f~t ;pit L-t.:o

Tayama-san wa otiito ni kitte 0 moraimashita.

Ms. Tayama received some stamps from my younger brother.

-fi1:Ii.fb,:~ijll~ <;hit L-t.:o

Haha wa watashi ni yofuku 0 kuremashita. My mother gave me some clothes .

• Informal examples .ffi':*~~-::> tz;


Hana ni mizu 0 yatta.

I gave some water to the flowers.

1it3tn'; *s~\HR~' I: T i- ~. a- t ; -:J i: 0 Tomodachi kara kekkon-iwai ni terebi 0 moratta.

We received a television from our friends as a wedding

present.

ft ~ A-I;1.fkl: -7 - ~ ~:rea- < tLt::.o

Tani-san wa watashi ni keki to hana 0 kureta. Tani gave me a cake and some flowers.

The -Te Form --------------

A -+ B A does N for B.

A wa B ni N 0 verb-te kuremasu.

A 1;1. B I: N a- --r < tL~To


A wa B ni N 0 verb-te

A 1;1. B I: N a- --c ,Mf ~To

agemasu.

B +- A B receives (the favor) N from A.

B waA ni N 0 verb-te B 1;1. A I: N a- --r t;

moraimasu ~ , ~ To

There are parallel patterns using the -te form to express the idea of one party doing a favor for another.

Here is "A does N for B" when B is not in the speaker's group:

A wa B ni N 0 verb-te agemasu.

A 1;1. B I: N a- --r ,Mf~To

Next, "B receives (the favor) N from A" when B and the speaker are in the same group and in a different group from A:

B wa A ni No verb-te moraimasu. B 1;1. A I: N a- --r t ;P~To

The third pattern is "A does N for B" when B and the speaker are in the same group:


A wa B ni N 0 verb-te kuremasu. A Ii B I: N ~ --r < nit"o

.Formal examples

#* ~ Ivli;&3il: to~~1't L- -r ib (r* L- iz;

Aoki-san wa tomodachi ni o-kane 0 kashite agemashita. Ms. Aoki lent some money to a friend .

.:r:. 1) ''J 7 ~ IvliEEH ~ Ivl:*~~~p;j L- -r t ; ~ ~ * L- tc; Erikku-san wa Tamura-san ni Kyoto 0 annai shite

moraimashita.

Eric was shown around Kyoto by Mr. Tamura.

ilJ:lifid: 1! - ~ - ~mlv -C' < :hi L- iz ;

Haha wa watashi ni seta 0 ande kuremashita. My mother knit a sweater for me .


~ 0) oj fbli~1:fl!I~f'F -? -r ib (rt.:o

Kino watashi wa imoto ni ryori 0 tsukutte ageta. Yesterday I cooked a meal for my little sister.

j:§ ~ Iv Ii to x: ~ Ivl:*fi L- p.~ ~ -? -r t ; -? t.:o

Nishi-san wa otiisan ni atarashii kuruma 0 katte moratta. Mr. Nishi had a new car bought for him by his father.

(I.e., Nishi's father bought him a new car.)

;&3ilifbl:m<fTO)¥.~ ji-tt-r < :ht.:o

Tomodachi wa watashi ni ryokii no shashin 0 misete kureta. My friend showed me her travel photos.

Polite and Humble Forms tDl:~gO))c ------

B +- A B receives N from A.

B wa Ani N 0 itadakimasu. B Ii A I: N ~ ~ ~t.:t:5. ~ *t"o


A wa B ni No sashiagemasu. A Ii B ,: N ~ ~ L- ib (r*t" 0


A -. B A gives N to B.

A wa B ni No kudasaimasu. A 'i B I: N ~ < t:. ~ P~To

When the relative social positions of the parties come into play, special respectful and humble forms are used. To say "A gives N to B" when B is in a higher social position relative to A and the speaker, use the humble verb sashiageru ~ 1,.,~(f.Q:

A wa B ni N 0 sashiagemasu. A 'i B (: N ~ ~ 1,.,~(f~To A gives N to B.

To say "B receives N from A" when B and the speaker are in the same group and are in a lower social position than A, use the humble verb itadaku ~ ~ t::. t:. < :

B wa A ni No itadakimasu.

B 'i A I: N ~pt::.t:'i! *To B receives N from A.

To say "A gives N to B" when B and the speaker are in the same group and are in a lower social position than A, use the honorific verb kudasaru < t:. ~ .Q :

A wa B ni No kudasaimasu. A Ii B ,: N ~ < t:. ~ P * To A gives N to B .

• Examples

HtlJ ~ Idi7'G1:.I:, ¥!l~ ~ I,., ~ If* I,., tz; Murayama-san wa sensei ni, shashin 0 sashiagemashita. Mr. Murayama gave a photograph to the teacher.

fb'i#~~I:, *~pt::.t:'i! * I,.,t::.o

Watashi wa Hayashi-kyiiju ni, hon 0 itadakimashita. I received a book from Professor Hayashi.

f*~~Ii, fkl:*~ < t:. ~ p * I,., ts,

Hayashi-kyiiju wa, watashi ni hon 0 kudasaimashita.


• The -Te Form

Professor Hayashi gave me a book .


A wa B ni No verb-te A Ii B I: N ~ -L

sashiagemasu. ~ L- J? tf * To

B +- A B receives (the favor) N from A

B wa Ani No verb-te B Ii A I: N ~ -L

itadakimasu. ~ \ t::. t3. ~ * To

A-+B A does N forB.

A wa B ni N 0 verb-te kudasaimasu.

A Ii B I: N ~ -L < t3.~P*To

The above polite patterns use the -te form to show that one party has done a favor for another. The first pattern means "A does N for B," when B is in a higher social position than both A and the speaker:

A wa B ni N 0 verb-te sashiagemasu.

A Ii B I: N ~ -L ~ L-J?lf*To

Next, "B receives (the favor) N from A" Here, B and the speaker are in the same group and are in a lower social position than A:

B wa A ni N 0 verb-te itadakimasu.

B Ii A I: N ~ -L Pt::.t3. ~ * To

The third pattern is "A does N for B," with B and the Speaker in the same group and in a lower social position than A

A wa B ni N 0 verb-te kudasaimasu .

A Ii B I: N ~ -L < t3.~P*To

• Examples

fklit±£I:-f-~~ilRL-L~ L-J?tfi L-t::.o

Watashi wa shachii ni tegami 0 yakushite sashiagemashita.


I translated the letter for the president.

Mili y 3/ 'J /7\";1:.1:, l!7.J -a-~;t -n )t::.t~ t! i t,t.:o Imoto wa Jonson-sensei ni, piano 0 oshiete itadaki-

mashita.

My younger sister was taught piano by Ms. Johnson.

y 3/ 'J /7t1:.1i, Mil: e07.J -a-~;t l < t~ ~ pi t,t.:o Jonson-sensei wa, imiito ni piano 0 oshiete kudasai-

mashita.

Ms. Johnson taught piano to my younger sister.

Asking for Permission ~r:ij' ~ 3:1< d) ~ ~ ~ \ 15

Polite

... sasete itadaite mo yoroshii desha ka? - ~ -tt -r p t::.t~ p -r t J:: -'5 L p -r't, J: ? 7J'

... sasete itadaite mo sashitsukae nai desha ka? - ~ -tt-r p t: t~p-r t ~ L -:J 7J';t tJ: p 1: L J: ? 7J'

Formal

... shite mo kamaimasen ka? +- L "C t 7J' i ~) i -tt 1v7J'

... shite mo ii desu ka?

- L -r t ~ ) ~ ) -r'T 7J'

... shite wa ikemasen ka? - L -r li ~ ) It i -tt Iv 7J'

Informal

... shite mo ii? -t,-rtpP?

... shite wa dame? - t. -r li t: ~ ?

ASKING FOR PERMISSION 153

polite ----------------

There are two patterns that can be used to ask for permission very politely. Both patterns employ the -te form of the causative verb (see page 83). The example structures use sasete ~ -tt-r, the -te form of saseru ~ -tt Q, which itself is the causative form of suru T Q. The first pattern literally means "Would it be acceptable for you to allow me to do ... T":

... sasete itadaite mo yoroshii desha ka? - ~ -tt-r pt.:t.:p-r t ~.iS L- P-Z:' L- J: ~ 1J'

The second pattern literally means "Would it be no hindrance for you to allow me to do ... T"

... sasete itadaite mo sashitsukae nai desha ka? - ~ -e r ~ ) t.:t.: ~ )-r t ~ V:J 1J';t t:n )-z:' L- J: ~ 1J'

• Examples

.IJil! : z 0)1I~~ ~~b-tt-r p t::t.: p -r t ~ .is L- p -Z:' L- J: ~ 1J'0 [~~ tsukau]

WO : c: ~ 1:', tJ~~) < t.: ~ t)o

Hori: Kono denwa 0 tsukawasete itadaite mo yoroshii

desha ka.

Yamaguchi: Diizo, o-tsukai kudasai.

Hori: May I have your permission to use this telephone? Yamaguchi: Please go ahead and use it.

1J1-tf ~ 51 ~ ) t:. 0)"(:', 1IJ18 O)~ ,= ~Jm ~ -tt-r ~) td': ~ )-r t ~ V:J1J';tt:;:P"(:,L-J: ~1J'0 [TQ suru]

Kaze 0 hiita no de, myiinichi no kai ni kesseki sasete itadaite mo sashitsukae nai desha ka.

I've caught a cold, so I wonder if it would not be a bother if you were to allow me to be absent from tomorrow's meeting.

Formal--------------------------------

The next three patterns for asking permission are slightly less polite than those given above, though they are still suitable for most formal situations. They all use the -te form of the verb (in these examples it is L- -r shire, the -te form of T


.Q suru). The first pattern could be translated literally as "Would you mind if I ... 'I":

... shite mo kamaimasen ka? - L, -c t IJ' 11:; t , 11:; 1:t A-IJ' 0 The next pattern literally means "Would it be all right if I ... ?":

... shite mo ii desu ka?

The direct meaning of the third pattern is "Would it be wrong to -1":

... shite wa ikemasen ka?

• Examples

tlJ E8 : ;:;: I:. ~ il; bO -c t IJ' 11:; p 11:; 1:t A-IJ' 0 [.It bO .Q

tomeru]

Ji!i~: pp~, tt>.:t;:ii;*:t*=-rT~o

Yamada: Koko ni kuruma 0 tomete mo kamaimasen ka? Ten 'in: [e, asoko nara daijiibu desu yo.

Yamada: Would you mind if I parked my car here? Shop employee: No, right there is fine.

Yamada could also have used the second or third patterns: z z I:.~ .ItbO-C t t 't '""(:'1""1J'0

Koko ni kuruma 0 tomete mo ii desu ka? c z I:.~ .J.tbO-Clit 'It 1I:;1:tA-1J'0

Koko ni kuruma 0 tomete wa ikemasen ka?

Infonnal-------------------------------

The next two patterns are used between close acquaintances in informal situations. The first is the same as the second formal pattern above without the formal desu ka ""(:·1""IJ'. To mark it as a question, the phrase is pronounced with a rising intonation .

... shite mo ii?

The second pattern is also pronounced with a rising intonation. The literal meaning is "Is it wrong if I ... 'I"

... shite wa dame?

- L, -c Ii t.: bO ?

MAKING AN INVITATION 155

• Example

;kJ!ll5: PJlBfi"?"'Ct,PP? [fi< iku] "rra· : PJI B Ii t.: ~ 0

Taro: Ashita itte mo ii?

Hanako: Ashita wa dame.

Taro: Okay if I come over tomorrow? Hanako: Tomorrow's no good.

Making an Invitation *I~F¥ ~ ~? ~ {, \ 15

Polite

o + /-1f1IlF.IB/ + ni narimasen ka

oyomi ni narimasen ka

Formal

/-7fflP.JfI/ + masho iki!RflF.J1!l/mas hO

/-7fflP.JfI/ + mashii ka iki!RflF.J1!l/mashO ka /-7fflP.JfI/ + masen ka iki!RflF.J1!l/masen ka

Informal OO/-ll/ + 0 ikNo

@ /-JIliI/ + ya. miJlta/yo

@ kuru -koyo suru -shiyo

:to W'f';" I: ~ IJ i -tt It., il' [W'ftr yomu]

/-~/+iL-J:? fit!/**/iL-J:? [fi < iku]

/-**/ + i L- J: ? IJ' fit! /~/i L- J: ? IJ' / -~/ + i -tt 1t.,1J' fit! /**/i-ttIt.,IJ'

fi.:? [fi < iku]

/-=i:/+J:?

~/*/ J:? [~.Q miru] *.Q -+*J:? T.Q-+L-J:?


Polite -----------------

To make a polite invitation, use the honorific polite form a + /-'If/Elf!/fl/ + ni naru, changing the final naru t:J..Q to the formal negative question narimasen ka t:J.1J ~ -tt Iv n'.

O-yami ni narimasen ka.

jo Me l;. ,: t:J. IJ ~ -tt Iv n' 0 [MttJ yamul

Would you like to read (this)?

• Example

,Nil: p,? L.,J;,:~·-)j,,~joiXl;.':t:J.1J ~-ttlvn'o [iXtJ

namul

~Blji : pp-c·-tb.o iXl;. ~ L., J; oj 0

Ogawa: Issho ni biru a o-nomi ni narimasen ka. Kyoshi: Ii desu ne. Nomimasho.

Ogawa: Would you like to go and have a beer together? Teacher: That'd be nice. Let's do that.

Formal-----------------

One way to make an invitation in a formal conversation is change the -masu - ~ -t suffix to -mashii - ~ L., J; oj. This is called the formal volitional form of the verb. Thus tr ~ ~ -t becomes:

Ikimasho. Let's go.

The question marker ka iJ' can be added to make the invitation a bit less direct.

rr~ ~ L., J; oj 0 [rr< ikul

Ikimashii ka. Shall we go?

You can also use the formal negative (-masen) followed by ka.

Ikimasen ka. rr ~ ~ -tt Iv iJ' 0

Wouldn't you like to go?

• Examples

p,? L., J; ':lI!kiiffi~ ~ ~ L., J; oj 0 Issho ni eiga a mimashii.

EXPRESSING INTENTION 157

Let's see a movie together.

~ \-:J t. J; ,:~@j~ ~i t. J; -j iI'o Issho ni eiga a mimasho ka. Shall we see a movie together?

P-:J lJ;,:~@j~~i-ttlvil'o Issho ni eiga a mimasen ka?

Wouldn't you like to see a movie together?

Informal-------------------------------

Between friends, the informal volitional form can be used. This is formed as follows:

® Change the final -u of the plain form to 0:

iku -+ ikii tr < -+ tr': -j

tatsu -+ tatii j[_ "? -+ jJ_ t -j

Note: Final tsu changes to to.

@ Change the final -ru of the plain form to yo:

miru -+ miyo Ji Q -+ Ji J:: -j

@ kuru -+ kayo *= Q -+ *= J:: -j

suru -+ shiyii -t Q -+ L J:: -j

• Examples

P -:J L J; ,:~@j ~ ~ J:: -j 0 Issho ni eiga a miyii.

Let's see a movie together.

It's also possible to use the plain negative (-nai) form

with a rising tone, so you could also say:

P -:J t. J; ,:~@j~ ~tJ:P ? Issho ni eiga a minai?

Do you wanna see a movie?

Expressing Intention ~~ :a:~9 ~ l, \15

The following describes two techniques for expressing one's intention to do something. The first uses the word tsumori


"'? t IJ, while the second uses the volitional form plus the verbs omou ,!, oj or kangaeru ~;t.Q "to think."

Tsumori -:> t L) --------------

Formal

plain form + tsumori desu kiku tsumori desu

Informal

plain form + tsumori yomu tsumori

plain form + tsumori da kuru tsumori da

mUf3 + "? t IJ '""('i" 1J8<"?tlJ"fi"

mUf3 +"? t IJ MtU"?tlJ 1Jj{~ + "? t IJ t3. *= .Q "? t IJ t3.

In formal situations, use the plain form of the verb followed by tsumori desu "'? t IJ "f-t:

Kiku tsumori desu. I intend to listen.

In informal situations, the copula desu "fi" can be replaced by da t2 or omitted entirely.

Kiku tsumori da. I intend to listen .

• Examples

Jl.J* : P"'? 7 ;I. 1) 11 "'tr ~ * -til'o

q, EE : *=if.tr < "? t IJ "f-t 0 Yamamoto: Itsu Amerika e ikimasu ka. Nakata: Rainen iku tsumori desu.

Yamamoto: When are you going to America? Nakata: I plan to go next year.

In the next example, Ms. Sato drops the copula altogether and employs a rising intonation for her question. Ms. Tanaka replies with the feminine explanatory ending na no tJ: (J).

EXPRESSING INTENTION 159

~~:~~. e~~M~~~~t~? rn*:~~~~~*«~~t~~~o

Satii: Komban, donna ryiiri tsukuru tsumori? Tanaka: Komban wa soto de taberu tsumori na no. Sate: What do you plan to cook this evening? Tanaka: I plan to eat out tonight.

With Volitional Verbs mIM --------

Formal

CD /R/ + 0 to omoimasu, omotte imasu, kangaete imasu

nomii to omotte imasu iX t ? ~,~"? '"( t ~

iT [iXti nomu] @ hW + yo to omoimasu, omotte imasu, kangaete imasu dekakeyii to omotte imasu ffi iJ' It ~ ? ~,~"? '"( piT [ffiiJ'It ~ dekakeru] L,~?~,~piT. L, ~? ~,~"?'"(piT

*=~? ~,~piT. *= ~? ~,~"?'"(piT

@ shiyii to omoimasu, shiyii to omotte imasu

koyo to omoimasu, koyo

to omotte imasu

Informal

-0, -yo to omou, omotte iru, kangaete iru

iko to omou

-:to? -~? ~,~oj.,~ "?'"(P~.~it '"(P~ rr:: ? ~}~?

When the verbs omou ,~? and kangaeru ~ it ~ are used to express intention, they follow the informal volitional form (see page 57) plus to ~. These verbs make the speaker's intention seem less definite than with tsumori '""? t ~. In this construction, omou ,~oj can be used either in the present tense (formal omoimasu ,~t ~ iT and informal omou ,~oj) or the present continuous (formal omotte imasu ,~"? '"( t ~ i T, informal omotte iru ,~"? '"( p.Q). However, kangaeru ~ it ~ is used only in the present continuous (formal kangaete


imasu ~ it -r PiT, informal kangaete iru ~ it -r P .Q). In these usages, the two words are basically interchangeable, although omou ,'if. oj in its various forms is more widely used.

Here are the formal versions with the verb nomu M\tf "to drink." Its informal volitional form is noma M\ t oj .

Noma to omoimasu.

M\t oj c,l!!!,piTo I think I'll drink.

Noma to omotte imasu. M\t oj c ,'if.-?-rp iTo I'm thinking of drinking.

Noma to kangaete imasu. M\t oj c~it -rPiTo I'm thinking of drinking.

Here are the informal versions:

Nomii to omou.

M\tojc,'if.ojo

I think I'll drink.

Noma to omotte iru.

M\t oj c,fGh-rp.Qo I'm thinking of drinking.

Noma to kangaete iru. M\t oj c~it -rp.Qo I'm thinking of drinking .

• Formal example

.~:*~~ •• l~;. EojT.Q~~T~o

~1:. : •• L i: ;. *~~1C r: tf.:: oj t ~ it -r PiT 0 [tf < iku]

Kyiishi: Daigaku 0 sotsugyii shitara, do suru n' desu ka. Gakusei: Sotsugyii shitara, daigakuin ni iko to kangaete imasu.

Teacher: What are you going to do after you graduate from college?

Student: After I graduate, I'm thinking of going to graduate school.

• Informal example n:.r:BIl1lB.fiiJTG"'JtlJ?

:*1$: ~~HH~J; oj tJi~h-r Go [~.Q miru] Hanako: Nichiyiibi, nani suru tsumori? Taro: Kabuki mi a to omotte 'ru.

EXPRESSING WISHES 161

Hanako: What do you plan to do on Sunday? Taro: I'm thinking of going to see Kabuki,

Informal

/-~+ tai /-#/ + t::.~)

;kihrft:P.Hllta; fi ~ /#/ t: P

/-~ + tai to omou / -#/ + i: ~ ) C: ,!. oj

ikihrft:P.Hlltai to omou fi ~ /#/ i: ~ ) C: '" oj

/-~ + tai to omotte iru / -# / + t: ~ ) C: ,!.-:J

'"(P-Q

;kihrft:P.Hlltai to omotte iru fi ~ / # / i: ~ ) C: ,!. -:J'"(P-Q

-raj -t::.P Formal

/-~ + tai desu / -#/ + t::.~ )-C'T

;kihrft:P.Hllta; desu fi ~ /#/ t: ~ ) -C'T

/-~ + tai to omoimasu / -# / + i: ~ ) C: ,!. ~ )

~T

ikihrft:P.Hlltai to omoimasu fi ~ /#/ t: ~) C: ,!.

P~T

/-~ + tai to omotte imasu / -# / + t::. ~ ) C: '~'-:J '"(P~T

iki!IfftF.R;Vtai to omotte imasu fi ~ /#/ i: ~) C: ,!. -:J'"(P~T

-te mitai desu - '"( + ij.. t::. ~ ) 1:T

itte mitai desu fi -:J '"( ij.. i: ~ ) -C'T

-te mitai to omoimasu - '"( + ij.. t: ~ ) C: ,!. ~ ) ~ T

itte mitai to omoimasu fi -:J '"( ij.. i: ~ ) C: ,!. ~ ) ~ T


Third Person -tai -+ -tagaru

tabetai - tabetagaru

-t::p -+ -t::IJI?J 1lt«t::~ ~ -1lt«t::IJI?J

The -tai form is used to express wishes and desires in the first and second person. Add -tai - t: ~ ~ to the -masu form:

tabellflflf!JR/tai 1it« / ** / i: ~ ~

In formal situations, the -tai form is followed by desu -r: 1", by to omoimasu c![t ~ ~ ~ t', or by to omotte imasu c ,I[t "'?-rP~1".

Tabetai desu. I want to eat.

Tabetai to omoimasu. I'd like to eat.

Tabetai to omotte imasu. 1lt« t:: ~ ~ c ,I[t"'? -r ~ ~ ~ 1" 0

I am thinking of eating (I hope to eat).

To say that you want to try something, use the -te form of the verb followed by mitai l:J.. i: ~ ~. This pattern is often used when trying something for the first time.

Sore 0 tabete mitai desu. I'd like to try that.

Sore 0 tabete mitai to

omoimasu.

I think I'd like to try that. Sore 0 tabete mitai to omotte imasu.

I am thinking of trying that.

In informal situations, the -tai form is followed by nothing, by to omou C ,1[1, oj , or by to omotte iru C ,I[t"'? -r ~ ~ ?J :

Tabetai.

I want to eat. Tabetai to omou.

I think I'd like to eat. Tabetai to omotte iru.

-t" n~1it«-r l:J.. i: ~ ~ c ,I[t P~1"o

-t" n~1lt«-r l:J..t:: p c ,I[t "'?-rp~t'o

EXPRESSING WISHES 163

I'm thinking of eating .

• Formal examples

IIIIB : "I 1*.;.. ,:fpJ a- L i 1""il'o

f~it1 : ~ /' jf;t; - )L-A..rr -? -r.;.. i: P -r1"":tJo Sonoda: Natsu yasumi ni nani 0 shimasu ka. Sase: Shingapiiru e itte mitai desu ne.

Sonoda: What are you going to do during summer vacation? Sase: I'd like to go to Singapore.

Ms. Sase could also say:

~ /' jf;t; - )L-A..rr -? -r .;.. i: ~ \ t ,W -? -r ~ \ i 1"" 0 Shingapiiru e itte mitai to omotte imasu.

I'm thinking that I'd like to go and see Singapore .


IIIIB : 1*';",:fpJ1"".QO)?

f~ltj : ~ /' jf;t; - )l--A..rr -? -r .;.. i: P 0 Sonoda: Yasumi ni nani suru no? Sase: Shingapiiru e itte mitai.

Sonoda: What'll you be doing during the vacation? Sase: I want to go to Singapore.

Or:

~ /' jf;f> - )l--A..rr -? -r .;.. t: ~ \ t J(!;', -? -r .Q 0 Shingaporu e itte mitai to omotte 'ru.

I'm thinking I'd like to go and see Singapore.

-Tagaru -t=.tJ{~ -----------The -tai form is used primarily when speaking in the first or second person. When talking about a third party's desires or wishes, replace -tai - i: ~ \ with -tagaru - i: il~ .Q .

ilt '" i: P -+ ilt '" i: ill.Q [ ilt "'.Q taberu]

The -tagaru form is a Group 1 verb, so the -masu form of tabetagaru ilt"'t.: il;.Q is tabetagarimasu ~'" i: iJ~ IJ i 1"" and the -te form is tabetagatte ilt'" i: iJt -? -r.

tabetai - tabetagaru


• Examples

-f-~I;tttp t 0) ~f;t«t~;6~ IJ * To

Kodomo wa amai mono 0 tabetagarimasu. Children are always wanting to eat sweet things.

51HUfi U \.~~~ \t~;6~"? -0 \*To

Ototo wa atarashii kuruma 0 kaitagatte imasu. My younger brother wants to buy a new car.

Toil c~\~\------------------------------

hareru to ii desu ne

Formal

plain form + to ii desu (ne) 1*ff:3 + c ~ \t \l:'T (:Q)

Informal

plain form + to ii tne, nd) 1*ff:3+ cPP (:Q, tJ:ib)

hareru to ii ne ~n.Q c ~ \~ \:Q

To express a general wish or desire, use the plain form followed by to ii desu (ne) C ~ \~ \l:'-9(:Q) in formal situations or to ii (ne, nd) c ~ \ ~ \ (:Q, tJ: ib) in informal situations:

Ame ga hareru to ii desu ne. ffi;6~~n.Q c ~ \~ \l:'T:Qo

Ame ga hareru to ii ne. m;61~n.Q c ~ \ t \:Qo

It'd be nice if it stopped raining.

Conditionals f&~ ~ ~"9 ~ ~ \ 1J

There are two main strategies for expressing the idea of "if' in Japanese: the -ba form and the -tara form.

-Ba (to)ff~ --------------

(!) /-liI/ + eba

nom/-liI/ + eba ~ nomeba

CONDmONALsI65

Note: tatsu - tateba @/-R!+ eba

taber/-R! + eba - tabereba jt«.Q ..... jt«nl!

@ kuru =rkureba *=.Q *=nl!

suru -sureba T.Q Tnl!

To make the -ba conditional form, drop the final -u of the plain form and add -eba .

• Examples

m i.J~~iHL1!i* L., < ~ IJ iT J: 0

Ame ga fureba suzushiku narimasu yo. If it rains, it'll become cooler.

ii!!i~iX.YJ1!3rUi-r:~ ~~ \0

Sake 0 nomeba unten dekinai.

If I drink, I can't drive.

-Tara -t::.~---------------

CD,@ -ta + ra /-t::./ + t;
nonda - nondara iXlvf~ ..... iXh,t~ t; [iXtr
nomu]
tabeta - tabetara jt«t::. ..... jt«t::. t; [jt«.Q
taberu]
@ kita - kitara *=t::. ..... *=t::. t; [*=.Q kuru]
shita - shitara L.,t::. ..... L.,t::. t; [T.Q suru] The -tara form is derived by adding ora - t; to the informal past tense (-ta) form .

• Formal examples

1B9=I : t*~L.,t::. ;J:-f-l:td: IJ iTi.J'o

fti.Hi : t 1? 7:> h" J: -f-l: td: IJ iT J: 0 Tanaka: Renshii shitara jozu ni narimasu ka.


Sato: Mochiron, jiizu ni narimasu yo. Tanaka: If I practice, will I get better? Sato: Of course you will.


~~ t. i: ; oj i < IJ. .Q J: 0 Renshii shitara umaku naru yo. If you practice, you'll get better.

Restrictions on -ba -----------Note that the -ba form cannot be followed by commands, requests, or suggestions. In those cases, use -tara instead .

• Incorrect

*1:IH:tT't 'its rl.~'f ~ Jl-:J -r *-rT ~ ~ '0 Kyoto ni ikeba omiyage 0 katte kite kudasai.

PJ.! B i® ;?1~iH'l'i, ::t;L- 7 Ii. ~ bO i: 11;?t P P "(:' t. J: oj 0 Ashita arne gafureba, gorufu wa yameta ho ga ii deshii .

• Correct

*mH:tT-:J t.::; ts.ij.~'f~ Jl-:J -r *-rT ~ ~ '0 Kyoto ni ittara omiyage 0 katte kite kudasai. If you go to Kyoto, buy a souvenir for me.

PJ.! B i® ;?t~* -:J i: ; , -::J}L- 7 Ii. ~ bO t: 11;?1 ~ ,~ '-Co L J: oj 0 Ashita ame ga futtara, gorufu wa yameta ho ga li desha. If it rains tomorrow, you should cancel the golf.

Expressing Requirements and Obligations '-U~~~9 ~ (, \:15

Formal

/-fflII/ + nakereba narimasen

/-~/ + lJ.,ttL,i.· IJ.lJi-t!"1v

EXPRESSING REQUIREMENTS AND OBLIGATIONS 167

/-~/ + "'Itnt! "'1S"'p rrl;>/~/"'Itn

Ii'" IS '" P /-~/ + "'Itnlj:' Plt"'P rrl;>/~/""tn liPlt"'P

ikahlmlnakereba narimasen rrl;>/~/"'Itn

Ii'" I') * -It Iv

1-'f/flR1 + nakereba ikemasen / -~/ + '" Itnli

PIt zI;-Itlv

ikahlmlnakeraba ikemasen rrl;>/~/ -+rr'"

It nli~ \ It * -It Iv

Informal

1-'fflR/ + nakereba naranai

ikahflEVnakereba naranai

1-'fflR/ + nakereba ikenai

ikahflEVnakereba ikenai

Colloquial Speech 1-'fflR/ + nakucha ikahflEVnakucha 1-'f/flR1 + nakerya ikahflEVnake rya

/-~/+"'<'5~ rrl;>/~/'" < '5 ~ /-~/ + "'It I') ~ rrl;>/~/"'It I') ~

To express "have to," "must," or "should," use the /snai/ stem followed by nakereba naranai '" It nli'" IS '" ~ \ (formal: nakereba narimasen '" Itnli'" I') * -It Iv) or nakereba ikenai '" It nlj:'p It '" p (formal: nakereba ikemasen '" It n I;!~ \ It * 1:t Iv). Here are the forms for suru T.Q :

shinai -+ shinakereba naranai G '" ~ \ -+ G '" Itnl;!

"'1S"'p

-+ G '" Itnli'" I) zI; -It Iv

-+ G '" Itn(ip It '" P

-+ G"'Itn(;!p(tzl;-It1v

-+ shinakereba narimasen

-+ shinakereba ikenai

-+ shinakereba ikemasen


It's also possible to replace -nakereba with -nakute wa:

shinakute wa naranai L- t.I: < -r Ii t.I: ; t.I: ~ \

In colloquial speech, the ending may become nakucha t.J: < t, ~ or nakerya t.I: It t:J ~.

Examples ---------------

15EE: IlJ.lBli8~O)m~~~u:*;t.I:'tn'£t.l:t:J i-ltlvo [*.Q noru]

~~: c ~_1t~li!f.< ~t.:jj~~pp"t"T;fJ.o

15EE: ;t;t, "t"'5_1tllj~.Jtq:_1tBO)~.O)m~~1f~>t.I:< -rlit.J:;t.l:PIv"t"T~o [1f< kakul

~~ : .:t n'i*~-r:'T;fJ.o

Ishida: Ashita wa hachiji no Shinkansen ni noranakereba narimasen.

Watanabe: Ja komban wa hayaku neta ho ga ii desu ne. Ishida: E, demo komban-jii ni kyo no kaigi no hiikoku 0

kakanakute wa naranai n' desu yo.

Watanabe: Sore wa taihen desu ne.

Ishida: I have to take the Shinkansen tomorrow at eight. Watanabe: Then you should get to bed early tonight. Ishida: I know, but sometime tonight I have to write up a

report on today's meeting.

Watanabe: That's really tough.

'5 oj fL~t=o T<,'rr~>t.I: < t, ~o [fT < iku] Mo kuji da. Sugu ikanakucha.

It's already nine. We have to get going.

Describing a Past Experience *!~ ~ ~9~ I, \ 15

-ta + koto ga aru alta koto ga aru

- i: + :. c ~~ .t.> .Q ~ -:J i: :. c ~~ .t.> .Q

To say that one has done something in the past, use the informal past tense (-ta) form followed by koto ga aru :. c: ~~.t.>.Q (formal: koto ga arimasu :. c: ~~.t.> t:J iT).

DESCRIBING A HABITUAL ACTION 169

Examples ---------------

~lfj: ~ 1 ",rr_?t.:;: t;6~.t> IJ *_t;6'0 [rr< iku]

!A 1* : * t.= rr _? t.: z t ;6~ tJ: p Iv 1."_t ~ 0 - J.trr _? -r ji i: p Iv't"_t It ~:tJ.o

Hirose: Tai e itta koto ga arimasu ka.

Kubo: Mada itta koto ga nai n' desu yo. Ichido itte mitai

n' desu kedo ne.

Hirose: Have you ever been to Thailand? Kubo: Not yet, but I'd like to go sometime.

£ ft : 1 / F fl II ~ it "" t: ;: t ;6~ .t> IJ * _t;6' 0 [ it "" .Q

taberu] ~.:-J.t~~it""*Gko*~_?k1."_t~o

Ishii: Indo ryori 0 tabeta koto ga arimasu ka. Yamazaki: lchido dake tabemashita. Karakatta desu yo. Ishii: Have you ever eaten Indian food?

Yamazaki: Just once. It was really spicy.

Describing a Habitual Action ~'!; ~ ~9 ~ ~ \ 15

(1) plain form + koto mo aru miru koto mo aru

Jmffj+;:tt.t>.Q ji.Q;:tt.t>.Q

(2) plain form + koto ni shite iru Jmffj + ;: t ,: G -r ~ ~.Q

yomu koto ni shite iru (3) ... -tari ... -tari suru tabetari nondari suru

~u;:t':G-rP.Q --t.: IJ --t.: IJ _t.Q it "" i: IJ M;, Iv t:. IJ _t .Q

Here are the three ways to describe a habitual or repeated action.

(1) Koto mo aru ;:: c t iV> ~ -------To say that you do something occasionally, use the plain form followed by koto mo aru ;: t t .t>.Q (formal: koto mo arimasu z t t .t> IJ * _t).


• Formal examples

~4~;:'&ia-it«f':~U"'tr< z c til? IJ *i"o Tokidoki asagohan 0 tabezu ni kaisha e iku koto mo arimasu.

Sometimes I go to work without eating breakfast.


Bilfi B ,;;I:. .or .::. .A a- -9 .Q ;: c t il? .Q 0 Nichiyobi wa tenisu 0 suru koto mo aru. I occasionally play tennis on Sundays.

(2) Koto ni shite iru .:. C (:. L -c (, \ {, -----To say that you consciously make a habit of doing something, use the plain form followed by koto ni shite iru ;: c ,:

L- -c ~ \.Q (formal: koto ni shite imasu ;: c I: L- -c ~ \ * -9). This can often be translated as "make a point of doing":

hashiru koto ni shite iru ;1E.Q;: c ,: L--CP.Q

to make a point of running

• Formal example

:iil~~*1:-~P-Ctr< ;:c,:L--CP*i"o Mai-asa eki made aruite iku koto ni shite imasu.

I make a point of walking to the station every morning.

• Informal example

1iAI'l9"'.f-~I;;I:., ~ -1 71:-1;;1:.'" < .f-1:-_ < z c I: L- -CP.Q 0 Kojin-teki na tegami wa, taipu de wa naku te de kaku koto ni shite iru.

I make a point of writing personal letters by hand, not typing them.

(3) •.• -Tari ... -tari suru "'- t: L) "'- t::. L) "9 {, - To say that there are several things you do habitually, add -ri -I) to the informal past tense (-ta) forms of the verbs, with the last verb followed by suru i".Q (formal: shimasu L- * i"):

tabeta, nonda it«t.:, ~/vt:'

EXPRESSING ABILITY 171

tabetari nondari suru 1ltr;;: i: I) fA Iv t::'1) T .Q

to eat, drink, etc .

• Example

LlJ*: f*~0)8(:{;~:, EIvtJ:;:cttJ:~"?-cP.QIvL" i'h'o

~Jl: -f'51."T;Q, Tv~t.w.t~l)*tMtlvt::'1) t..,-cp

* T;Qo

Yamamoto: Yasumi no hi ni wa, donna koto 0 nasatte iru n'

desu ka.

Kacho: So desu ne, terebi 0 mitari hon 0 yondari shite imasu ne.

Yamamoto: What sorts of things do you do on your days off?

Section chief: Well, I watch TV, read books-things like that.

Expressing Ability i5Jtmto:~!l

There are two main strategies for saying that one is able to do something, the pattern koto ga dekiru ;: c h~ 1." ~.Q and the potential form.

Koto ga dekiru ~ C: tJ<\! ~ {, --------

plain form + koto ga dekiru iku koto ga dekiru

to be able to go

IJ1-ffj + ;: c h~ 1." s .Q tr < z c h~ L" ~ .Q

The plain form of the verb is followed by koto ga dekiru ;: c h~1." ~ .Q (formal: koto ga dekimasu ;: c hlL" ~ * T):

• Formal example

1!UiSL"T*9i'.Q ;: c hlL" ~ * Th'o

Denwa de yoyaku suru koto ga dekimasu ka. Can you make reservations by telephone?


• Informal example

'i~U~ \."7*".1 T.Q .: .!:: ill 1:' ~ .Q 0

Denwa de yoyaku suru koto ga dekiru. You can make reservations by telephone.

Note that in reference to sports and language the form

noun ga dekiru is often used. For example,

~gill\."~ i Til'o

Eigo ga dekimasu ka.

Can you (do you) speak English?

Potential Form -------------

<D I-w + eru

ikN + eru - ikeru @1-JIliV + rareru tabell'Rlrareru

@ kuru - korareru suru - dekiru

rr < --+rr ,t .Q

/-:v:/ + ;n.Q tt~/:v:/;n.Q *.Q--+*;n.Q T.Q --+ 1:' ~ .Q

Another way to express ability is with the verb's potential form, which is derived as follows:

<D Drop the final -u of the plain form and add -eru:

iku - ikeru rr < --+ rr't.Q

tatsu - tateru 1L-:> --+ 1L-r .Q

Note that final -tsu becomes -te.

@ Drop the final -ru -.Q of the plain form and add -rareru -;;tt.Q:

taberu --+ taberareru

@ kuru --+ korareru suru --+ dekiru

tt~.Q --+ tt~;;tt.Q *.Q --+ *;;tt.Q T.Q --+ 1:' ~ .Q

• Example

~~*: Pf:lS'i!f-<*;niTil'o [*.Q kuru] fflH~ : !f- < * ; n.Q ,t C:, W il' J? .Q 0) ? Suzuki: Ashita wa hayaku koraremasu ka.

EXPRESSING ABILITY 173

Buchii: Hayaku korareru kedo, nani ka aru no? Suzuki: Can you come early tomorrow? Division chief: Yes, I can. What's up?

• Note 1: The Changing Potential Form

Recently many people omit the ra &;, from the potential suffix for Group 1 verbs and the irregular verb kuru *.Q , producing:

tabereru it«n.Q (instead of taberareru it«; n.Q) koreru *n.Q (insteadofkorareru *;n.Q)

Although this shorter form is frowned upon by some grammarians, it has become common in speech, especially among young people, and is even seen in informal writing such as advertising copy. The following are some typical examples from casual conversations:

ffl-1-: ;:O)~iOO~t~PA_,f':ltC:. t -j}!iphtlo ;xrul: *1::.1<:. 4":b';-r:'t~n.QJ::o [~.Q miru] Tomoko: Kono eiga mitai n' da kedo, mii osoi wa ne. Jirii: Daijobu, ima kara de mo mireru yo.

Tomoko: I want to see this movie, but it's already too late. Jiro: It's okay. There is still time to see it.

ffi* : -tn. ~-r:'it«n.Qo)? [it«.Q taberu] ~i!1 : it«n.Q J:: 0

Matsumoto: Sore, nama de tabereru no? Ochi: Tabereru yo.

Matsumoto: Can you eat that raw? Ochi: Sure you can .

• Note 2: The Praising Potential

In colloquial speech, some potential verbs such as ikeru ~ ) It .Q and hanaseru g~-tt.Q may indicate that something is good or worthwhile.

;:O)~. "':b'''':b'Plt.Qt:~'''Po [P< iku] Kono sake, nakanaka ikeruja nai.

This sake is pretty good, huh?

4"~O)ijllH~. ~~-tt.Q 0) J:: 0 [g~T hanasu] Kondo no kachii, hanaseru no yo.


The new section chief is someone you can talk to. EEl'j:lcp;HJTAIj:~~-'t?t:t1o [~? tsukaul Tanaka to iu shinjin wa tsukaesii da ne.

It looks like that new employee Tanaka will work out well.

-'t O);f, - }l--"'C.I, .It * +e-, [. < kakul

Sono borupen, kakemasu ka.

Does that ballpoint pen write well?

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs ffu iIJ ~iiJ C: 13 iIJ ~iiJ

Many Japanese verbs can be grouped into transitive/intransitive pairs. Most verbs ending in -su are transitive, but otherwise there are no hard-and-fast rules for forming transitive verbs from intransitive verbs or vice versa. The following table shows several common patterns.

Pattern Intransitive Transitive
-u - -eru aku rm < to open, akeru rm (t 0 to open
to be opened
tsuku -::> < to be stuck to tsukeru -::>(t 0 to stick to
muku I<u < to tum mukeru I<u(t 0 to turn
toward toward
-u - -asu ugoku fJJ < to move ugokasu fJJil'T to move
tobu 1R~ to fly tobasu 1R1!T to set
flying
naku ill < to cry nakasu illn'T to make
(someone) cry
-u - -wasu au fl- 'j to match awasu fl-tJ"t to match
mau • 'j to dance mawasu .bT to
cause to dance
-iru - -osu okiru ~ ~ 0 to get up okosu ~:: T to rouse
ochiru 1i"5 0 to fall otosu 1i C: T to drop
oriru ~* IJ 0 to orosu ~* 6 T to lower
get down TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS 175

Pattern Intransitive Transitive

-eru -+ -asu akeru t1)Ht.Q to akasu t1_ij;6'T to reveal

become light

nigeru ~(f.Q to flee nigasu ~;6IT to let go

-eru -+ -yasu hieru 11r;it.Q to become cool fueru .ttf;it.Q to increase

moeru ;It!.\;it.Q to bum

-reru -+ -rasu areru JfEtL.Q to be devastated okureru i!ltL.Q to be late

hiyasu I1r~T to make cool

fuyasu !\l~T to increase

moyasu :!t&~T to set fire to

arasu JfE; T to devastate

okurasu J'! ; T to delay

-aru -+ -eru agaru 1:;6I.Q to rise ageru 1:(f.Q to raise
atsumaru ~ i .Q atsumeru ~~.Q to
to collect collect
sagaru T;6I.Q to drop sageru T(f.Q to lower
-waru -+ -eru kawaru ~b.Q kaeru ~;it.Q to change
to change
suwaru !l!ib.Q to sueru m;it.Q to set
be set down down
tsutawaru fib.Q tsutaeru fi;it.Q to
to be conveyed convey
-eru -+ -u oreru :t1ftL.Q to oru tfi.Q to break
be broken
ureru 3'CtL.Q to be sold uru 3'C.Q to sell
nugeru 1M. If .Q to nugu 1M. <' to take off
come off Using Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Sentences ffuifJ~ C 131h~(J)m$; ----------

The basic structure of a sentence with an intransitive verb is:

subject + ga + verb


Transitive verbs (with the subject often omitted) take direct objects. The basic sentence pattern is:

(subject +) direct object + 0 + verb

The subjects of intransitive verbs are often inanimate objects, while the subjects of transitive verbs are almost always people, organizations, animals, or other animate objects.

These patterns are summarized in the following table:

Intransitive Transitive
Particle ga iJ~ o~
Direct object No Yes
Subject Often things Usually people or groups
Verb suffix Almost all verbs ending
in -su -T are transi-
tive.
Basic sentence Subject + ga Subject + direct object +
pattern + verb 0+ verb In the following examples, the pronoun watashi fb is assumed to be the subject of the sentence when no subject is stated in Japanese. In context, of course, the actual subject may be different.

Intransitive Transitive
To gaaku. To 0 akeru.
p;6I00<o p i-OO,t.Q 0
The door opens. I open the door.
To ga shimaru. To 0 shimeru.
p;6IM* .Qo pi-M~.Qo
The door closes. I shut the door.
Kaze ga hairu. Kiiki 0 ireru.
}lI.;6IA.Q 0 ~1!ti-An.Qo
The wind gets in. I let the air in. TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS 177

Intransitive Mizu ga deru. 7J<;6Ilf'tQo

Water comes out (of the

faucet).

(Watashi ga) densha ni noru. (fk;6l) 1I*'=*Q 0

I get on the train.

Ie ga tatsu.

*;6I~-:)o

The houses are built.

Mizu ga nagareru. 7J<;6lminQo

The water flows.

Mise ga narabu. r.s ;6IMlSo

The stores are in a row.

Denki ga tsuku. 'lt~;6I-:) < 0

The (electric) light turns on.

Akari ga kieru.

1IJ11) ;61~i!f ~ Q 0

The light goes out.

(Watashi ga) asa okiru. (fb;6l) $Jl;tg~ Qo

I get up in the morning.

Gakkii ga hajimaru. ~~;6I!1ii1Qo

School begins.

Eiga ga owaru. ~i!!jj;6l~ Q 0

The film ends.

Kuruma ga tomaru. *;6llt1 e.

The car stops.

Transitive Mizu 0 dasu. 7J<t-lf'tTo

I let the water out (of the

faucet).

Nimotsu 0 noseru. .f,1j!to/j t- O)-It Q 0

I put luggage (onto the train).

Ie 0 tateru.

*t-~-rQo

I build houses.

Mizu 0 nagasu. 7J<t-miTo

I drain the water.

Sara 0 naraberu. Jill t- Ml« Q 0

I line up the plates.

Denki 0 tsukeru. 11~ t- -:) It Q 0

I turn on the (electric) light.

Akari 0 kesu.

1IJ11) t-mTo

I put out the light.

Kodomo 0 okosu. -=f #Ii t- ;tg z To

I wake up the children.

Shigoto 0 hajimeru. f±$t-!liibt)Qo

I begin work.

Shukudai 0 oeru. mmt-~~Qo

I finish the homework.

Kuruma 0 tomeru. *t-ltbt)Qo

I stop the car.


Intransitive Keshiki ga utsuru. :Jil:@.;6~:!3=.Q 0

The scenery appears

(in the photo).

Hi ga moeru. 1<;6 ~~t!.\;it .Q 0 The fire burns.

Transitive Ji 0 utsusu. *~:!3=To

I copy the characters.

Kami 0 moyasu. ~~~~To

I burn the paper.

Kaze de to ga akimashita.

Some further examples with longer sentences.

J!I.-r:'p;6~OO~ * L..t::o [00 < aku]

The door blew open because of the wind.

Ano heya no denki ga tsukimashita.

it> (1)$~(1)1I3!t;61"? s * 1..,. t: 0

r> < tsuku]

The lights turned on in that room.

Ie no mae de kuruma ga tomatta. ~WJlij-r:·.;6llt *"? t.:o [It*.Q tomaru]

A car stopped in front of the house.

Asoko ni atarashii mise ga narande iru.

it> -t- z l:*fi 1..,. ~ ,ItS ;6~~~ -c"~ '.Q 0

[~~ narabu] There's a row of new shops there.

Atsui kara to 0 akete kudasai.

~~ ';6\Gp~OOlt-rTi! ~ '0 [OOlt.Q akeru]

It's hot, 150 please open the door.

Yamada-san ga kiirii 0 tsukemashita.

IltEH i! ~;617 - '7 - ~"?lt * 1..,. tz ;

["?It.Q tsukeru]

Mr. Yamada turned on the air conditioner.

Sono kado de kuruma 0 tomete kudasai. -t-(1)jfj-r:·.~lt~-rTi! ~ '0 [lt~.Q tomeru]

Please stop the car at that corner.

Teburu no ue ni, naifu to fiiku 0 narabeta. 7'"-7)L-(1)..iI:, 717 C 7 :t -7 ~~«t.:o [~«.Q naraberu]

I arranged the knives and forks on the table.

Intransitive

Mado kara kaze ga haitte kuru.

i£(;lp GJ.t;6IA -:> -r < ~ 0

[A~ hairu]

Wind blows in through the window.

STATES OF BEING 179

Transitive

Kono koppu ni jiisu 0 iremasho.

:: 0)::1 'J -;'(::; ;1. - A ~ An

* L., J:: oj 0

[An~ ireru]

Let's put some juice into these glasses.

States of Being ~~~~9 ~ (,\15

Intransitive Verb gU!IJ~Pj

-te + iru - -r + l , .Q

tsuite iru -? l '-r l '.Q [-? < tsuku]

Transitive Verb ft!!d!IJ~Pj

-te + aru - -r + if.>.Q

tsukete aru -? It -r if.>.Q [-? It.Q tsukeru]

The -te form can be used to describe an action whose results continue into the present. It is followed by iru l'.Q (formal: imasu l' i T) if the verb is intransitive and shows nothing more than a continuous state of being, and by aru if.> .Q (formal: arimasu if.> IJ i -9) if the verb is transitive and shows purposeful action that has led to the present state of being.

Intransitive Verb Examples --------EHrp: wEH~IvO)(§f5~O)m~, -:Jp-rPi-9tl.o [-?< tsuku]

ftiff: ~tif.>P-rpiT1.I';, ~lIStlj:*,:p.QIv-r:'L.,J: oj 0 [1m < aku]

Tanaka: Yamada-san no heya no denki, tsuite imasu ne. Satii: Mado mo aite imasu kara, komban wa ie ni iru n' deshii.

Tanaka: The lights are on in Mr. Yamada's room.


Sat6: The window is open, too. He must be at home this

evening.

r,O)wH=.t.lIJti-:J-cpiTo [Jti.Q tomaru] Mon no mae ni kuruma ga tomatte imasu.

A car is parked in front of the gate.

Transitive Verb Examples --------t~T~~~~~*iT~; •• ~O)~-~-t ••• t "? It -c if.> t) iTo 7" - 7' }I.- 0) ..ll = li;( 7' - './ t:. 7 :t - ~ t:. lIIlt.l!~r;;:-c if.> t) iTo ["? It.Q tsukeru, ~r;;:.Q naraberu]

Mo sugu okyaku-sama ga kimasu kara, heya no kiirii mo, denki mo tsukete arimasu. Teburu no ue ni wa supiin to joku to sara ga narabete arimasu.

Since guests will be coming soon, the air conditioner and the lights in the room have been switched on. And spoons, forks, and plates have been arranged on the table.

~Pt.l';~t.I!mHt-c if.> t) iTo

Atsui kara mado ga akete arimasu.

The window is open (has been left open) since it's so hot.

The Passive Voice :i:(t~O)~~

CD I-Ri!ft/ + re ru ikallfmlreru

@ I-Ri!ft/ + rareru millflRlrareru @ kuru - korareru suru - sareru

/-~/+n.Q trt.l'/~/n.Q /-~/ + ;n.Q r!/~/;n.Q *.Q -+ *;n.Q T.Q-+~n.Q

The passive is formed as follows:

CD Add -reru - n.Q to the I-nail stem:

ikallfmlreru trt.l'/~/n.Q [tr < iku]

@ Add -rareru - G n.Q to the I-nail stem:

tabehfmlrareru -kr;;:/~/ G n.Q [-kr;;:.Q taberu]

THE PASSIVE VOICE 181

@ kuru - korareru *.Q -+ * ; :h..Q

suru - sareru -t.Q -+ c'::h..Q

Passive forms are conjugated as Group 2 verbs. For example, the -masu form of ikareru fTn'n.Q is ikaremasu fT n':h.i-t.

Sentence Structure -----------There are two types of passive sentences, direct and indirect. The direct type is very similar to the English passive, but the indirect passive has no direct English correlate .

• Direct Passive

Subject wa agent ni transitive verb in passive form

The basic structure of the direct passive is shown in the box above. (The "agent" is the one that carries out the action of the verb. In the English sentence "The man was bitten by the dog," the agent is "the dog.")

• Examples

fl.,;:tU*':ft~;:h.i L.t~o [ft~.Q homeru] Watashi wa shachii ni homeraremashita.

I was praised by the company president.

z C')*';:t=tr~ 'k'j1': ~ < Mfi:h. --O'.Q 0 [Mfu yomu] Kana hon wa wakai josei ni yoku yomarete iru.

This book is read a lot by young women.

The direct passive is often used in expressions meaning

"it is thought" or "it is said." The particle to ~ is used:

!Iit~nli@ ~ "t oj t:3. ~ i3 bn --0 '.Q 0

Sensii ga okisii da to iwarete iru.

It is said that war is likely to break out.

• Indirect Passive

The indirect passive conveys the notion that the subject of the sentence has suffered as a result of the action described by the verb. This use of the passive is very common in Japanese.


If the verb is transitive, the basic sentence structure is:

Subject wa agent ni direct object 0 transitive verb in passive form

In English, passive verbs cannot take direct objects. In Japanese they can, as shown by the following examples.

mES: (fk!i) aVl.lt:: •• O)qt-r·M1P'd:-~in-rf..,i-?-C [~U nusumu]

IfliJLlI : -t" n!i*~t:: -? t.::;tJ.o.'5R~!: 13 -? t: ?

Fukuda: (Watashi waY konda densha no naka de saifu 0

nusumarete shimatte.

Okayama: Sore wa taihen datta ne. Ekiin ni itta?

Fukuda: I had my wallet stolen on a crowded train. Okayama: That must have been terrible. Did you tell a

station attendant?

(fkli) *1:.f-'d:-ipint.::o [ipu kamu] (Watashi way inu ni te 0 kamareta.

My hand was bitten by a dog.

(iit3l1i) -1-f~1:~n'd:-~ ~ nt.::o [~T kowasul (Tomodachi waY kodomo ni tokei 0 kowasareta.

A friend of mine had her watch broken by her child.

When the verb is intransitive, the basic sentence pattern

for the indirect passive is:

Subject + wa + agent + ni + intransitive verb in passive form

In English, intransitive verbs such as "to fall" or "to die" cannot be used in the passive. In Japanese they can:

~ : BPi B 0) ::tJr.... 7 E oj t:: -? i: ?

~~~: -li"-?n'<fi-?t.::O)!:, ml:~*t:Jn1S~-?t.::~o [~*

.Q fttru]

Inui: Nichiyiibi no gorufu do datta?

Shimazaki: Sekkaku itta no ni, ame ni furarechatta yo. Inui: How was golf on Sunday?

THE CAUSATIVE 183

Shimazaki: We made a special effort to go, but we got rained on.

In the above example,Jurarechatta Il* &::1:h '5 ~ -:J i: is a con-

traction of Jura rete shimatta Il* &::1:h -r L i -:J t::. (see page 94).

&>O)-=f'ijjlij~I:JEtd::h -r , -AI: td: -:J iz; [JE!il shinu] Ano ko wa rydshin ni shinarete, hitori ni natta.

That child had his parents die on him, and now he's all alone.

The Causative ft~~(1.)~~

® I-JIfm/ + seru ikahfmlseru

@ I-JIfm/ + saseru mihEmlsaseru @ kuru - kosaseru

suru - saseru

/-**=/+-tt.Q fi"n'/**=/ -tt.Q /-**=/ + ~-tt.Q ~/**=/~-tt.Q

*.Q *~-tt.Q

"t.Q ~-tt.Q

The causative expresses the idea of making or causing somebody to do something. This form is derived as follows:

® Add -seru --tt.Q to the I-nail stem:

noma(RI)seru iXi(**=)-tt.Q [iXtJ' nomu]

@ Add -saseru - ~ -tt.Q to the I-nail stem:

tabe(RI)saseru k"'(**=)~-tt.Q [k"'.Q taberu]

@ kuru - kosaseru *.Q * ~ -tt .Q

suru - saseru "t.Q ~ -tt.Q

Causative forms are conjugated as Group 2 verbs, so the -masu form of nomaseru iX i -tt.Q is nomasemasu iX i -tt i "t.

The following is a basic sentence pattern for causative verbs:

Subject wa/ga causee o/ni verb in causative form


FonnaIExample-------------------------

BJ:~!JW:.-=f#f:~~;61_tt* Gt.:o [~< aruku] Hahaoya wa kodomo 0 arukasemashita. The mother made the child walk.

Informal Examples -----------------------

)(:;61:5(3 ~~~A,.rr;61-ttt.:o [rr < iku] Chichi ga ototo 0 gakkii e ikaseta.

My father had my younger brother go to school.

JC.';:I:!!*~ill.;61-ttt.:o [ill. < naku]

Ani wa imoto 0 nakaseta.

My older brother made my little sister cry.

7t:1:.';:I:-t-O)~1:.':r.fX:b-ttt.:o [r.fX-5 utau] Sensei wa sono gakusei ni utawaseta.

The teacher had that student sing.

With direct objects, the basic causative sentence pattern is:

Subject wa/ga causee olni direct object 0 verb in causative form

Examples ------------------------------

7t:1:.,;:I:~1:.':t'F:x~1f;61-ttt.:o [If < kakul Sensei wa gakusei ni sakubun 0 kakaseta.

The teacher had the students write compositions.

BJ:~,;:I:*,t> ~ Iv ,: s )L.-:7 ~iX * _ttt.:o [iXtr nomu] Hahaoya wa aka chan ni miruku 0 nomaseta.

The mother fed milk to her baby.

*i;I~';:I:MIf':-f.;%l£HI1 ~ _ttt.:o [liT dasu]

Shachii wa hisho ni tegami 0 dasaseta.

The president had his secretary send the letter.

)(:,;:I:-=ff:tt~~~':rr;61-ttt.:o [rr< iku]

Chichi wa kodomo 0 kaimono ni ikaseta.

The father sent his child shopping.

THE CAUSATIVE-PASSIVE 185

The Causative-Passive {i~~:!1tO)~Iji ( A I:: ffl iJ' ~ it ;:, ;f1, t=. C ~ 0) ~ l, , 15 )

Causative verbs can be made into passive verbs, thus forming what are called causative-passive verbs. The passive suffix -rareru - &:, tL~ is added to the causative verb's I-nail stem.

Causative/-~+ rareru ~f~ /-~/ + &:,tL~

CD nomase(_)rareru W\ i -t!(~) &:, tL s

[W\u nomu]

@ tabesase(_)rareru 1it~ ~ -t!(~) &:, tL~

[1it~~ taberu]

@kosase(_)rareru *= ~ -t!(~) &:, tL~

[*=~ kuru]

sase(_)rareru ~-t!(~)&:,tL~ [T~ suru]

Some Group 1 verbs have special causative-passive forms in addition to their regular one:

ikaserareru - ikasareru fi"~.-t! &:, tL~ --+ fi"~' ~ tL~

[fi"< iku]

mataserareru -+ matasareru f~t~-t! &:, tL~ -+ f~t~ ~ tL~ [f~-:J matsu]

Though sometimes difficult to render into English, the meaning of the causative-passive is roughly "to be forced to have something done to one" or "to have to do something although one would prefer not to."

Examples ----------------

1Z]l':-p~rElH)f~t~ ~tL~ t_,t~ U~t~-t!&:,tL~ t_,t~)o [f~-:J matsu]

Tomodachi ni ichijikan mo matasaremashita (mataseraremashita).

I was made to wait a full hour by my friend.

m* : ~M~.~\~\ ~t.lo


~: ~(7)ojC7)~, iilI!~I:~~§Xi ~tL,,(~Bli~-1-nl!!! ~ \ It- t:. 0 [§XU nomu]

Shimizu: Kaoiro ga warui ne.

Izumi: Kino no ban, kachii ni sake 0 nomasarete kyo wa chiishi ga warui n' da.

Shimizu: You're looking pretty bad.

Izumi: Last night I was made to drink sake by the section chief. Today I'm in bad shape.

~* : IIJj B li*S!&ti\ lj: It- t:. -:J "( 0

~;f:f: ~ojlj:lt-t:'J:o ~R~~3!U"'~1t;tL.QIt-'"(", P~ t:'tlo [3!U"'.Q noberu]

Kume: Ashita wa kekkon-shiki nan datte.

Matsumura: So nan da yo. Shukuji 0 nobesaserareru n' de, iya da ne.

Kume: I hear that you're going to a wedding tomorrow. Matsumura: That's right. I'm being forced to give a

speech. What a pain.

~ (7) oj li~ttl: 9 p~ i '"("P ~ 1t; tLt.:o [p.Q iru] Kino wa kaisha ni kuji made isaserareta.

Yesterday I was forced to be in the office until nine o'clock.

-ffJ:I:fI!f!.< I;>;, tm~~ ~1t;tLt.:o [T.Q suru]

Haha ni asa hayaku kara, siiji 0 saserareta.

I was forced by my mother to clean house beginning early

in the morning.

*±~I:!Ri -c'ill!~ 1:* ~ 1t; tLt.:o [*.Q kuru] Shachii ni eki made mukae ni kosaserareta.

I was ordered by the company president to come meet him at the station.

Giving Advice and Making Suggestions ,~~~m.~~~9~(,\h

(1) -te + wa ikaga deshii ka -"( + li~ \iI'nl,"("t.... J: oj ii'

mite wa ikaga desho ka ~ "( Ii ~ \ n' nl-c' L J: oj n'

GIVING ADVICE AND MAKING SUGGESTIONS 187

-te + wa ikaga desu ka mite wa ikaga desu ka -te + wa do desha ka mite wa do desha ka -te + wa do desu ka mite wa do desu ka (2) -ta + hii ga ii desu

mita ho ga ii desu

-ta + ho ga ii

mita ho ga ii

- -c + Ii ~ );6>;6~ -r:-,..;6> yt -c li~ );6>;6~-r:-"';6>

- -c + Ii c: oj -r L., J: oj ;6> yt -c Ii c: oj -r:- L., J: oj ;6> - -c + Ii c: oj -r"';6>

yt -c Ii c: oj -r:-"';6> -t:.· + If. oj ;6~PP-r'" yt t:.lf. oj ;6~~ ) ~ )-r:-,.. - i: + If. oj ;6~ ~ ) ~ ) ytt:.lf. oj ;6~~)~)

(l)lkaga (,\fJ\fJ< and do C?-------One way to say make a polite suggestion is with the -te form followed by wa Ii, which in turn is followed by either ikaga ~ );6>;6~ or do c: oj "how" and then either desho ka -c- L., J: oj ;6> or desu ka -r"';6>. Here are the four possible patterns in descending order of politeness:

-te wa ikaga desha ka - -c Ii ~ );6>;6~ -c- L., J: oj ;6>

-te wa ikaga desu ka - -c Ii ~ );6>;6~ -r:-,..;6>

-te wa do desha ka - -c Ii c: oj -c- L., J: oj ;6>

-te wa do desu ka - -c Ii c: oj -r"';6>

In essence, they all mean, "How about doing ... ?"

• Examples

~* : z 0).f.~3~Bl-r:-*"? -c < ;tvd:P;6>o

1ft lI!f : 7 7 ") -'7 :7.. ~ *"? -c Ii P;6>;6~ -r L., J: oj ;6> 0 [* ~

okuru]

Kachii: Kono tegami sokutatsu de okutte kurenai ka. Nakano: Fakkusu 0 okutte wa ikaga desha ka.

Section chief: Could you send this letter by express mail for me?

Nakano: How about sending a fax?

"'<--PIS L.,-Clip;6>;6~-r"';6>o [PIS"? L.,~~ irassharu, polite form of fj < iku]


Sugu irashite wa ikaga desu ka. Would you care to go soon?

itdt:a:- ji "? -r 1;:1: c' -j "(:'T;61 0 [ji -j kau] Are 0 katte wa do desu ka.

How about buying that one?

(2) Hii ga ii Ii? iJ<~' ~, ---------To make suggestions more directly, use the informal past tense (-fa) form followed by ho ga ii desu If. -j ;6t ~ ,~ '"(:'T (formal) or ho ga ii If. -j ;6t ~ ,~ , (informal) .

... shita hii ga ii You should ...

• Example

Ie.f' : J!I,$;61 L- G, ~j;6!ffli~ W)O

~f': -rntd:G.!f!.<f*A,f'=If.-j;6tppbo [f*Uyasumu] Keiko: Kaze kashira, atama ga itai no.

Nobuko: Sore nara hayaku yasunda ho ga ii wa. Keiko: I wonder if I have a cold. My head hurts. Nobuko: In that case, you should rest right away.

Expressing Time Relationships 1f.j~~9~(, '15

Japanese has many ways to describe how one action precedes or follows another in time. The following sections explain "before," "after," "about to do," continuing and completed actions, and doing something in advance.

Before --:>(])itJfF(])il1Jr::.{ilJiJ':a-"9 {, ~ ~'h----

plain form + mae ni iku mae ni before going

JJjOf~ + WI I: 19 < WII:

Use the plain form of the verb followed by mae ni WI I:: ~19~ (:* Q WI (:, {.1jf?lJ~'f*1C ~ ~ L- td: 'tn,;ftd: G td: t '0

EXPRESSING TIME RELATIONSHIPS 189

Hikoki ni noru mae ni, nimotsu no tetsuzuki 0 shinakereba naranai.

Before boarding the airplane, you must go through the

baggage procedures.

4il1l$t;fi.'Q Ofn: * a- en tJ> 0

Maiban neru mae ni hon 0 yomu.

I read books every night before going to sleep.

(1) -te + kara -"( + 7Jl;
itte kara fT -::> "( 7Jl;
(2) -ta + ato (de) - i: + f~r-(:')
itta ato (de) fT -::> t::..t> .:: ('-(:' )
(3) -ta + totan + i': + .:: t::.A-
itta totan fT-::>t::.':: t::.A- .(1) -Te kara -"('/J';

One way to say that one action follows another is to use the -te form followed by kara 7J1;. It usually indicates that one action follows closely on another.

tabete kara after eating

• Examples

it_a- l,.,""(7Jl;lf'.7J1lt.t oj 0 [T.'Q suru] Shokuji 0 shite kara dekakeyii.

Let's leave after we have a meal.

* A..1ill-::> ""( 7Jl ; 19>-::> < I) 7" t- t:: a- jE i: 0 [1ill.'Q kaeru] Ie e kaette kara yukkuri terebi 0 mita.

After returning home, I relaxed and watched some television .

• (2) -Ta ato (de) - t: ~& ('t::')

Another pattern for "after" is the informal past tense (-ta)


form followed by ato fft or ato de fft-c'. In this case, the one action does not necessarily follow closely upon the other.

tabeta ato after eating

• Examples

fk~n~ ill n' It t.:;fft"f, fr ~ Iv n~jfU.: &; L, Po [ill n' It .Q dekakeru]

Watashi-tachi ga dekaketa ato de, Tani-san ga kita rashii. It seems that Mr. Tani came by after we had left home.

it.a- L,t.:fft, ~@ja-~t.:o [T.Q suru] Shokuji 0 shita ato, eiga 0 mita.

After I ate, I saw a movie .

• (3) -Ta totan - t:. c. t:.1v

This expression means "immediately after" and is often used with sudden, unexpected actions. It consists of the -ta form followed by totan c!:: t.:lv.

1Rrrtj\U!ilf~ L,t.: c!:: t.:lv, 1<HxPt.:o [T.Q suru] Hikiiki ga chakuriku shita totan, hi 0 fuita.

The instant the airplane touched ground, it caught on fire.

*7")t.-I:ilfPt.:c!::t.:lv, fflM!~t)illL,t.:o [ilf< tsuku] Hoteru ni tsuita totan, ame ga furidashita.

As soon as we reached the hotel, it started raining.

About to Do Something itJf'FiJ(f.j-~P*"~ ~MO)

~~\h---------------------------------

(1) (j) l-lI! + 0 + to suru ikll!llo to suru @/~ + yo + to suru mihtfllyo to suru

@ kuru - koyo to suru suru - shiyo to suru (2) plain form + tokoro

rr::-jc!::T.Q /-=i=/+.t?+c!::T.Q

~/=i=/.t?C!::T.Q *.Q -+ *.t? c!::T.Q T.Q -+ L,.t? c!::T.Q IJ.lO~ + c!:::: 6

yomu tokoro (3) plain form + bakari taberu bakari


MfU~':0 Jm1fj + li;l;p IJ it«.Q li;l;p IJ

There are several strategies for saying that one is about to do something .

• (1) to suru ~ 9'.Q

The informal volitional form is followed by to suru ~ -t .Q . This pattern often describes an action that is halted just before it can begin.

iko to suru

to be about to go

tabeyii to suru

to be about to eat

• Examples

ioJ.lgl:A0? ~-t.Q~, lIg~1Jto.~-::d:o [A.Q hairo] Osfuro ni hairs to suru to, denwa ga natta.

Just when I was about to get in the bath, the phone rang.

p;t3l-f.1;i7'-)).,':7Rtf~t? ~ L-"LP;t-to [7Rtf~u

tobikomu]

Ima senshu wa piiru ni tobikomii to shite imasu. The swimmers are just about to dive into the pool.

7" i- t::~ J!~? ~ L-t.:';, W.':ld:"'? t.:o [J!.Q miru] Terebi 0 miyo to shitara, teiden ni natta.

We were about to watch television when the electricity went out.

.(2)tokoro C.:~

This pattern expresses the sense of being on the verge of doing something. The plain form of the verb is followed by tokoro da ~.: 0 t:. (informal) or tokoro desu ~.: 01"T (formal). It differs from the to suru pattern in that the former shows intention while this pattern doesn't.


kuru tokoro da

to be about to come

• Examples

)tl;l:.~ \ * /:tliplt.Q c;: 0 "('1"" 0 Chichi wa ima dekakeru tokoro desu. My dad is just about to leave.

~iOO;6~MI * .Q C ;: 01:'1"" .t 0

Eiga ga hajirnaru tokoro desu yo.

The movie is going to begin any minute .

• (3) bakari da Ittl' L) t=.

In this case, the plain form of the verb is followed by bakari da li;6> IJ t3. (informal) or bakari desu li;6' IJ "('1"" (formal). This pattern says only that all preparations for the action of the verb have been completed. It does not necessarily mean that the action will take place soon.

dekakeru bakari da /:tl;6> It .Q li;6' IJ t3.

to have nothing left to do but to leave

• Examples

t, ? /:tl;6' It .Q li;6\ IJ 1:'1"" J: 0 Mo dekakeru bakari desu yo. We're ready to leave now.

lit.O) J'flfl. t, 1"" -? ;6' IJ 1:' ~ * lJ= 0 .t> c 1;1:. lit "'.Q Ii ;6' IJ "('1"" 0 Shokuji no yoi mo sukkari dekimashita. Ato wa taberu bakari desu.

I've wrapped up all the preparations for the meal. All we have to do is eat.

Continuing Actions itJt'FtJ{ii~T$ -------

to be drinking

-te + iru tokoro da - -r + ~ \ .Q C ;: 0 t3.

nonde iru tokoro da M-:./v "(,~ \.Q C ;: 0 t:_ [M-:.tr

nomu]


As described on page 25, one technique for describing continuing actions is to use the present progressive (-te + iru). The immediacy of the action can be emphasized by following -te iru with tokoro da c::.iS t~ (informal) or tokoro desu c :: .is 1:;- (formal) .

• Examples

ilft,1v:J:jj li~ '? -r ~ ) ¢ c z .is Jj: Iv 1:;- 0 [P.li! ¢ nemuru] Akambii wa nemutte iru tokoro nan desu.

The baby is sleeping at the moment.

~ifHiPi -7 -:'f- ~~P-rP¢ c::.is 1:;-0 [:I3't < yaku] Ane wa ima keki 0 yaite iru tokoro desu.

My older sister is baking a cake right now.

Completed Actions il.Jf'F (J) ~ 7 ~ ~ '9 ~ l, \ 'jj ---

(1) -ta + tokoro da owatta todoro da

to have just finished (2) -te + shimatta

-t:: + c:: .iSt~ ~b'?t:: c:: .iSt~

--r + L- i ?t:: ~-r L- i '? t:

nete shimatta to have just fallen asleep

(3) -ta + bakari da - t: + Ii 1J' I') t~

kaetta bakari da to have just returned

• (1) tokoro da C ~ 6 t=.

When the informal past tense (-ta) form is used before tokoro da c::.is t3. or tokoro desu c::.is 1:;-, it means that the action has just been completed.

yomiowatta tokoro da MErl.~b? t: C :: .is t~

[MErl.~b s yomiowaru] to have just finished reading


• Examples

LlJIB~Iv'j:~~*±~I:I:'d.:c::;S-r:'-9o [ffi.Q deru] Yamada-san wa ima kaisha 0 deta tokoro desu. Ms. Yamada has just left the office.

~'j: t: '? t.:~jJW'? i: C :: ;s t.= 0 [jJW.Q kaeru] Ototo wa tattaima kaetta tokoro da.

My younger brother returned home just a moment ago .

• (2) shimatta L.. '* ? t=.

The Group 1 verb shimau L i? is used as an auxiliary after the -te form to indicate primarily that an action is completely finished; secondarily, it can indicate regret for the action specified by the preceding verb.

tabete shimatta ~""-C L i '? t: [~"".Q taberu]

to have eaten completely; to have regrettably eaten

• Examples

1Z'~Jd:~m'j:lI.lv Jd: ?' l' 7" t. -c t, i pit.., ts, [-9.Q suru] Hitsuyii na shorui wa minna taipu shite shimaimashita. I've finished typing all the necessary documents.

ff=x:O)mli~.p-c t.., i '? tz; [. < kakul

Sakubun no shukudai 0 kaite shimatta.

I finished writing the homework composition.

~ 0) oj i t.:Mi:lI.~ ~-c t. i '? tz;

Kino mata nomisugite shimatta.

I went and drank too much again yesterday .

• Note

The -te shimau form is often contracted in colloquial speech to -chau -"5 ~? (present tense) or -chatta -"5 ~ '? i: (past tense).

shite shimau - shichau L -c L i? -+ t..,"5 ~ ?

[-9.Q suru]

shite shimatta - shichatta L -c L i '? t.: -+ t..,"5 ~ '? i:


• Examples

71 A -7 I) - t.., lJ.1v~~~(t ~ ~ -:d.:o [~~(t.Q tokeru] Aisukurimu, minna tokechatta.

All the ice cream melted.

~ O)f±:'H:f::i:ffl5~"? ~ ~ "? i: J: 0 [~.Q yaru] Sono shigoto wa zembu yatchatta yo.

I finished off all that work .

• (3) bakari rtfJ' LJ

Another way to say that an action has just been completed is to use the informal past tense (-ta) followed by bakari da If /)' I:J t3. or bakari desu (f /)' I:J 1:"1".

kaita bakari da ~ ~ ~ i: If /)' I:J t3. [~< kaku]

to have just finished writing

• Examples

III rp ~ Iv ,l;: H ;:- it{ ~ jit ~ t: If /)' I:J ~ Iv 1:" 1" 0 [jit ~ .Q

taberu]

Tanaka-san to hiru-gohan 0 tabeta bakari nan desu. I just ate lunch with Mr. Tanaka.

r i- l::'-Z:~O),::,.::L - A /)1~~ ~ ;h.t.:(i·/)' I:J t.:o [1".Q suru] Terebi de sono nyiisu ga hiiei sareta bakari da.

That news was just broadcast on television.

Doing Something in Advance *frm ~f*ffO) t:: d> I:.

1i1J t ? "( WtJ, ~"9 ~ ~ l, \:7J ---------

-te + oku

--r+:Io<

tsukutte oku fl= "? -r :10 < [f'p.Q tsukuru]

to make something (for later use)

shite oku L. -r:lo < [1".Q suru]

to do something (in advance)

When the -te form is followed by the verb oku :10 < , the meaning is to do something in advance or as preparation for


something else; it can also mean to put away or preserve for later use .

• Examples

:Io~ ~ lv:6t* * T:6' &::>, T --;I }J..-O)J:I=:J - ~ -:h "} -j' a-slt~-r:loP-rl'~Po [slt~.Q naraberu] O-kyaku-san ga kimasu kara, teburu no ue ni kohl kappu o narabete oite kudasai.

Customers will be coming, so put out the coffee cups on

the tables beforehand.

~O)r=Fij~Ii~I: G *"? -r:lo ~ * To [G * oj shimau] Natsu no yofuku wa hako ni shimatte okimasu.

I put my summer clothes away in a box (until next sum-

mer).

7-;:f-a-it"?-r, XlJi~I=An-r:loPt.:o [An.Q ireru] Keki 0 tsukutte, reizoko ni irete oita.

I made a cake and put it in the refrigerator (to be eaten later on).

1I,ij B Ii IDt~ t'::6' &::>, ~ Iljt Ii $viHYl a- G -r :10 :6' fci: < "? "5 ~ 0

[T.Q suru]

Ashita wa shiken da kara, komban wa benkyii 0 shite okanakutcha.

There's a test tomorrow, so I have to study tonight.

I -te -T

. mite Je.-r

The -te form often explains the reason for the action in

the clause that follows.

li!pp~rd]T 1/ ~. a- j'! -r, § :6t1ffi < fci: IJ * L., iz; [Je..Q miru] Nagai jikan terebi 0 mite, me ga itaku narimashita.

I watched television for a long time, so my eyes started to hurt.

EXPRESSING REGRET 197

j\f,jil~~~ -r. ::t;t..-71:fi'lt f.i:iI'~ tz; [~.Q furu] Ame ga futte, gorufu ni ikenakatta.

It was raining, so I couldn't go golfing.

Note that this form cannot be followed by commands, suggestions, or statements of intent.

Expressing Regret ~'I1ij~9.t~~~~~~9 ~ (,\:/]

(1) -te + shimau ochite shimau

(2) /-'R1#/ + nakereba yokatta

nomahfiSlnakereba yokatta

-'"[ + t.,* oj

~"5 '"[ t. * oj [~"5.Q to fall]

/ -~/ + tJ: Itnl!

J: iI'~ i:

iX * / ~ / tJ: It nl!

J: iI'~ t:

(1) -Ie shimau - -c l..,;; ? --------The -te form followed by shimau L * oj is used to express regret over something one has done. (This is different from the sense of completed action described on page 94 for the -te shimau form.)

• Examples

* t.:~;f.lj:Jjoa:- vr t, * ~ tz; [T.Q suru] Mata asa nebii 0 shite shimatta.

I slept late again.

oj~~~~~~oa:-t.,'"[ ••• oa:-~=t.,'"[t.,*~ko ~= T okosu]

Ukkari inemuri 0 shite, jiko 0 okoshite shimatta.

I fell asleep without realizing it and caused an accident.


(2) -nakereba yokatta - t;J.lt n I~ rt tJ, -:> t: ---A more explicit expression of regret can be made by attaching nakereba yokatta t:J.lt ttl! J: 1J'? i: to the I-nail stem.

Nomahfmlnakereba yokatta. ~i/~/t:J.'tnl! J: 1J' ?t:::.o

It would have been better if I hadn't drunk that.

• Examples

;:/vt:J.-t-?t-, Jtbt:J.ltttl!J:1J'?t:::.o [Jtoj kau] Konna seta, kawanakereba yokatta.

I wish I hadn't bought this sweater.

p i ,~,;t I!, ;: o)~*±I:A t;, t:J. Itttl;f J: 1J'? i: 0) 1J' t L. ttt:J.Po [A.Q hairu]

Ima omoeba, kono kaisha ni hairanakereba yokatta no kamo shirenai.

Now that I think about it, maybe it would have been better if I hadn't joined this company.

Expressing Conjecture :Jt. ~ ~"9 ~ L \ 15

Jjft~ + J: oj t_: ~*.Q J: oj t_:

(1) Based on Direct Knowledge plain form + yo da

furu yo da (to rain)

(2) Based on Hearsay

plain form + rashii

furu rashii

(3) Based on Supposition or Guess plain form + darii

furu daro

Jjft~+t;,L.P ~*.Q t;, L. P

Jjft~ + t_: 0 oj ~*.Q t_: 0 oj

(4) Based on Reasonable Conviction

plain form + hazu da Jjft~ + lift_:

kuru hazu da *.Q Ii f t_:

EXPRESSING CONJECTURE 199

There are several strategies for expressing conjecture or supposition. The choice depends on the source and certainty of the information.

(1) yo da J:.? t!. -----------If you believe that something is probably true based on your own experience or knowledge, you can use the plain form followed by yo da J: oj t3. (informal) or yo desu J: oj "Z'"T (formal).

kuru yo da *.Q J: oj t3.

to be likely to come [will apparently come]

• Examples

t±;~'j:*3IM 7 ;j I) jJ A..rr < J: oj t3. 0 Shachii wa raishii Amerika e iku yo da.

It seems that the president is going to the U.S. next week.

*3IMI*JM;6~wt~T.Q J: oj t3.o

Raishii naikaku ga kaisan suru yo da.

The cabinet is probably going to be dissolved next week.

(2) rashii i? L ~ \ -----------To mention something that you suppose to be true because you have heard it or read it, use the plain form followed by rashii ; L- ~ ':

iku rashii rr < ; L- ~ ,

to be thought to be going

• Examples

*O)~,~'j:*~ ih .Q ; L- ~ '0

Tsugi no shiken wa raishii aru rashii. Apparently the next test will be next week.

7C~T¥IH: J:.Q C:, ~1j$f.;6'; aJ!l.O)~"-r'~;6~mtt.Q ; L-Po

Tenki yohii ni yoru to, konban kara taifii no eikyii de umi ga areru rashii.

According to the weather report, the sea should get choppy


tonight because of the effect of the typhoon.

(3) darii t=. -3 ? -----------To say what you think or guess, use the plain form with darii t=. '5? (informal) or desha -z: L., J: ? (formal). These are the volitional forms of the copula da t=.. After daro t=. '5? you can also use to omou C:,~? (formal: to omoimasu C:,~ ~ \ * T) "I think."

Furu darii.

It will probably rain .

• Examples

PJ.lBO)/~-T 11:WW:*~Pt5'5? 0 [*7.l kuru] Ashita no pdti ni kare wa konai darii.

He is not likely to come to tomorrow's party.

~gO)~~~?*<ff<~'5?c:m?~-Z:T~o

Kondo no kosho wa umaku iku darii to omou n' desu gao I think that the negotiations should go smoothly this time.

(4)hazuda 1~9t=.----------If you think that what you say must be true, use the plain form followed by hazu da Ii f t5 (informal) or hazu desu Ii f-Z:T (formal).

iku hazu

to be expected to go

• Examples

*EE: fr~~1.I';1f[~i5'::~P~t51tt:', ~? L.,t.:O)1.I'L.,;o ~.:<7.l~f-Z:T~o 100?~~k~,~f1f[MT7.l~ -r § ~ -r * L., i: 1.1' ; 0

Honda (female): Tani-san kara denwa konai n' da kedo, dii shita no kashira.

Koizumi: Kuru hazu desu yo. Kina atta toki, kanarazu denwa suru 'tte yutte 'mash ita kara.

Honda: There's still no telephone call from Mr. Tani. I wonder what's happened.

Koizumi: I expect the call to come. When I saw him yes-

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Naoko Chino Translated by Tom Gaily

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Naoko Chino Translated by Tom Gaily

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JAPANESE VERBS AT A GLANCE