Mastering Verb Conjugation!!

One of the most challenging aspects of learning Japanese is verb conjugation, and many learners struggle with it. Japanese verbs have many different forms, which can seem overwhelming at first, but there are rules that govern them. By learning and understanding these rules, you can make learning Japanese much easier.
If you encounter difficulties with verb conjugation during a lesson, you can always return to this page and review the rules. Although it may be a bit tedious and challenging, try to understand it little by little. Best of luck in your studies!

Japanese verbs have five basic forms: ① Dictionary form, ② Masu form, ③ Nai form, ④ Ta form, and ⑤ Te form. Though Japanese verbs have many forms, understanding these five forms will help you comprehend the rest. Here are the details:
① Dictionary form: It serves as an index in the dictionary and is used in casual conversations. It's not used in formal situations, and usually, a postposition is added after the verb.
② Masu form: It's usually used to address senior people, older people, and people whom the speaker sees for the first time. It's a polite expression.
③ Nai form: It's used to create negative sentences and in casual conversations. It's not used in formal situations, and usually, a postposition is added after the verb.
④ Ta form: It's used to create past sentences and expresses completion. It's used in casual conversations and not in formal situations. Usually, a postposition is added after the verb.
⑤ Te form: It's used to connect two sentences and express means, method, and reason. It can be formed by changing the "ta" of the Ta form to "te."
Note: Postpositions are one or two letters added right after the verb to soften its expression. Details are explained in Beginner Lesson #1. Men usually use postpositions like "yo," "ne," and "na," while women use "wa" and "yo." Learning these forms will make understanding Japanese verbs easier. If you don't understand verb forms during a lesson, you can always return to this page and review it. Good luck!

Japanese verbs can be classified into three types: the first type, the second type, and the third type. Understanding these three types will help you comprehend the five verb forms mentioned earlier. The third type includes only the verbs する (to do) and くる (to come). The rest of the verbs belong to either the first or second type. A rule for classification is that verbs in the second type end in eru or iru. Most other verbs belong to the first type, with a few exceptions like はしる (to run), しる (to know), かえる (to return), はいる (to enter), きる (to cut), etc. However, these five exceptions are not very important for beginners.
To understand the verb types, it is crucial to learn the dictionary form, which is the most important form of Japanese verbs. Beginners should think of Japanese verbs in their dictionary form. A lot of dictionary form verbs are used in the beginner lessons on this website to help you learn natural expressions. We hope that this site will help you improve your Japanese. Good luck!

After mastering hiragana and katakana, begin your study of verbs. It is also recommended that you learn verbs while taking regular lessons.

After mastering hiragana and katakana, begin your study of verbs. It is also recommended that you learn verbs while taking regular lessons.