The copula だ (da)
The copula da behaves very much like a verb or an adjective regarding conjugation.
| Stem forms of the copula | - |
|---|---|
| Attributive form (連体形 rentaikei) | である (de aru) |
| Terminal form (終止形 shūshikei) | だ (da, informal) です (desu, polite) でございます (de gozaimasu, respectful) |
| Continuative form ((連用形 ren'youkei) | で (de) |
| Imperfective form (未然形 mizenkei) | では (de wa) |
| Hypothetical form (仮定形 kateikei)[/B] | なら (nara) |
| Imperative form (命令形 meireikei) | impossible |
Note that there are no potential, causative, or passive forms of the copula, just as with adjectives. The following are some examples.
ジョンは学生だ。
JON wa gakusei da
John is a student.
明日も晴れなら、ピクニクしよう。
ashita mo hare nara, PIKUNIKU shiyō
If tomorrow is clear too, let’s have a picnic.
In continuative conjugations, では (de wa) is often contracted in the speech to じゃ(ja); for some kinds of informal speech ja is preferable to de wa, or is the only possibility.
| Conjugations of the copula | - | - |
|---|---|---|
| nonpast | informal | だ (da) |
| - | polite | です (desu) |
| - | respectful | でございます (de gozaimasu) |
| past | informal | cont. + あった (atta) だった (datta) |
| - | polite | でした (deshita) |
| - | respectful | でございました (de gozaimashita) |
| negative nonpast | informal | cont. + はない (wa nai) |
| - | polite | cont. + はありません (wa arimasen) |
| - | respectful | cont. + はございません (wa gozaimasen) |
| negative past | informal | cont. + はなかった (nakatta) |
| - | polite | cont. + はありませんでした (wa arimasen deshita) |
| - | respectful | cont. + はございませんでした (wa gozaimasen deshita) |
| conditional | informal | hyp. + ば (ba) |
| - | polite respectful | cont. + あれば (areba) |
| provisional | informal | なら (nara) |
| - | polite respectful | same as conditional |
| volitional | informal | だろう (darō) |
| - | polite | でしょう (deshō) |
| - | respectful | でございましょう (de gozaimashō) |
| adverbial and -te forms | informal | cont. |
| - | polite | cont. + ありまして (arimashite) |
| - | respectful | cont. + ございまして (gozaimashite) |
Japanese Grammar Contents
- Part 1: Textual classifications; nouns, pronouns, and other deictics
- Part 2: Conjugable words: verbs
- Part 3: Conjugable words: adjectives
- Part 4: Conjugable words: the copula だ da
- Part 5: Euphonic changes, colloquial contractions
- Part 6: Adverbs, sound symbolism, conjunctions and interjections
- Part 7: Particles
- Part 8: Auxiliary verbs
