I really need help with verbs!!

SEYZJP · 8 Aug 2008

I really need help with understand how to get the root of a verb. I am using Rosetta Stone and they don't give you the root form of the verb so whenever I do to look up the conjugated form in the dictionary or online I can't find it.

EX: I get to see saserute as opposed to the root of Saseru.

Is there any like universal way to figure out the root of a verb or understand how it is conjugated? Any links or anything people can suggest because it's really getting frustrating.

Thank you

Seyzjp

nice gaijin · 8 Aug 2008

Japanese verb conjugation - Wikipedia

Aside from a smattering of irregular verbs (that occur often in the language but are easy enough to remember), there are really only two groups of verbs in terms of how they conjugate. Do a search for "ichidan" and "godan" verbs. I orinally learned these as "ru" and "u" verbs.

Emoni · 8 Aug 2008

Gotta love the absolutely inadequate language programs in a box. They can be helpful as side learning tools, but you sure won't learn the language with them.

Want to learn Japanese? You can keep with your Rosetta program, but get a book called "Genki." It is what me and NiceGaijin used and it will teach you the details that you MUST have to learn the language. It isn't expensive and if you are serious it will be a godsend.

Oh, and it will explain the conjugation rules to you better than any website I have found.

SEYZJP · 9 Aug 2008

I think my problem lies more with finding the root of the verb from the conjugate form. Example being getting KOROBU from KORONDE. If I have KORONDE how do I figure out the root is KOROBU?

Also Emoni, I typed that book in on Amazon and like 10 results came up. Can you specify an author or any more specific info? Thanks

Soloistic · 9 Aug 2008

SEYZJP said:
Also Emoni, I typed that book in on Amazon and like 10 results came up. Can you specify an author or any more specific info? Thanks

Genki 1
Amazon product ASIN 4789009637
Amazon product ASIN 4789009637

undrentide · 9 Aug 2008

SEYZJP said:
I think my problem lies more with finding the root of the verb from the conjugate form. Example being getting KOROBU from KORONDE. If I have KORONDE how do I figure out the root is KOROBU

I believe that if you learn some basics of verb conjugation, it will be much easier for you to guess the original (root) form from conjugated form...

tada · 9 Aug 2008

The only way I really know is by either kanji (you're probably not up to that level, though) or by knowing some conjugation and reversing it.

Or, these days there's RikaiChan. If you hover it over a verb, even conjugated, it will give you both the root and the conjugation.

nice gaijin · 12 Aug 2008

in my first semester, my teacher had a little saying that helped with the te-form conjugations of godan (u) verbs. the ichidan (ru) verbs are very easy to remember, because there's only two possibilites for the verb ending (iru, eru)

うつる:って (u tsu ru tte)
むぶぬ:んで (mu bu nu nde)
く:いて (ku ite)
ぐ:いで (gu ite)
す:して (su shite)

so if you see a verb like "korobu," you can tell that it's te form is "koronde." If you see "koronde" for the first time, the dictionary form is either "korobu," "koromu" or "koronu." It takes some getting used to, but with some practice, it becomes natural and easy to conjugate verbs on the fly without having to think about it.

SEYZJP · 12 Aug 2008

^^ Thank you. That is actually very helpful. I have only skimmed through your post twice and I actually get it a little better. I am going to carefully read through it and apply it and see what I can make of it more. But thank you I think your post will be very helpful to me.:

Seyzjp

tada · 12 Aug 2008

There's a way to put the conjugations of te-form to the tune of Santa Claus is Coming to Town, I forget how to do it though.

I really need help with verbs!!

SEYZJP

先輩

nice gaijin

Resident Realist

Emoni

先輩

SEYZJP

先輩

Soloistic

後輩

undrentide

Japa'n vagyok

tada

変わってる

nice gaijin

Resident Realist

SEYZJP

先輩

tada

変わってる

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