Verbs

hi, i'm trying to learn japanese. could somebody help me understand the usage of verbs. dic form, masu form and te form. let's use 'die' as an example.

shinu shinimasu shinde

Hello,

first things first. There are three groups of verbs (don't know how these groups are called in english). There are verbs ending in "iru" and "eru" like miru (to see) or neru (to sleep), irregular verbs like sure and kuru and the rest.

If you know to which group a verb belongs you can form the masu-form from the dictionary form. Example:

miru --> mimasu (just drop the ru and add masu)
suru --> shimasu (just learn it)
hataraku --> hatarakimasu (drop the last u and add imasu)

I don't want to be rude but if you don't know how to build the masu form you should not use the te-form yet.

Further readings:

WWWJDIC: Word Search


MfG Jan

Hello darling and welcome to the forum. I hope you get the help you're looking for.

Hello,

first things first. There are three groups of verbs (don't know how these groups are called in english). There are verbs ending in "iru" and "eru" like miru (to see) or neru (to sleep), irregular verbs like sure and kuru and the rest.

Click to expand...

that's kind of wrong, there are different kinds of verbs that have different kinds of u ending to them. In other words that end with U or RU

yet there are verbs that and like this:

matsu, iku, iru, nomu.

you just have to learn how to change each of them correctly. ex: mate-machimasu, itte-ikimasu, ite-imasu, nonde-nomimasu.

way to change them?

here is a little table, all verbs follow the A,I,U,E,O Table.

nomAnai (can't drink)
nomImasu (drink)
nomU (dictionary form)
nomEru (can drink)
nomOu (lets drink)

te forms are a little tricky, I don't know how to explaing them. You will just have to get a text book for that one.

If you know to which group a verb belongs you can form the masu-form from the dictionary form. Example:

miru --> mimasu (just drop the ru and add masu)
suru --> shimasu (just learn it)
hataraku --> hatarakimasu (drop the last u and add imasu)

I don't want to be rude but if you don't know how to build the masu form you should not use the te-form yet.

Further readings:

Click to expand...

that's not true, you can go to the -te forms and still learn the imasu forms correctly.

at the end you are going to end up mixing both of them together, when you get to japanese 2 you will learn this. So not to worry if you don't understand the -imasu form right now. Fact is, as you learn the te forms you will realize how the -imasu form works correctly. God knows it has helped me a lot.



PS: Any verb that ends with a NU or a MU changes to de.

example: shinu,nomu, yomu,

shinde, nonde, yonde

Uhm well, I know a little trick to learn all the -TE form conversions, you have to know the MASU form though =P.

Ending sylabe of the verb in masu form ------- changes to:

- I, CHI, RI --------- -TTE
Example: ARAI~MASU (ends with I) ---- ARATTE
TACHI~MASU (ends with CHI) --- TATTE

- NI, MI, BI --------- - NDE
Example: NOMI~MASU (ends with MI) ---- NONDE
SHINI~MASU (ends with NI) ----- SHINDE

- KI ---- -ITE
Example: KAKI~MASU (ends with KI) -- KAITE

- GI ---- -IDE
Example: OYOGI~MASU (ends with GI) -- OYONDE

- SHI ---- -SHITE
Example: BENKYOUSHI~MASU -- BENKYOUSHITE

And the verbs Shimasu and Kimasu are SHITE and KITE respectively...

I hope this little explanation isn't confusing =P, I'm not really good explaining things hehe

sl0815 said:

Hello,

first things first. There are three groups of verbs (don't know how these groups are called in english). There are verbs ending in "iru" and "eru" like miru (to see) or neru (to sleep), irregular verbs like sure and kuru and the rest.

If you know to which group a verb belongs you can form the masu-form from the dictionary form. Example:

miru --> mimasu (just drop the ru and add masu)
suru --> shimasu (just learn it)
hataraku --> hatarakimasu (drop the last u and add imasu)

I don't want to be rude but if you don't know how to build the masu form you should not use the te-form yet.

Further readings:

Jim Breen's WWWJDIC
Japanese Grammar and such


MfG Jan

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thank you very much for the help. no, its not confusing. you sure do know how to explain.

i asked to under the verb forms because i happen to cross a table that lists some verbs w/their corresponding dic form, masu form n tte form. i also would want to learn how to use them. are they considered past present future? or altogether different application.

kamuizero said:

Uhm well, I know a little trick to learn all the -TE form conversions, you have to know the MASU form though =P.

Ending sylabe of the verb in masu form ------- changes to:

- I, CHI, RI --------- -TTE
Example: ARAI~MASU (ends with I) ---- ARATTE
TACHI~MASU (ends with CHI) --- TATTE

- NI, MI, BI --------- - NDE
Example: NOMI~MASU (ends with MI) ---- NONDE
SHINI~MASU (ends with NI) ----- SHINDE

- KI ---- -ITE
Example: KAKI~MASU (ends with KI) -- KAITE

- GI ---- -IDE
Example: OYOGI~MASU (ends with GI) -- OYONDE

- SHI ---- -SHITE
Example: BENKYOUSHI~MASU -- BENKYOUSHITE

And the verbs Shimasu and Kimasu are SHITE and KITE respectively...

I hope this little explanation isn't confusing =P, I'm not really good explaining things hehe

Click to expand...

thanks for the info. u explain good enough for someone like me to understand.

thank you very much for the help. no, its not confusing. you sure do know how to explain.

i asked to under the verb forms because i happen to cross a table that lists some verbs w/their corresponding dic form, masu form n tte form. i also would want to learn how to use them. are they considered past present future? or altogether different application.

Click to expand...

no he didn't, what he pointed out was kind of wrong.

Go with what kamuizero pointed out, he was able to point out how the te forms work perfectly.

I found this a good site for understanding verbs.
It is in romaji, but I turned this into a positive, because you can translate all the sentences into kanji/kana and practise your verbs and writing at the same time!