The causative forms are characterized by the final ''u'' becoming ''aseru'' for consonant stem verbs, and ''ru'' becoming ''saseru'' for vowel stem verbs.
- The ''ru'' ending of the causative form becomes the new verb ending. This conjugates as a Vowel Stem verb.
- Negatives are not normally made into causatives. Instead, a negative ending is added to the causative of the verb. Thus, for example, ''Tabesasenai'': "Do not let eat".
- Adjectives are made causative by using the adverb form plus ''saseru''.
The causative is used for:
- someone do something: ''shukudai o saseta'': "I made him do his homework".
- someone do something: ''soto de asobaseta'': "I let him play outside".
- The Honorific forms ''sasete morau'' or ''sasete itadaku'' using the verbs ''morau'' or its humble equivalent ''itadaku''.
The causative passive form is obtained by first conjugating in the causative form and then conjugating the result in the passive form.
As its rule suggests, the causative passive is used to express causation passively: ryōshin ni benkyō saserareru: "(I) am made to study by (my) parents".
The ''eba'' conditional form is characterized by the final ''u'' becoming ''eba'' for consonant stem verbs, and ''ru'' becoming ''reba'' for vowel stem verbs.
- ''Na'' adjectives are usually used with the ''nara'' conditional, but they can be used with ''de areba''.
- The ''nakereba'' form used for the negative form can be colloquially contracted to ''nakya''. Thus ''ikanakereba'' can become ''ikanakya''.
The ''eba'' conditional form is used
- in , for example ''nani sureba ii ka'': "What should I do?" (lit. "It would be good if I did what?"), or ''wakareba ii'': "As long as you understand" (lit. "If you understand, it is good").
The conditional ''ra'' form is formed from the Past Tense by simply adding ''ra''. The only exception is the copula ''da'', which becomes ''nara''.
The ''i'' form, or ''ren'youkei'', is very regular, and in almost all cases it is formed by replacing the ''u'' with ''i''.
The ''i'' form has several uses:
- In such as ''o tsukai kudasai'': "Please use this".
- To with the Masu Stem such as ''ikimasu'' or ''tsukaimasu''.
- To , with ''ni'': ''tabe ni ikimashita'': "I went there to eat".
- To , with the ending ''tai'': ''tabetai'': "I want to eat it", ''ikitai'': "I want to go". The ''tai'' ending conjugates as an ''i'' Adjective .
- To , with the ending ''nasai'': ''kore o tabenasai'': "eat this", ''asoko e ikinasai'': "go over there".
- In in formal writing.
Most of the imperative forms are characterized by the final ''u'' becoming ''e''.
The imperative form is used
- in ''orders'', such as in the military, or to inferiors, or in textbook exercises,
- in set phrases such as ''nani shiro'': "no matter what".
- in ''reported speech'', where a polite request may be reported using a plain imperative: ''kashite kudasai'' (direct) ''kase to iwareta'' (he told me to lend it to him).
The basic pattern is ''u'' becomes ''anai''.
- The ''nai'' ending conjugates in two ways.
- #As an ''i'' adjective. For example the past tense of ''tabenai'' is ''tabenakatta'' and the ''te'' form is ''tabenakute''.
- #There is a special te form made by adding ''de''. For example, ''tabenaide''. This is used, for example, in ''tabenaide kudasai'': "Please don't eat (this)".
The general pattern is ''u'' becomes ''eru''.
- ) The shorter ''reru'' form is common but not considered standard.
The potential is used to
- express , for example ''nihongo ga yomeru'': "I can read Japanese".
It is not often used in the sense of English "Could I have a glass of water?", for requests. Instead a more polite form is substituted.
The potential ''ru'' ending conjugates as a Vowel Stem Verb .
The general pattern is ''u'' becomes ''areru''.
- The ''ru'' ending of the passives becomes the new verb ending. This conjugates as a Vowel Stem verb. Thus past, ''te'', or polite forms can all be added to the verb.
- The Copula , da, does not form a passive.
- For the Masu Form , the masu is added to the passive of the plain verb.
The passive is used
- as a : ''Kono terebi wa Toshiba ni tsukurareta'': "This TV was made by Toshiba",
- as a , and
- as a form of .
The ''te'' form of a Japanese verb is used when the verb has some kind of connection to the following words. The conjugation of the ''te'' form is similar to the conjugation of the past tense.
- In Requests with ''kure'' and ''kudasai''.
- With the verbs
- ---: It can mean "to be doing": ''matte iru'': "I am waiting" or "to do": ''shitte iru'': "I know". Collquially, in this form the "i" often disappears, so ''matte iru'' becomes ''matteru'' and ''shitte iru'' becomes ''shitteru''.
- ---: It means "to do in advance". ''o-bentō o tsukutte oita'': "I've made a boxed lunch (for later)". Colloquially, in this form the "e" often disappears, so ''tsukutte oita'' becomes ''tsukuttoita''
- ---: This forms a kind of passive. ''Koko ni moji ga kaite aru'': "There are some characters written here". It shows that something was left in a certain state.
- ---: This implies something is completed: ''katazukete shimatta'': "I have finished tidying". It can also suggest a regrettable situation: ''watashi no kagi ga kiete shimatta'': "My keys have disappeared". The form ''te shimau'' is shortened to ''chimau'' or ''chau'', and the ''de shimau'' form is shortened to ''jau'' or ''jimau'' in colloquial speech.
- To join two sentences. ''Yasukute ii ne'': "It's good that it's cheap".
- With particles in formations such as
- ---: "You must not ...". For example, ''tabete wa ikenai'': "You must not eat this".
- ---: "You can do this". For example, ''tabete mo ii'': "You can eat it".
The past tense is very similar in conjugation to the ''te'' form. Most of the past tenses are formed by replacing "te" with "ta". The only exceptions are the adjective forms.
- The English meanings in this table are for indication only and are not comprehensive.
The past tense is used
- In ("let's" or "I'll") statements: ''benkyō shiyō'': "Let's study" or "I'll study".
- In the form ''shiyō to suru'': or '''be trying to'''. ''Inu ga shinō to shite iru'': "The dog is dying."
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