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: 宿題をさせる ''shukudai o saseru'': "(I) make (him) do homework".
- someone do something: 外で遊ばせる ''soto de asobaseru'': "(I) let (him) play outside".
- With explicit actors: 先生が子供に勉強をさせた ''sensei ga kodomo ni benkyou wo saseta'': "The teacher made the children study."
- The Honorific forms させて貰う ''sasete morau'' or させて頂く ''sasete itadaku'' using the verbs 貰う ''morau'' or its humble equivalent 頂く ''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: 両親に勉強させられる ''ryōshin ni benkyō saserareru'': "(I) am made to study by (my) parents".
Because words such as させられる ''saserareru'' are considered to be difficult to pronounce, frequently in colloquial speech, the middle part of the causative passive would contract. That is, させられる ''saserareru'' would become さされる ''sasareru''. Another example such as "(I) am made to buy (something)" would formally be 買わせられた ''kawaserareta'' from the verb 買う ''kau'', but colloquially, it is frequently contracted to 買わされた ''kawasareta''
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 and nouns are usually used with the なら ''nara'' conditional, instead of with であれば ''de areba''.
- The なければ ''nakereba'' form used for the negative form can be colloquially contracted to なきゃ ''nakya''. Thus 行かなければ ''ikanakereba'' can become 行かなきゃ ''ikanakya''.
The ''eba'' conditional form is used in . For example:
- 何すればいいか''nani sureba ii ka'': "What should I do?" (lit. "It would be good if I did what?")
- 分かればいい''wakareba ii'': "As long as you understand" (lit. "If you understand, it is good.")
- 時間があれば買い物をしよう''jikan ga areba, kaimono wo shiyou'': "If there's time, let's go shopping."
The conditional ''ra'' form is formed from the Past Tense by simply adding ''ra''. ''ba'' can be further added to that, which makes it more formal.
The conditional ''ra'' form can be used in the same way as the conditional ''eba'' form. However, it can also be used to mean more like "if and when", and it is typically preferred over the ''eba'' form when this meaning is more accurate. For example:
- 日本に行ったら、カメラを買いたい。''nihon ni ittara, kamera wo kaitai'': "If I go to Japan, then (when that has happened) I want to buy a camera."
The conditional ''ra'' form can also be used when the main clause is in the past tense. In such situations, it means "when", and carries the additional implication that the result was unexpected. For example:
- 喫茶店に行ったら、鈴木さんに出会った。''kissaten ni ittara, Suzuki-san ni deatta'': "When I went to the cafe, I happened to meet Suzuki (and didn't expect to)"
The ''i'' form, or ''ren'youkei'', is very regular, and in almost all cases it is formed by replacing the ''u'' with ''i''.
- The rule for polite verbs ending in ''ru'' applies to the consonant-stem honorific verbs ''irassharu'', ''ossharu'', ''kudasaru'', ''gozaru'', and ''nasaru'', which have irregular ''i'' forms. They are formed by replacing the ''ru'' with simply ''i'', instead of ''ri''.
The ''i'' form has many uses, typically as a prefix. These include:
- To when followed by the ''-masu'' ending: ''ikimasu'', ''tsukaimasu''.
- To when followed by the ending ''tai'': ''tabetai'': "I want to eat it", ''ikitai'': "I want to go". (The ''tai'' ending conjugates as an ''i'' Adjective .)
- To when followed by ''wa shinai'': ''iki wa shinai yo, anna tokoro'' "no way I'm going someplace like that"
- To when followed by
- ---''nasai'': ''kore o tabenasai'': "eat this", ''asoko e ikinasai'': "go over there".
- ---''na'': ''massugu kaerina'' "go straight home"; ''nakayoku asobina'' "play nice". (Used with children, etc.)
- To express that something is or '''hard''' when followed by ''yasui'' or ''nikui'': ''shitashimiyasui'': "easy to befriend", ''wakarinikui'': "hard to understand".
- To when followed by the verb ''sugiru'': ''nomisugiru'': "to drink too much". (''sugiru'' can also be used with the stems of Adjectives .)
- In Yakuza speech, to (such as hatred or contempt) for the doer of an action when followed by the verb ''yagaru'': ''koroshiyagaru'': "to kill (as a hated or contemptible person)". (The ''te'' form can be substituted for the ''i'' form.)
The ''i'' form also has some uses on its own, such as:
- To , with ''ni'': ''tabe ni ikimashita'': "I went there to eat".
- In such as ''o tsukai kudasai'': "Please use this".
- In in formal writing.
For some verbs, the ''i'' form also forms part of related words in ways that are not governed by any general rules. For example:
- The ''i'' form of ''taberu'' (to eat) can prefix ''mono'' to form ''tabemono'' (food). Similarly with ''nomu''.
- The ''i'' form of ''kakeru'' (to bet) is a word on its own: ''kake'', which means "a bet".
- ''hanasu'' (to separate) can be suffixed to the ''i'' form of ''kiru'' (to cut) to form ''kirihanasu'' (to cut off).
Most of the imperative forms are characterized by the final ''u'' becoming ''e''.
- The rule for polite verbs ending in ''ru'' applies to the consonant-stem honorific verbs ''irassharu'', ''ossharu'', ''kudasaru'', ''gozaru'', and ''nasaru'', whose imperative forms are the same as their irregular ''i'' forms.
The imperative form is used
- in ''orders'', such as in the military, or to inferiors, or in textbook exercises,
- in Set Phrase s 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 ''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 , indicating that a regrettable thing was done to someone, and
- as a form of .
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.
Using the past tense follows the same pattern as the present and future tense. For example, ''nihon ni iku'' (I am going to go to Japan) becomes ''nihon ni itta'' (I went to Japan).
The general pattern is ''u'' becomes ''eru''.
- ) The shorter ''reru'' form is common but not considered standard.
The potential is used to express that one has the to do something. Direct objects are marked with the particle ''ga'' instead of ''wo''. For example ''nihongo ga yomeru'': "I can read Japanese".
Unlike in English, the potential is not used to express permission (as in the sentence "could I have a glass of water?"). Instead, a more polite form is used, such as the usage of the ''te'' form.
The potential ''ru'' ending conjugates as a Vowel Stem Verb .
In Japanese, events in the present and future share the same tense—sometimes called the "non-past tense"—and the distinction between them is communicated in other ways (for example, through the context, or via words that convey the time). The non-past form of a verb is the same as its dictionary form; no conjugation needs to be done. For example:
- ''kaimono wo suru'': "I shop", or "I will shop".
- ''ashita benkyou suru'': "Tomorrow, I will study".
In most cases, the non-past tense cannot be used to indicate one's current state, such as in the English sentence "I am shopping". Rather, it can only be used to express habit or other actions that are expected to continue into the future, such as in "I shop". To convey the former, the ''te'' form with ''iru'' must be used.
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 means "to be doing". For example: ''matte iru'': "I am waiting". This is also used in some situations where the English equivalent does not use "to be doing". For example: ''shitte iru'': "I know", ''motte iru'': "I have", ''koko ni sunde iru'': "I live here". Colloquially, 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 when used with a transitive verb. ''Koko ni moji ga kaite aru'': "There are some characters written here". It shows that something was left in a certain state. Contrast to "Kaite iru", "I am writing", which applies to the person doing the writing rather than what is written.
- ---: 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.
- ---: It means "to try doing".
- ---: Can express continuous action or a change of state.
- ---: Can express continuous action or a change of state.
- To combine clauses or adjectives, as if by the English conjunction "and". For example:
- ---''yakkyoku e itte, kusuri wo kau'': "(I am going to) go to the pharmacy and buy medicine."
- ---''ano hito wa shinsetsu de, atama ga yokute, wakariyasui'': "That person is kind, smart, and easy to understand."
- ---''yasukute ii ne'': "It's good that it's cheap." (lit. "It's cheap and good.")
- With particles in formations such as
- ---: "You must not ...". For example, ''tabete wa ikenai'': "You must not eat this". (Other words of prohibition, such as '''dame''', can be substituted for '''ikenai'''.)
- ---: "You may do/It's ok if you do". For example, ''tabete mo ii'': "You may eat it".
- ---: "You may do/I don't mind if you do"
- ---: "I want you to do (for me)"
- ---: "I'm sorry for doing"
In general, the volitional form expresses intention, such as in these cases:
- In ("let's" or "I shall") statements: ''benkyō shiyō'': "Let's study" or "I shall study".
- To ask ("shall we") questions: ''ikō ka'': "Shall (we) go?"
- To express what one is thinking of doing, via ''omou'': ''kaō to omou'': "(I) am thinking of buying (it)".
- In the form ''shiyō to suru'': or '''be trying to'''. ''Inu ga shinō to shite iru'': "The dog is dying."
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