Overview of verb forms
Verb tenses
Using verbs in combination
Talking about experiences and skills
The magic of verbs. Describing your life: experiences, activities, logical connections.
1. Overview of verb forms
This material does not cover how to use the Group I, II, III system to make the forms below!
| by Transformation | by Adding-on | |
| verb styles | ~て、~た、~ない | ＋ん ＋いる、＋いて、＋いるん (see tenses below) |
| verb possibilities - noun - potential - intention |
じしょ（－る）、 かのう（－え）、 いこう（－おう） |
＋とき、＋のは ＋やすい、＋にくい ＋たい |
| verb commands | めいれい（－えよ）、 じょうけん （－えば）、 うけみ（ーあれ） |
＋ではいけない ＋なければなりません、 ＋たら、＋でも、＋と 自動詞、他動詞、～のに |
| relationship tokens | うけみ（ーあれ） じょどうし (ーあせ) |
敬語 |
2. Verb tenses
Verbs are the words that end with 〜ます in its polite form.
To note when something is being done, you can use the following forms
| Polite form | Informal-plain form | ||
| do, will do | します | する | present tense, future tense |
| did, had done | しました | した | past tense |
| had done | しまいました | しまった | past perfect tense |
| doing | して | して | continuous form |
| is doing | して います | して いる | present continuous |
| is doing right now been doing |
して いるん です するん です |
して いるんだ するん だ |
present continuous perfect |
| have been doing now | するん いるん です | するん いるん だ | present continuous perfect complete |
| doing | して | して | continuous form |
| was doing | して いました | して いった | past continuous |
| was doing back then had been doing |
して いたん です したん です |
して いたんだ したん だ |
past continuous perfect |
| had been doing then | したん いたん です | したん いたんだ | past continuous perfect complete |
(One way to think about the "perfect" and "perfect complete" forms is to think of the perfect form as a way to talk about the verb as a framed-up painting. Like a framed-up painting in the next-door room, we put the verb in a space its own that we can talk about. (It is out of sight, but available for us to talk about.) This space helps to make the sentence more formal. )
(If we don't want to be too formal, we can use the present complete form, which makes it feel like you are holding the painting next to you or talking about it like it's near to you (or was near to you), or to say it a different way, makes it feel like you are or were close enough to the verb to have watched it as it happened. )
3. Using verbs in combination
So far, we have looked at different verb types and looked at how to make different verb tenses. This section covers how to describe different verbs being used at the same time. This section will cover how to juggle sentences with the two combinations:- one main action (the primary verb) and a supporting action (the secondary verb) [Unequal]
- two main actions occurring at the same time. [Equal]
You will be able to tell by whether the sentence uses the 〜 form (the ます-less form) or uses the 〜る/て/た verb to describe the first action.
*Another way to remember these sentence structures is to think about them using the に、で、と particles.
Two actions in one sentence (simple compound form)
Use 〜 に 〜ます。to describe doing an action to accomplish another action (a stream of actions).
「かいもの に いきます。」means "Acting on shopping, go."
(Since the first verb is 〜 form, it is a supporting action, do not use 〜る form. In a way, the two verbs 'share' the same ます in the sentence.)
にEqual
Use [plainform]/〜る/て/た に 〜ます。 to describe doing an action for a reason.
「かえる に ちょきんします。」meaning "To go home, [I am] saving money."
で
Use 〜る で、 〜ます。to describe when an action creates a lasting situation for the second action.
Use 〜ないで、〜ます。to describe when witholding from an action to do something else.
「かさ を さす で、かえりました。」means "Umbrella opened, I went home."
「くつ を ぬいた で、うちに はいりました。」means "With shoes taken off, I entered the house."
「がっこうへ いかない で、うち で やすみます。」means, "Not going to school, I rest at home."
とUnequal
Use 〜と、〜ます。to describe when something outside, when done, will definitely result in something else.
「この ボタン を おしと、のみもの を 出ます。」
とEqual
Use 〜る/て/た と、〜ます。to describe doing something as a result of another action.
「この ばんぐみ を みると、レポート を かいて ください。」meaning "Upon watching this programme, please write a report."
Mixing your actions with other actions (complex compound forms)
The following forms combine the Equal and Unequal forms with different linking words to convey more complex relationships between verbs.
Use 〜る/て/た ときに、to describe the time when something is done, is being done, or has been done.「しゅくだいする ときに、いいしつもん が つくりました。」means "During/At the time of doing homework, [I] made a good question."
Use ーの/〜た とおりに、〜ます。to describe following another action or instruction.
「せんせい が した とおりに、れんしゅうします。」means "As teacher completes the exercise, revise."
「せつめいしょ の とおりに、わたし が りょうり を つくります。」means "Instructions' leading, I make food."
「せつめいしょ を よんた とおりに、りょうり を つくります。」means "As the instructions are being read to the end, make food."
Use ーの/〜た あとで、to describe one action coming after another.
「テニス の あとで、シャワー を あびます。」meaning "After tennis, take a shower."
Use 〜 ながら、 to describe actions happening at the same time. (Note this 〜 is a ます-less verb.)
「わたあしは、えいが を み ながら、おかし を たべます。 」meaning "While movie-watching, I eat snacks."
(Note that the first verb is ます-less. This is the overriding verb for the sentence. The order of the verbs here indicates which one is the main action and which one is the side-action. In this case, movie-watching is the main activity.)
4. Talking about experiences, and skills
Describe your abilities with 〜が できます。and 〜え ます potential form。
「テニス が できます。」means "Tennis, can do."
「わたしは、りょうり が できます。」means "As for me, cuisine is doable."
- Using 〜え ます potential form only:
「いまは、ならえます。」 means "Right now, can study."
「わたしは、りょうり を つくれます。」means "As for me, cuisine is makeable."
Describe your experiences with 〜たこと が あります。
「にほんへ いったことが あります か？ 」which means "Gone to Japan stories, do you have?"
「わたしは、あちらへ いったこと が あります。」which means "As for me, Going There experience, I have."
To talk about an activity (to make an action the subject of the sentence),
use 〜る/て/た + こと to turn a verb into an activity.
「わすれたこと が あります。」means "Forgotten, I have."
use 〜る/て/た の as a noun in the sentence, plus を、は、が.
「ひと が あるくの が、おもしろいます。」which means "The walking of the people, thinking about now."
(Another way to think about this is to think about it as 〜る/て/た + のを to mean "the objectification of 〜る/て/た”. )
If you want to talk about more than one activity as a subject, you can combine the above with the next point:
Listing
Use 〜たり、〜たり します。to describe a list of actions.
「イタリアへ いたり、ピザ を たべたり、ポンペ へ いってみたり こと が あります。」means "To Italy to go, on pizza to eat, to Pompeii to visit, these are things I have done."
「そうじしたり、ゴミ を すてたり するの が きらいです。」meaning "Housekeeping, rubbish disposal, doing these are unlikeable."