How to form basic present and past verbs in Japanese
To form basic present and past verbs in Japanese, the approach depends on whether the verbs are informal (plain) or formal (polite) and on the type of verb. In everyday speech, the plain form is the base form used for casual conversation, while the polite form adds ます and ました for a more neutral, respectful style.
Present Tense Verb Formation
- The basic present tense in Japanese is often called “non-past” because it can express both present and future actions.
- Informal verbs typically end with “u” sounds like のむ (nomu, to drink).
- Formal verbs end with ます (masu), e.g., 飲みます (nomimasu, drink).
- The verb stem is used before the suffix ます in formal situations, e.g., 飲み (nomi-) + ます.
The term “non-past” matters because Japanese does not use a separate grammatical form just for future time. A sentence like 明日飲む can mean “I will drink tomorrow,” even though 飲む is the same basic form used for “drink” in general. Time expressions such as 今日, 明日, or 毎日 usually make the timing clear.
In polite speech, the final ます signals a statement or request in a standard, neutral register. The stem before ます is often called the 連用形, or continuative stem, and it is also the piece used in several other constructions, such as 飲みたい (“want to drink”) and 飲みながら (“while drinking”). For many learners, recognizing the stem is more useful than memorizing separate lists of forms.
Past Tense Verb Formation
- Informal past tense verbs typically end with た (ta) or variations like った (tta), だ (da), depending on the verb.
- For example, the informal past of 飲む is 飲んだ (nonda, drank).
- Formal past tense adds ました (mashita) to the verb stem, e.g., 飲みました (nomimashita) for “drank” formally.
The plain past form is built from sound-based patterns rather than a single universal ending. That is why learners see several different endings: 行く becomes 行った, 書く becomes 書いた, and 話す becomes 話した. These changes are regular once the verb class is known, but they are not interchangeable.
In polite Japanese, ました works the same way as ます but places the action in the past. 飲みます becomes 飲みました, 食べます becomes 食べました, and 書きます becomes 書きました. In conversation, this form is common in interviews, customer service, classroom settings, and any situation where a neutral, courteous tone is preferred.
Verb Group Differences
- Ru-verbs (る verbs) form past by replacing る with た, like 食べる (taberu, to eat) becomes 食べた (tabeta).
- U-verbs (う verbs) follow different patterns, for example, 書く (kaku, to write) becomes 書いた (kaita).
Verb group identity is one of the first hurdles in Japanese. Ru-verbs usually end in る and are preceded by an い- or え-sound, such as 食べる, 見る, or 起きる. U-verbs include many common everyday verbs such as 飲む, 書く, 話す, and 遊ぶ. The two groups look similar in dictionaries, but they behave differently when forming stems and past tense.
A useful practical distinction is this: ru-verbs are comparatively predictable, while u-verbs require memorizing the sound change pattern for each final consonant-syllable. For example, 書く becomes 書いた, 泳ぐ becomes 泳いだ, 買う becomes 買った, and 待つ becomes 待った. The endings shift by sound because Japanese pronunciation changes when the stem meets past-tense morphology.
A few high-frequency verbs are irregular. する becomes した, and 来る becomes 来た (きた, kita). These forms are extremely common, so they are worth learning early. Once these are familiar, many short daily exchanges become much easier to understand and produce.
Examples
- Drink:
- Informal present: 飲む (nomu)
- Formal present: 飲みます (nomimasu)
- Informal past: 飲んだ (nonda)
- Formal past: 飲みました (nomimashita)
- Eat:
- Informal present: 食べる (taberu)
- Formal present: 食べます (tabemasu)
- Informal past: 食べた (tabeta)
- Formal past: 食べました (tabemashita)
A few more common examples make the pattern easier to see:
- Write:
- Informal present: 書く (kaku)
- Formal present: 書きます (kakimasu)
- Informal past: 書いた (kaita)
- Formal past: 書きました (kakimashita)
- Speak:
- Informal present: 話す (hanasu)
- Formal present: 話します (hanashimasu)
- Informal past: 話した (hanashita)
- Formal past: 話しました (hanashimashita)
These forms are the core of everyday Japanese verb use. A learner who can recognize plain and polite present and past forms can already follow a large amount of basic conversation, from introductions and routines to simple stories about what happened yesterday. Active speaking practice helps these patterns become automatic faster than passive review alone.
Quick pattern summary
- Plain present: dictionary form, often ending in う-sound
- Polite present: stem + ます
- Plain past: sound-based past ending such as た, った, だ, or いだ
- Polite past: stem + ました
In practical use, the choice between plain and polite is usually more important than the tense itself. The same event can be described as 飲んだ in casual conversation with friends or 飲みました in a formal or respectful setting. Japanese speakers constantly switch between these styles depending on the relationship, context, and degree of politeness expected.
This covers the basics of forming present and past tense verbs in Japanese for common verb types and forms.