📄️ Going from the Plain Form to the Masu-Form on the Fly
Though most Japanese students will encounter the masu-form before the plain-form (it is simpler to learn), there will come a time in your Japanese life where you will encounter a verb in the plain form and wonder how you turn it into the masu-form. Here's how:
📄️ The Causative Form
The causative form is used to describe when someone or something has made something happen or, as the name suggests, causes something to happen.
📄️ The Causative-Passive Form
The causative-passive from combines the causative and passive forms. It is used to create sentences along the lines of 'someone was made to do something by someone else'. For example:
📄️ The Conditional Form
The conditional form involves the direct conjugation of a verb, noun or adjective to make a sentence conditional. It is the equivalent of constructing a sentence in English that contains the word 'if'.
📄️ The Conditional と
と can be used a conditional conjunction, equivalent to the word 'if'. It is used when a condition brings about a non-controllable event or state.
📄️ The Dictionary Form
The dictionary form is the most basic form of a Japanese verb. It is also the non-past, affirmative conjugation of plain speech.
📄️ The Imperative Form
The imperative form is used to give commands. No messing about with pleasantries, it's for getting straight to the point.
📄️ The Masen-Form
In Japanese, verbs ending in masen ません are in the polite, non-past negative. The masen-form is the negative of the masu-form (see below).
📄️ The Masendeshita-Form
In Japanese, verbs ending in masendeshita (ませんでした) are in the polite, past negative. The masendeshita-form is the past negative of the masu-form (see below).
📄️ The Mashita-Form
In Japanese, verbs ending in mashita (ました) are in the polite, past affirmative. The mashita-form is the past tense of the masu-form (see below).
📄️ The Mashou-Form
The mashou-form, a.k.a the polite volitional, is used for suggesting activities or things to do.