JAPANESE Lesson Twenty - A State of Being

[Starry Starry Fright]

Okay, folks, if you're still not quite sure about TE form, I suggest you go and take another look at it before you continue.

Alright, if you're reading this, I'm going to assume you've got at least the basics of TE form down. Let's continue.

Now, when you write out a simple sentence like "わたしはよみます” (watashi wa yomimasu / I read), that simply means that you do, at some point, read things, or it could mean that in the future, you are going to read.

...so how do you tell someone that you are reading right now?

We're going to learn about the "state of being" grammar, also known as "TE-IRU" form. To indicate that an action (reading) is your current state of being, change the verb to TE form and add "imasu".

わたしはよみます。
watashi wa yomimasu.
I read. / I will read.

わたしはよんでいます。
watashi wa yonde imasu.
I am reading.

If you want to say that you are NOT in a certain state of being, simply change the "imasu" to "imasen". I'll show you an example with a brand new verb.

kekkon shimasu - to marry.

Now, this is simply a verb. To say that you are currently married means using the TE-IRU form:

けっこんしています - kekkon shite imasu - am married

But if you say "kekkon shimasen", you are saying "I do not marry". As in, you are never going to get married. Ever. You just don't do that.

If you say "kekkon shite imasen", on the other hand, it means "I am not married". As in, you're just not married right now. You might marry someday.

And, as you might have guessed, changing the "imasu" to "imashita" puts the whole thing in past tense. Let's try again with another new verb.

futorimasu - to gain weight.

ふとっています - futotte imasu - am fat

If you change the original verb to past tense (ふとりました), it means "I gained weight".

ふとっていました - futotte imashita, on the other hand, means "I used to be fat". Subtle change makes a huge difference.

Well, any questions or comments about this new grammar? Let me know. Study hard!  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

you said of Watashi wa yonde imasu.
but how do we say I am skinny and I have fair skin ?  

[Starry Starry Fright]

Phoniex of Darkness

you said of Watashi wa yonde imasu.
but how do we say I am skinny and I have fair skin ?

Well, the verb "to lose weight" is a RU-verb, "yasemasu".

So "I am skinny" is "Watashi wa yasete imasu."

"irojiro" is a NA-adjective that means "fair-skinned"... I haven't really taught this sentence structure yet, but "I am fair-skinned and thin." would be "watashi wa irojiro de yasete imasu."  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

ariagato sensei thanks you for posting this. very helpful.  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

Watashi wa yasete imasu."  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

watashi wa irojiro de yasete imasu."  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

watashi wa irojiro de yasete imasu."
Wakarimashita.  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

watashi wa irojiro de yasete imasu."
Wakarimashita. ninja  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

Watashi wa yasete imasu."  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

watashi wa irojiro de yasete imasu."