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Starry Starry Fright Captain
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Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:25 pm
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Verbs are so very, very important. So important, in fact, that progressing past the lessons I've posted so far will be all but impossible if you haven't mastered verb conjugation.
But never fear, dear students! Starry Starry Fright will take care of you. This thread will review just about all of the basic verb information you need to know, and will be open to questions if you are struggling.
So, without further ado... LET THE VERBS BEGIN!
To start, there are three types of verbs:
"Group 1" verbs, also called -u verbs or godan verbs. In -masu (formal) form, these verbs USUALLY don't have an "e" sound before the -masu, but there are exceptions. The only way to know for sure is memorization.
Examples:
nomimasu / nomu - to drink asobimasu / asobu - to play kikimasu / kiku - to hear
"Group 2" verbs, also called -ru verbs or ichidan verbs. In plain (dictionary) form, these verbs always end in -ru. Not every plain form verb that ends in -ru is a Group 2 verb, however. Also, most -masu verbs that have an "e" before the "masu" are group 2 verbs, but there are exceptions. The only way to be sure? Memorization.
Examples:
Tabemasu / Taberu - to eat okimasu / okiru - to sleep yasemasu / yaseru - to lose weight
EXAMPLE OF AN IMPORTANT EXCEPTION: The plain-form verb "aru" LOOKS like a -ru verb, but in -masu form, it becomes "arimasu" (to be, in reference to inanimate objects) - an -u verb. Be careful out there, kids.
"Irregular Verbs". There are two of them. Memorize.
Examples:
Shimasu / Suru - to do Kimasu / Kuru - to come
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about conjugations.
First off - what is verb conjugation, anyways? We do it in English.
I run. I ran. I will run. I am running. I do not run. - All of these are conjugations of the verb "to run". The meaning of the verb doesn't really change (you're still talking about propelling yourself through the world by rapidly moving your legs) but the way you've presented the verb has changed (present tense, past tense, future tense, etc). Japanese is a little more complicated. In addition to the past/present/negative tenses, they change their verbs to entirely different formats and THEN apply those tenses.
The three "formats" we'll be looking at are ~masu, ~te and plain form.
~masu is the "formal" way of saying the verb. This is used in polite conversations. You can recognize a ~masu verb, because it will always end in ~masu. No exceptions.
~te form is the "imperative" or "linking" form of the verb. If you are telling someone else what to do, or stringing multiple actions together, this is the verb form that is used. You will recognize it by the way it ends in ~te or ~de.
Plain form is the form found in the dictionary. This is the verb form that people use in casual conversation with friends and relatives. You can can recognizing plain form verbs because they always end in an -u syllable.
Any questions so far? Because sensei is an overworked university student, she is going to bed now, but there will be more verb-y goodness on the way in the next few days. Start going over the verb lessons and leaving me some questions, so I know what to focus on.
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:53 pm
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Starry Starry Fright Captain
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:21 pm
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Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 1:26 pm
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Starry Starry Fright Captain
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Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 2:23 pm
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Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 2:24 pm
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Starry Starry Fright Captain
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 4:23 pm
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FORMAL TO TE FORM
Okay guys, this is the real important stuff right here. I'm going to review how to convert ~masu vers to TE-form verbs.
But first - what is TE form? Why do we need it? Well, TE form by itself can be used to command someone to do something. You can also combine TE form verbs with other words to create more complex sentences. You can learn more about this in the other lessons.
Now, to start the conjugations. Suppose you have a Group 1/U/Godan ~masu verb that you want to convert to a TE verb. First, take the "masu" off of the end. Now, look at the last character of the verb stem that's left and use the following guide to convert it:
If the last syllable is:
mi, ni or bi -> change it to "nde"
Example: (to drink) nomimasu -> nonde (to invite) yobimasu -> yonde (to read) yomimasu -> yonde
If you read that carefully, you'll notice that both of the verbs "to invite" and "to read" change to "yonde".There are many cases like this in dealing with TE form. This is why context is everything in Japanese.
If the last syllable is:
i, chi or ri -> change it to "tte"
Example:
(to return) kaerimasu -> kaette (to hold) mochimasu -> motte
If the last syllable is:
ki -> change it to "ite" or gi -> change it to "ide"
Examples:
(to listen) kikimasu -> kiite (to swim) oyogimasu -> oyoide
There IS one very important exception here. "Ikimasu" turns into "itte", NOT "iite". Keep that in mind.
If the last syllable is:
shi -> change it to "shite"
Example:
(to speak) hanashimasu -> hanashite
Now, if the verb in front of you happens to be a Group 2/RU/Ichidan ~masu verb, you have a much easier task.
1. Drop the masu.
2. Add te to the end.
That's it. You're done.
Examples:
(to see) mimasu -> mite (to eat) tabemasu -> tabete
If your verb is irregular, you're just going to have to memorize it.
(to do) shimasu -> shite (to come) kimasu -> kite
That should hopefully clear up any issues you had with TE form. I will be posting some TE-form learning aids up in the "learning aids" section, so make use of those.
Any questions? Let me know. It's extremely important that all of you understand this lesson.
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:27 pm
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