grammar - chapter 2
I. Action/Active verb sentence pattern (one that takes a direct object)
QUIZLET - Active verb sentence pattern flashcards
II. Moving verb sentence pattern (いきます、きます、かえります)
A. Conjugating Verbs
1. Verb Types
The Japanese language consists of three different types of verbs, based on the plain form of the verb. The plain form refers to the verb before it has been conjugated to indicate verb tense. The groups are as follows:
Group 1 Verbs
Recall that Group I verbs are verbs ending with an “-u” sound.
Some examples are:
Group 2 Verbs
Recall that Group II verbs are verbs ending with an “-iru/-eru” sound.
Some examples are:
Group 3 Verbs
Recall that Group III verbs are irregular verbs, whose conjugation patterns do not match the patterns of the above two groups.
Some examples are:
2. Verb Tense
In the introduction of the three types of verbs, tense of the verb was omitted.
Next, we will examine four tenses as they apply to each of the Verb Types:
To indicate the present and future tense of a verb in the affirmative (positive), the plain form of the verb is conjugated and –masu ( ます ) is added. A person can understand whether someone is speaking of the present or future based on the context of the conversation.
The basic format is as follows: VERB (PLAIN FORM) + -ます
The conjugation pattern is different depending on which type of verb you are conjugating.
Present/Future Positive – Group 1 Verbs
For Group I verbs, you exchange the –u for –i and add –masu.
Some examples:
Present/Future Positive – Group 2 Verbs
For Group II Verbs, the -ru is dropped and –masu is added.
Some examples:
For Group III verbs, there is no pattern. Each irregular verb has its own way to be conjugated into a tense.
Some examples:
Verb Tense Part 2: Present/Future Negative
To indicate the present and future tense of a verb in the negative, the plain form of the verb is conjugated and –masen (ません) is added. As with Present/Future Positive, talk of the present or future is derived from the context of the conversation.
The basic format is as follows: VERB (PLAIN FORM) + -ません
The conjugation pattern is different depending on which type of verb you are conjugating.
Present/Future Negative – Group 1 Verbs
For Group I verbs, you exchange the –u for –i and add ません –masen.
Some examples:
Present/Future Negative – Group 2 Verbs
For Group II Verbs, the -ru is dropped and –masen is added.
Some examples:
For Group III verbs, there is no pattern. Each irregular verb has its own way to be conjugated into a tense.
Some examples:
** You will notice that the patterns used to convert verbs to the Present/Future Positive –masu form also apply to convert verbs to Present/Future Negative –masen ません form, with the only difference being how the verb ends after it is conjugated.
For the final two verb conjugation patterns, this trend continues. For the sake of clarity, a full set of examples will be included.
Verb Tense Part 3: Past Positive
—To indicate the past tense of a verb in the negative, the plain form of the verb is conjugated and –mashita (ました) is added.
The basic format is as follows: VERB (PLAIN FORM) + -ました
The conjugation pattern is different depending on which type of verb you are conjugating.
Past Positive – Group 1 Verbs
For Group I verbs, you exchange the –u for –i and add –mashita.
Some examples:
Past Positive – Group 2 Verbs
For Group II Verbs, the -ru is dropped and –mashita is added.
Some examples:
For Group III verbs, there is no pattern. Each irregular verb has its own way to be conjugated into a tense.
Some examples:
Verb Tense Part 4: Past Negative
To indicate the past tense of a verb in the negative, the plain form of the verb is conjugated and –masen deshita (ませんでした) is added.
The basic format is as follows: VERB (PLAIN FORM) + -ませんでした
The conjugation pattern is different depending on which type of verb you are conjugating.
Past Negative – Group 1 Verbs
For Group I verbs, you exchange the –u for –i and add –masen deshita.
Some examples:
Past Negative – Group 2 Verbs
For Group II Verbs, the -ru is dropped and –masen deshita is added.
Some examples:
For Group III verbs, there is no pattern. Each irregular verb has its own way to be conjugated into a tense.
Some examples:
Conjugating the Copula Verb
As with all other verbs, the copula verb (です) must be conjugated according to tense.
The plain form of です is だ.
The conjugations for です are as follows:
For a detailed description of conjugating the Copula verb, click here.
Verb Conjugation Review Exercises
Masu Form review hot potatoes practice
Plain Form review hot potatoes practice
Verb Conjugation Part 1 Review hot potatoes practice
Verb Recognition Review hot potatoes practice
Negative and Past Negative Verbs Review hot potatoes practice
More detailed explanations of conjugating verbs can be found here and here.
1. Verb Types
The Japanese language consists of three different types of verbs, based on the plain form of the verb. The plain form refers to the verb before it has been conjugated to indicate verb tense. The groups are as follows:
- Group I verbs are u verbs, meaning that the plain form of the verb ends with a “-u” sound.
- Group II verbs are iru/eru verbs, meaning that the plain form of the verb ends with an “-iru/-eru” sound.
- Group III verbs are irregular verbs, whose conjugation patterns do not match the patterns of the above two groups.
- A final verb, known as the copula verb is “desu” (です), meaning “to be”.
Group 1 Verbs
Recall that Group I verbs are verbs ending with an “-u” sound.
Some examples are:
- To buy かう
- To read よむ
- To write かく
- To listen きく
Group 2 Verbs
Recall that Group II verbs are verbs ending with an “-iru/-eru” sound.
Some examples are:
- To see みる
- To eat たべる
- To give あげる
- To borrow かりる
Group 3 Verbs
Recall that Group III verbs are irregular verbs, whose conjugation patterns do not match the patterns of the above two groups.
Some examples are:
- To come くる
- To do する
2. Verb Tense
In the introduction of the three types of verbs, tense of the verb was omitted.
Next, we will examine four tenses as they apply to each of the Verb Types:
- Present/Future Positive – “I will buy that.”
- Present/Future Negative – “I will not buy that.”
- Past Positive – “I bought that.”
- Past Negative – “I did not buy that.”
To indicate the present and future tense of a verb in the affirmative (positive), the plain form of the verb is conjugated and –masu ( ます ) is added. A person can understand whether someone is speaking of the present or future based on the context of the conversation.
The basic format is as follows: VERB (PLAIN FORM) + -ます
The conjugation pattern is different depending on which type of verb you are conjugating.
Present/Future Positive – Group 1 Verbs
For Group I verbs, you exchange the –u for –i and add –masu.
Some examples:
- To buy かう ==> かいます
- To read よむ ==> よみます
- To write かく ==> かきます
- To listen きく ==> ききます
Present/Future Positive – Group 2 Verbs
For Group II Verbs, the -ru is dropped and –masu is added.
Some examples:
- To see みる ==> みます
- To eat たべる ==> たべます
- To give あげる ==> あげます
- To borrow かりる ==> かります
For Group III verbs, there is no pattern. Each irregular verb has its own way to be conjugated into a tense.
Some examples:
- To come くる ==> きます
- To do する ==> します
Verb Tense Part 2: Present/Future Negative
To indicate the present and future tense of a verb in the negative, the plain form of the verb is conjugated and –masen (ません) is added. As with Present/Future Positive, talk of the present or future is derived from the context of the conversation.
The basic format is as follows: VERB (PLAIN FORM) + -ません
The conjugation pattern is different depending on which type of verb you are conjugating.
Present/Future Negative – Group 1 Verbs
For Group I verbs, you exchange the –u for –i and add ません –masen.
Some examples:
- To buy かう ==> かいません ==> do not/will not buy
- To read よむ ==> よみません ==> do not/will not read
- To write かく ==> かきません ==> do not/will not write
- To listen きく ==> ききません ==> do not/will not listen
Present/Future Negative – Group 2 Verbs
For Group II Verbs, the -ru is dropped and –masen is added.
Some examples:
- To see みる ==> みません ==> do not/will not see
- To eat たべる ==> たべません ==> do not/will not eat
- To give あげる ==> あげません ==> do not/will not give
- To borrow かりる ==> かりません ==> do not/will not borrow
For Group III verbs, there is no pattern. Each irregular verb has its own way to be conjugated into a tense.
Some examples:
- To come くる ==> きません ==> do not/will not come
- To do する ==> しません ==> do not/will not do
** You will notice that the patterns used to convert verbs to the Present/Future Positive –masu form also apply to convert verbs to Present/Future Negative –masen ません form, with the only difference being how the verb ends after it is conjugated.
For the final two verb conjugation patterns, this trend continues. For the sake of clarity, a full set of examples will be included.
Verb Tense Part 3: Past Positive
—To indicate the past tense of a verb in the negative, the plain form of the verb is conjugated and –mashita (ました) is added.
The basic format is as follows: VERB (PLAIN FORM) + -ました
The conjugation pattern is different depending on which type of verb you are conjugating.
Past Positive – Group 1 Verbs
For Group I verbs, you exchange the –u for –i and add –mashita.
Some examples:
- To buy かう ==> かいました ==> bought
- To read よむ ==> よみました ==> read
- To write かく ==> かきました ==> wrote
- To listen きく ==> ききません ==> listened
Past Positive – Group 2 Verbs
For Group II Verbs, the -ru is dropped and –mashita is added.
Some examples:
- To see みる ==> みました ==> saw
- To eat たべる ==> たべました ==> ate
- To give あげる ==> あげました ==> gave
- To borrow かりる ==> かりました ==> borrowed
For Group III verbs, there is no pattern. Each irregular verb has its own way to be conjugated into a tense.
Some examples:
- To come くる ==> きました ==> came
- To do する ==> しました ==> did
Verb Tense Part 4: Past Negative
To indicate the past tense of a verb in the negative, the plain form of the verb is conjugated and –masen deshita (ませんでした) is added.
The basic format is as follows: VERB (PLAIN FORM) + -ませんでした
The conjugation pattern is different depending on which type of verb you are conjugating.
Past Negative – Group 1 Verbs
For Group I verbs, you exchange the –u for –i and add –masen deshita.
Some examples:
- To buy かう ==> かいませんでした ==> did not buy
- To read よむ ==> よみませんでした ==> did not read
- To write かく ==> かきませんでした ==> did not write
- To listen きく ==> ききませんでした ==> did not listen
Past Negative – Group 2 Verbs
For Group II Verbs, the -ru is dropped and –masen deshita is added.
Some examples:
- To see みる ==> みませんでした ==> did not see
- To eat たべる ==> たべませんでした ==> did not eat
- To give あげる ==> あげませんでした ==> did not give
- To borrow かりる ==> かりませんでした ==> did not borrow
For Group III verbs, there is no pattern. Each irregular verb has its own way to be conjugated into a tense.
Some examples:
- To come くる ==> きませんでした ==> did not come
- To do する ==> しませんでした ==> did not do
Conjugating the Copula Verb
As with all other verbs, the copula verb (です) must be conjugated according to tense.
The plain form of です is だ.
The conjugations for です are as follows:
- Present/Future Positive ==> です ==> “is”
- Present/Future Negative ==> じゃありません ==> “is not”
- Past Positive ==> でした ==> “was”
- Past Negative ==> じゃありませんでした ==> “was not”
For a detailed description of conjugating the Copula verb, click here.
Verb Conjugation Review Exercises
Masu Form review hot potatoes practice
Plain Form review hot potatoes practice
Verb Conjugation Part 1 Review hot potatoes practice
Verb Recognition Review hot potatoes practice
Negative and Past Negative Verbs Review hot potatoes practice
More detailed explanations of conjugating verbs can be found here and here.
B. Particles
1. が Ga – the Subject Particle (SFJ Notes pg 34)
がMarks the person who performs an action.
It is important to note that the use of が does not emphasize one aspect of a sentence over another (compared to は, which will be discussed below).
2. を O – the Object Particle (SFJ Notes pg 34)
を marks the direct object affected in a sentence. The way this works is analogous to the rule taught in primary school regarding “magic e”, or words that end with “e”. For example, in the picture below, the E “bounces” over the consonants (in this case, K and P) to make the sound of I and O used in these words. Because “magic e” does its job, we pronounce “bike” with a hard “I” sound, and “slope” with a hard “O” sound.
The way this works in relation to Japanese verbs and the Object Particle is that the verb “bounces” over the direct object particle を and affects the object you are talking about.
3. に Ni (“to” and/or “from”) and へ E – the Direction/Movement Particles (SFJ Notes pg 34)
に and へ indicate direction or movement – the place or goal the action moves towards.
In much the same way that the verb affects direct objects in the description of をabove, the movement verb (ie; to go いきます, to come きます, to return かります) “bounces” over the direction particle to denote the place/goal that someone/something is moving towards.
An additional function of に (this applies only to に and not へ) – SFJ Notes page 35
To send/mail (だす/だします) requires the following structure:
In this instance, に is used to indicate who Tanaka sends the postcard to – in this case it is to her friend. When indicating who an object is being sent to, the particle に always follows the person receiving the object, as in the example above – ともだちに.
4. は Ha – the Topic particle (SFJ Notes pg. 36)
* Important Note: When は is representing a topic, it is pronounced “wa” instead. However, the topic particle は cannot be replaced with わ.
The topic refers to what is being talked about in a sentence.
This is difficult to discern from が, particularly because it appears to share much of the same functions as が. However, as noted above, がdoes not assign any special emphasis to the subject of the sentence, whereas はdoes. To differentiate, は is usually denoted as “As for [topic] …” when translating back into English.
In each of these sentences, the thing being talked about is Sharuma and Yamashita, respectively. That is why the topic particle は is attached to their names.
For an extensively detailed description of は and が, check out this entry on JapaneseProfessor.com.
5. も Mo “also” or “too” (SFJ Notes pg 36)
This functions exactly the same as indicated in Chapter One, but it is important to demonstrate this in terms of using verbs.
も has the ability to replace は, が and をin most sentences; however, it cannot replace に/へ orで . In instances where you wish to include も in addition toに/へ orで, you simply add もto those particles as follows: にも, へも, でも.
6. で De “at” or “by”– the Location particle (SFJ Notes pg. 39)
This particle has two functions:
A. Indicate the location at which an action takes place
Roughly translated, this means “at”. The particle で always follows the name of the location where the action is occurring.
Roughly translated, this means “by” or “by means of”. The particle で always follows the means or method by which an action occurs.
7. と to “with” or “together” – the Companion particle (SFJ Notes pg. 39)
This indicates a person with whom one does something.
Particle Review
Particle Review Sheet hot potatoes practice
Particle Practice Part 1 Review hot potatoes practice
1. が Ga – the Subject Particle (SFJ Notes pg 34)
がMarks the person who performs an action.
- シャルマさんがだいがくえいきます。
- Sharuma-san ga daigaku e ikimasu.
- Sharuma goes to the university.
- シャルマさんがてがみをかきます。
- Sharuma-san ga tegami wo kakimasu.
- Sharuma writes a letter.
It is important to note that the use of が does not emphasize one aspect of a sentence over another (compared to は, which will be discussed below).
2. を O – the Object Particle (SFJ Notes pg 34)
を marks the direct object affected in a sentence. The way this works is analogous to the rule taught in primary school regarding “magic e”, or words that end with “e”. For example, in the picture below, the E “bounces” over the consonants (in this case, K and P) to make the sound of I and O used in these words. Because “magic e” does its job, we pronounce “bike” with a hard “I” sound, and “slope” with a hard “O” sound.
The way this works in relation to Japanese verbs and the Object Particle is that the verb “bounces” over the direct object particle を and affects the object you are talking about.
- シャルマさんがきってをかいます。
- Sharuma-san ga kitte o kaimasu.
- Sharuma buys stamps.
- In this example, the verb (かいます – to buy) “bounces” over を and affects the stamps. The action of buying something directly applies to the purchase of stamps.
- シャルマさんがにほんごをべんきょうします。
- Sharuma-san ga nihongo o benkyoushimasu.
- Sharuma studies Japanese.
- In this example, the verb (べんきょうします – to study) “bounces” over the を and affects the Japanese language. The action of studyingsomething directly applies to the study of the Japanese language.
3. に Ni (“to” and/or “from”) and へ E – the Direction/Movement Particles (SFJ Notes pg 34)
に and へ indicate direction or movement – the place or goal the action moves towards.
- シャルマさんがだいがくに/へいきます。
- Sharuma-san ga daigaku ni/e ikimasu.
- Sharuma goes to the university.
- シャルマさんがゆうびんきょくに/へいきます。
- Sharuma-san ga yuubinkyoku ni/e ikimasu.
- Sharuma goes to the post office.
In much the same way that the verb affects direct objects in the description of をabove, the movement verb (ie; to go いきます, to come きます, to return かります) “bounces” over the direction particle to denote the place/goal that someone/something is moving towards.
An additional function of に (this applies only to に and not へ) – SFJ Notes page 35
To send/mail (だす/だします) requires the following structure:
- たなかさんがともだちにはがきをだします。
- Tanaka-san ga tomodachi ni hagaki o dashimasu.
- Tanaka sends a postcard to her friend.
In this instance, に is used to indicate who Tanaka sends the postcard to – in this case it is to her friend. When indicating who an object is being sent to, the particle に always follows the person receiving the object, as in the example above – ともだちに.
4. は Ha – the Topic particle (SFJ Notes pg. 36)
* Important Note: When は is representing a topic, it is pronounced “wa” instead. However, the topic particle は cannot be replaced with わ.
The topic refers to what is being talked about in a sentence.
This is difficult to discern from が, particularly because it appears to share much of the same functions as が. However, as noted above, がdoes not assign any special emphasis to the subject of the sentence, whereas はdoes. To differentiate, は is usually denoted as “As for [topic] …” when translating back into English.
- シャルマさんはきょうとにいきます。
- Sharuma –san wa kyouto ni ikimasu.
- As for Sharuma, he goes to Kyoto
- やましたさんはうちにかえります。
- Yamashita-san wa uchi ni kaerimasu.
- As for Yamashita-san, she returns home.
In each of these sentences, the thing being talked about is Sharuma and Yamashita, respectively. That is why the topic particle は is attached to their names.
For an extensively detailed description of は and が, check out this entry on JapaneseProfessor.com.
5. も Mo “also” or “too” (SFJ Notes pg 36)
This functions exactly the same as indicated in Chapter One, but it is important to demonstrate this in terms of using verbs.
も has the ability to replace は, が and をin most sentences; however, it cannot replace に/へ orで . In instances where you wish to include も in addition toに/へ orで, you simply add もto those particles as follows: にも, へも, でも.
- きょうしょくどうへ行きます。あしたも行きます。
- Kyou shokudou e ikimasu. Ashita mo ikimasu.
- Today (I) will go to the cafeteria. (I) Will also go tomorrow.
6. で De “at” or “by”– the Location particle (SFJ Notes pg. 39)
This particle has two functions:
A. Indicate the location at which an action takes place
Roughly translated, this means “at”. The particle で always follows the name of the location where the action is occurring.
- だいがくでにほんごをべんきょうします。
- Daigaku de nihongo wo benkyoushimasu.
- (I) Study Japanese at the university.
Roughly translated, this means “by” or “by means of”. The particle で always follows the means or method by which an action occurs.
- これ、こうくうびんでいくらですか。
- Kore, koukuubin de ikura desu ka.
- How much is this by airmail?
7. と to “with” or “together” – the Companion particle (SFJ Notes pg. 39)
This indicates a person with whom one does something.
- たなかさんわやましたさんとにほんごをべんきょうします。
- Tanaka-san wa Yamashita-san to nihongo o benkyoushimasu.
- As for Tanaka, she studies Japanese with Yamashita.
Particle Review
Particle Review Sheet hot potatoes practice
Particle Practice Part 1 Review hot potatoes practice
C. Basic Activities
This section will formally focus attention on sentence patterns for different basic activities, though you will note that there are many similarities to the discussion on particles above. A firm grasp on the particle discussion above will go a long way for the discussion of these sentence patterns.
1. Going Places
Basic Sentence Pattern:
PERSON が/はPLACEに/へMOVING VERB.
(person ga/wa place ni/e moving verb)
Some examples:
Notice that this pattern requires a moving verb. If the verb is an action verb, it is a different pattern. Also, moving verbs do not take direct objects – so there is no “o” in the sentence.
2. Doing Things
Basic Sentence Pattern:
PERSON が/はOBJECT を ACTION VERB.
(person ga/wa object o action verb.)
Some examples:
3. Doing Things at a Certain Location
Basic Sentence Pattern:
PERSON が/は PLACE で OBJECT を ACTION VERB.
(person ga/wa place de object o action verb.)
As you can see, this is the exact same as the pattern for Doing Things above and the only modification is that a PLACE has been added.
Some examples:
You can also add a time word or “with ~~person” to the sentence. The Basic Sentence Pattern would be:
RELATIVE TIME WORD PERSON が/は(PERSON と) PLACE でOBJECT を ACTION VERB
([Relative time word] Person ga/wa [person to] place de object o action verb.)
Although action verbs can take a direct object, they do not have to.
This section will formally focus attention on sentence patterns for different basic activities, though you will note that there are many similarities to the discussion on particles above. A firm grasp on the particle discussion above will go a long way for the discussion of these sentence patterns.
1. Going Places
Basic Sentence Pattern:
PERSON が/はPLACEに/へMOVING VERB.
(person ga/wa place ni/e moving verb)
Some examples:
- たなかさんがパーティーにきます。
- Tanakasan ga paatii ni kimasu.
- Tanakasan is coming to the party.
- あしたリサさんがだいがくに/へいきます。
- Ashita Lisa san ga daigaku ni/e ikimasu.
- Tomorrow, Lisa san will go to the University.
Notice that this pattern requires a moving verb. If the verb is an action verb, it is a different pattern. Also, moving verbs do not take direct objects – so there is no “o” in the sentence.
2. Doing Things
Basic Sentence Pattern:
PERSON が/はOBJECT を ACTION VERB.
(person ga/wa object o action verb.)
Some examples:
- やましたさんはきってをかいます。
- Yamashita-san wa kitte o kaimasu.
- As for Yamashita, he buys stamps.
- シャルマさんがテレビをみます。
- Sharuma-san ga terebi o mimasu.
- Sharuma watches television.
3. Doing Things at a Certain Location
Basic Sentence Pattern:
PERSON が/は PLACE で OBJECT を ACTION VERB.
(person ga/wa place de object o action verb.)
As you can see, this is the exact same as the pattern for Doing Things above and the only modification is that a PLACE has been added.
Some examples:
- たなかさんがとしょかんでほんをよみます。
- Tanakas-an ga toshokan de hon o yomimasu.
- Tanaka reads a book at the library.
- やまださんが/はうちでにほんごをべんきょうします。
- Yamada-san ga/wa uchi de nihongo o benkyoo shimasu.
- Yamada studies Jpn at home.
You can also add a time word or “with ~~person” to the sentence. The Basic Sentence Pattern would be:
RELATIVE TIME WORD PERSON が/は(PERSON と) PLACE でOBJECT を ACTION VERB
([Relative time word] Person ga/wa [person to] place de object o action verb.)
- きのうわあしはともだちとモールでえいがをみました。
- Kinoo (watashi wa) tomodachi to mooru de eiga o mimashita.
- Yesterday I watched a movie w/friend at mall.
Although action verbs can take a direct object, they do not have to.
- まいにちよみます。
- Mainichi yomimasu.
- I read everyday.
D. Asking Questions about Basic Activities
1. Going Places
2. Doing Things
3. Doing Things at a Certain Location
Through all of these examples, you will notice that か is used. This demonstrates that you are asking a question – in a way, it is the Japanese version of a question mark.
Sentence Pattern Review
Direct Object Sentence Pattern with Subject Review hot potatoes practice
Place + Action Sentence Pattern Review hot potatoes practice
Sentence Pattern Review Sheet hot potatoes practice
For an in-depth discussion of Sentence Pattern, refer to this article on JapaneseProfessor.com.
1. Going Places
- どこ doko – “where?”
- あしたどこへ/にいきますか。
- Ashita doko e/ni ikimasu ka.
- Where are you going tomorrow?
- たなかさんはどこへいきますか。
- Tanaka-san wa doko e ikimasu ka.
- As for Tanaka, where is she going?
- あしたどこへ/にいきますか。
- だれdare – “who?”
- だれがにほんごをべんきょうしますか。
- Dare ga nihongo o benkyoushimasu ka.
- Who studies Japanese?
- きょうだれがきますか。
- Kyou dare ga kimasu ka.
- Who is coming today?
- だれがにほんごをべんきょうしますか。
2. Doing Things
- なに/なん nani /nan – “what?”
- なにをべんきょうしますか。
- Nani o benkyoushimasu ka.
- What do you study?
- なにをべんきょうしますか。
- せんもんはなんですか。
- Senmon wa nan desu ka.
- What is your major?
- せんもんはなんですか。
3. Doing Things at a Certain Location
- どこ
- どこでべんきょうしますか。
- Doko de benkyoushimasu ka.
- Where do you study?
- どこできってをかいますか。
- Doko de kitte o kaimasu ka.
- Where do you buy stamps?
- どこでべんきょうしますか。
- だれと dare to – “with whom?”
- きょうだれとだいがくにいきますか。
- Kyou dare to daigaku ni ikimasu ka.
- Today who will you go to the university with?
- だれとうちでにほんごをべんきょうしますか。
- Dare to uchi de nihongo o benkyoushimasu ka.
- At home who do you study Japanese with?
- きょうだれとだいがくにいきますか。
Through all of these examples, you will notice that か is used. This demonstrates that you are asking a question – in a way, it is the Japanese version of a question mark.
Sentence Pattern Review
Direct Object Sentence Pattern with Subject Review hot potatoes practice
Place + Action Sentence Pattern Review hot potatoes practice
Sentence Pattern Review Sheet hot potatoes practice
For an in-depth discussion of Sentence Pattern, refer to this article on JapaneseProfessor.com.
E. Counting (SFJ Notes pg. 41)
In English, we use a variety of counters (Ex; dollars, pieces (of paper, for example)). The same can be said for Japanese.
In this chapter, the focus is on 円(えん – en) yen, ドラ dollars, and まい (mai) flat objects.
The method for using these counters is the same:
(NOUN + particle) + (NUMBER + counter) + VERB.
That is, the COUNTER goes before the verb and after the particle that would normally precede the verb.
Some examples:
This section requires a firm knowledge of your Japanese numbers. To review your Japanese numbers, see SFJ Notes pg. 41 or 100, and SFJ Drills pg. 26.
Counting Review
Prices Review hot potatoes practice
An in-depth description of counting in Japanese can be found here.
In English, we use a variety of counters (Ex; dollars, pieces (of paper, for example)). The same can be said for Japanese.
In this chapter, the focus is on 円(えん – en) yen, ドラ dollars, and まい (mai) flat objects.
The method for using these counters is the same:
(NOUN + particle) + (NUMBER + counter) + VERB.
That is, the COUNTER goes before the verb and after the particle that would normally precede the verb.
Some examples:
- おかねをひゃくドラはらいました。
- Okane o hyaku dora haraimashita.
- I paid $100 dollars.
- おかねをにひゃくろくじゅう円はらいました。
- Okane wo nihyaku rokujuu en haraimashita.
- I paid 260¥ yen.
- はがきをごまいかいます。
- Hagaki o gomai kaimasu.
- I will buy 5 postcards.
This section requires a firm knowledge of your Japanese numbers. To review your Japanese numbers, see SFJ Notes pg. 41 or 100, and SFJ Drills pg. 26.
Counting Review
Prices Review hot potatoes practice
An in-depth description of counting in Japanese can be found here.