Plain forms

1. Know when Japanese uses plain forms

   Plain forms are the casual endings used with friends and family, in diaries and in messages between friends. They also sit inside longer sentences, before と思います, つもり or a noun, even in polite speech. With adults and in formal tasks, end every sentence with です or ます.

2. Make the dictionary form

   The dictionary form is the plain present. Group 2 verbs swap ます for る: 食べます, 食べる. Group 1 verbs move the sound before ます from the い row to the う row: 飲みます, 飲む; 書きます, 書く; 買います, 買う. します becomes する and 来ます becomes 来る (くる).

3. Make the plain negative with ない

   Group 2 verbs swap る for ない: 食べない, 見ない. Group 1 verbs move the last sound to the あ row and add ない (飲まない, 書かない, 帰らない), and a verb ending in う takes わ (買わない, 会わない). する gives しない, 来る gives 来ない (こない), and ある simply becomes ない.

4. Make the plain past with た

   Take the te-form and change て to た, or で to だ: 食べて, 食べた; 書いて, 書いた; 飲んで, 飲んだ. The te-form's exceptions carry straight over: 行った, した, 来た (きた).

5. Make the plain past negative with なかった

   Swap ない for なかった: 食べない becomes 食べなかった, and 行かない becomes 行かなかった. ない works like an い-adjective, which is why its past matches 高かった.

6. Use the plain forms of adjectives and だ

   An い-adjective's plain forms are its polite ones without です: 高い, 高かった, 高くない, 高くなかった. Nouns and な-adjectives use だ, じゃない, だった and じゃなかった: 有名だ, 学生じゃない. An い-adjective never takes だ.

7. Use a plain form to describe a noun

   A plain verb can sit right before a noun to describe it, like a who or that clause in English: きのう 見た 映画 is the film I saw yesterday, and 駅の 近くに 住んでいる 友だち is a friend who lives near the station. The describing part always comes first.

8. Talk to a friend in plain style

   With a friend, drop です and ます all the way through: あした 何 する？ 映画を 見に 行く。 いっしょに 行かない？ A plain question usually loses か and rises in tone instead. Pick one style and keep to it for the whole conversation or message.

Plain form

The casual form of a verb, an adjective or だ, used with friends and inside longer sentences.

Polite form

The です and ます form, for adults, strangers and formal tasks.

Dictionary form

The plain present of a verb, as a dictionary lists it: 飲む, 食べる.

Nai-form

The plain negative of a verb, ending in ない: 飲まない, 食べない.

Ta-form

The plain past, made from the te-form: 飲んだ, 食べた.

なかった

The plain past negative ending: 飲まなかった.

だ

The plain form of です, after nouns and な-adjectives.

Describing clause

A plain verb phrase placed before a noun to describe it: 母が 作った ケーキ, the cake my mum made.

• Making ある negative as あらない.

  The plain negative of ある is just ない: お金が ない. Its past is なかった.

• Making 来る negative as きない or くない.

  来る changes its vowel: 来ない is read こない, and 来た is read きた.

• Putting だ after an い-adjective, as in おもしろいだ.

  An い-adjective is complete on its own: おもしろい. だ goes after nouns and な-adjectives: 元気だ.

• Writing 買あない or 会あない for the negative of a verb ending in う.

  Verbs ending in う take わ before ない: 買わない, 会わない, 使わない.

• Mixing plain and polite endings in one piece of writing.

  Choose a style for your reader: plain for a friend, です and ます for an adult or a formal task. Plain forms inside a sentence, such as before と思います, are fine in either.

More Verbs and their forms topics

• Polite verbs: the masu form
• Existing, giving and receiving
• The te-form
• The nai-form
• The ta-form
• The dictionary form

Keep reading

• What are the GCSE Japanese grade boundaries?
• The GCSE Japanese syllabus, explained