Oscar Campos

Essential Japanese Grammar - Study Guide

japanese language 

Essential Japanese grammar points in a spaced repetition format

Cards

What is the basic sentence structure in Japanese?
Japanese follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) structure:

[Subject] + [Object] + [Verb]

Example: 私はりんごを食べます。 Watashi wa ringo o tabemasu. (I eat an apple.)

  • 私は (watashi wa) = I (subject + topic marker)
  • りんごを (ringo o) = apple (object + object marker)
  • 食べます (tabemasu) = eat (verb)
1/5
Explain the use of particles は (wa) and が (ga)
は (wa) - Topic marker - Introduces what the sentence is about - Often translated as "as for" or "regarding" - Used for contrast or to introduce a new topic

が (ga) - Subject marker

  • Marks the subject of the action
  • Used for emphasis or to identify something specifically
  • Often used in questions about "who" or "what"

Examples: 私は学生です。(Watashi wa gakusei desu.) - As for me, I am a student. 誰が来ましたか？(Dare ga kimashita ka?) - Who came?

How do you form the past tense in Japanese?
For verbs ending in ます (masu): - Replace ます (masu) with ました (mashita)

Example: 食べます (tabemasu) → 食べました (tabemashita) [eat] → [ate]

For plain form verbs:

  • For u-verbs: Change the final u sound to the corresponding a sound + た (ta) 飲む (nomu) → 飲んだ (nonda) [drink → drank]

  • For ru-verbs: Drop る (ru) and add た (ta) 見る (miru) → 見た (mita) [see → saw]

  • Irregular verbs: する (suru) → した (shita) [do → did] 来る (kuru) → 来た (kita) [come → came]

How do you form negative sentences in Japanese?
For verbs ending in ます (masu): - Replace ます (masu) with ません (masen)

Example: 食べます (tabemasu) → 食べません (tabemasen) [eat] → [don't eat]

For past negative:

  • Replace ます (masu) with ませんでした (masen deshita)

Example: 食べます (tabemasu) → 食べませんでした (tabemasen deshita) [eat] → [didn't eat]

For plain form verbs:

  • For u-verbs: Change the final u sound to the corresponding a sound + ない (nai) 飲む (nomu) → 飲まない (nomanai) [drink → don't drink]

  • For ru-verbs: Drop る (ru) and add ない (nai) 見る (miru) → 見ない (minai) [see → don't see]

  • Irregular verbs: する (suru) → しない (shinai) [do → don't do] 来る (kuru) → 来ない (konai) [come → don't come]

How do you use te-form in Japanese?
Te-form is used for: 1. Connecting actions (and, then) 2. Making requests (please do...) 3. Forming continuous tenses (-ing) 4. Various grammar structures

Formation:

  • For u-verbs ending in う, つ, る: Replace with って 買う (kau) → 買って (katte) [buy → buying]

  • For u-verbs ending in む, ぶ, ぬ: Replace with んで 飲む (nomu) → 飲んで (nonde) [drink → drinking]

  • For u-verbs ending in く: Replace with いて 書く (kaku) → 書いて (kaite) [write → writing]

  • For u-verbs ending in ぐ: Replace with いで 泳ぐ (oyogu) → 泳いで (oyoide) [swim → swimming]

  • For u-verbs ending in す: Replace with して 話す (hanasu) → 話して (hanashite) [speak → speaking]

  • For ru-verbs: Drop る and add て 食べる (taberu) → 食べて (tabete) [eat → eating]

  • Irregular verbs: する (suru) → して (shite) [do → doing] 来る (kuru) → 来て (kite) [come → coming]

Example uses:

  • 食べて飲みます (Tabete nomimasu) - I eat and drink
  • 電話してください (Denwa shite kudasai) - Please call me
  • 勉強しています (Benkyō shite imasu) - I am studying
Cards: 5 Due today: 5

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