Could someone explain Japanese verbs to me, so far i only know ます and ません. Sometimes i see people use dictionary forms of verbs in sentences, why’s that? What is て form? Thanks
ます is an axillary verb that you attach to the end of a verb to make it polite. If you conjugate the verb the same way without ます it will be the same meaning but less polite/formal. In some cases you will not use ます even when speaking formally, for example when using the て form. Essentially it’s a form to connect things after the verb, whether that be to another verb, or just the next clause of the sentence.
In old Japanese it’s formed from taking the ます stem and adding て but due to sound changes in modern Japanese it’s not quite so simple now in most cases.
食べる I eat / I will eat
食べます I eat / I will eat (polite)
食べて… I eat (and then)…
When you end a phrase with just て form it usually implies 〜てください so 食べて can also mean “eat” (command)
Dictionary form is used if you are talking to some close friend or family member, or in some equally informal manner. ます form is handy because you often are talking to someone you don’t know that well.
Also dictionary form is used in a lot of grammar patterns, basically when a verb is embedded in a sentence some way, it’s usually dictionary form. You’ll see once you learn more grammar, don’t worry for now.
て form is a connecting form and has a ton of uses. You need to read an article on it
3 comments
ます is an axillary verb that you attach to the end of a verb to make it polite. If you conjugate the verb the same way without ます it will be the same meaning but less polite/formal. In some cases you will not use ます even when speaking formally, for example when using the て form. Essentially it’s a form to connect things after the verb, whether that be to another verb, or just the next clause of the sentence.
In old Japanese it’s formed from taking the ます stem and adding て but due to sound changes in modern Japanese it’s not quite so simple now in most cases.
食べる I eat / I will eat
食べます I eat / I will eat (polite)
食べて… I eat (and then)…
When you end a phrase with just て form it usually implies 〜てください so 食べて can also mean “eat” (command)
Dictionary form is used if you are talking to some close friend or family member, or in some equally informal manner. ます form is handy because you often are talking to someone you don’t know that well.
Also dictionary form is used in a lot of grammar patterns, basically when a verb is embedded in a sentence some way, it’s usually dictionary form. You’ll see once you learn more grammar, don’t worry for now.
て form is a connecting form and has a ton of uses. You need to read an article on it
https://guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/compound
https://guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/teform
also if you use a textbook or that grammar guide I linked, this will all be explained to you
Learn basic grammar, then ask questions about individual aspects you don’t understand.