NIHONGO DAISUKI ! 日本語 だいすき!
  • Home
  • CLASSROOM LANGUAGE
    • REI - STARTING THE LESSON
    • THINGS STUDENTS SAY
    • THINGS TEACHERS SAY
    • CLASSROOM OBJECTS
    • KIMOCHI - FEELINGS
  • YEAR 9
    • HAJIMEMASHITE - FIRST MEETINGS
    • AISATSU - GREETINGS
    • GREETINGS ANIME
    • NAMAE - NAMES
    • BANGOU - NUMBERS
    • NAN SAI? - HOW OLD ARE YOU?
    • WHERE WE LIVE
    • SPORTS AND PASTIMES
    • JIKO SHOUKAI - SELF INTRODUCTION
    • KAZOKU - FAMILY
    • LIKES AND DISLIKES
    • YURU KYARA - CHARACTER MASCOTS
    • PARTS OF THE BODY - FACES
    • THE BODY - KARADA
    • NANI IRO - WHAT COLOUR?
    • WHAT'S IT LIKE - DESCRIBING WORDS
    • TENKI - WEATHER
    • KAMOKU - SUBJECTS
    • SUBEJECT LIKES AND DISLIKES
    • GAKKOU - SCHOOL
    • HIRAGANA
    • YEAR 9 STUDENTS
  • YEAR 10
    • KUNI - COUNTRIES
    • KAZOKU - FAMILY >
      • FAMILY VOCABULARY
      • INTRODUCING FAMILY
      • NAN NIN? - HOW MANY PEOPLE?
      • DARE GA IMASU KA -WHO IS THERE?
      • DESCRIBING APPEARANCE
      • SHUMI - HOBBIES
      • SHIGOTO - JOBS
    • TABEMONO - FOOD >
      • ORDERING IN A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT
    • HOUSING >
      • AROUND HOME - VOCABULARY
      • WHAT'S IT LIKE? - DOU DESU KA?
      • ARIMASU-THERE IS/THERE ARE
      • HITOTSU ARIMASU-THERE IS ONE
      • IN/ON/UNDER - PREPOSITIONS
      • SAYING WHAT THERE IS AND WHERE
      • ASKING AND SAYING WHERE SOMETHING IS
      • KORE/SORE/ARE - THIS/THAT
    • SEIKATSU - DAILY LIFE >
      • VERBS - INTRODUCTION
      • VERBS - DAILY ACTIVITIES
      • HOW OFTEN?
      • TOMORROW - FUTURE TIME WORDS
      • PAST ACTIVITIES
      • YESTERDAY - PAST TIME WORDS
      • JIKAN - TIME
      • YOUBI - DAYS OF THE WEEK
    • YEAR 10 GAKKOU >
      • KAMOKU - SUBJECTS
      • SCHOOL VOCABULARY
    • NANI IRO - WHAT COLOUR?
    • DOUBUTSU - ANIMALS >
      • STORIES AND SONGS >
        • Zou no hana - The Elephant's Nose
        • Kobutanukitsuneko
    • YEAR 10 KANJI
    • LISTENING PRACTICE
  • YEAR 11
    • Y11 LANGUAGE NOTES >
      • THINGS AROUND TOWN
      • NANI GA ARU? - WHAT IS THERE?
      • MAE / YOKO / USHIRO - Locations
      • ADJECTIVES - REVIEW
      • DESCRIBING APPEARANCES
      • CHIISAKUTE, FURUI - Small and old - Joining adjectives
      • EKI GA ATTE, BENRI DESU - Forming compound sentences
      • IROIRONA MACHI - Descriptions of various towns
      • TARI-TARI - Do things like...
      • KARA - from, so, after >
        • KARA = FROM
        • KARA = THEREFORE/SO
        • KARA = AFTER
      • DOU YATTE IKU? - Giving Directions
      • NANI GA DEKIRU? - WHAT CAN WE DO THERE?
      • ASOBI NI KITE - COME AND VISIT
      • MACHI ONLINE READING LINKS
      • COUNTERS
      • NANI IRO - WHAT COLOUR?
      • AKAI NO GA HOSHII - I WANT THE RED ONE
      • IKURA - HOW MUCH?
      • SORE WO KUDASAI - THAT ONE PLEASE
      • NANI GA II - WHAT WOULD BE GOOD?
      • NI SHIMASU - EXPRESSING A DECISION
      • TO OMOU - I THINK
      • SHUMI - HOBBIES
      • GIVING & RECEIVING - AGERU KURERU MORAU
      • OISHISOU - LOOKS DELICIOUS
      • TABETAI - WANT TO EAT
      • TSUMORI - INTEND
      • DESCRIBING PEOPLE
      • MOU, MADA - ALREADY, NOT YET
      • SUGIMASU - Too much
      • NAGARA - While doing
      • TE MO II - PERMISSION
      • NARIMASU -BECOME
      • KOTO GA DEKIRU - CAN DO
      • CONNECTIVES - Joining words
      • SEQUENCE MARKERS AVERBS OF TIME
    • WATASHI-TACHI NO MACHI - OUR TOWN
    • KAIMONO - SHOPPING 1
    • KURISUMASU - CHRISTMAS
    • OTHER LANGUAGE NOTES
    • PRESENTATIONS - Oral language features
    • NCEA LEVEL 1 KANJI
    • FUNNY JAPANESE COMMERCIALS
    • INTERACTION PRACTICE
  • YEAR 12
    • YEAR12 LANGUAGE NOTES >
      • -NO HOU GA - COMPARISONS/ MORE - THAN
      • ICHIBAN - COMPARISONS/THE MOST
      • HODO NAI - COMPARISONS/ NOT AS
      • ONAJI GURAI - COMPARISONS/ SAME AS
      • DOUSHI - VERBS
      • KOTO NI SURU - DECIDE TO DO
      • SURU MAE NI - BEFORE WE DO
      • -TA ATODE - AFTER WE'VE DONE
      • CHIISAI TOKI - WHEN I WAS LITTLE
      • VERB AIDA - WHILE VERBING
      • -TE MIRU - TRY SOMETHING AND SEE
      • KISETSU - SEASONS
      • USING と FOR IF/WHEN
      • NO - NOMINALISING ADJECTIVES
      • TENKI - WEATHER
      • AME GA FUTTE IMASU - IT'S RAINING
      • NO/KOTO - NOMINALISERS 2
      • RELATIVE CLAUSES
      • TE FORM + IKU/KURU
      • REPORTED SPEECH-SOU DESU
      • DOU YATTE - HOW TO
      • YARIKATA - HOW TO
      • KOTO GA ARIMASU KA - HAVE YOU EVER...
      • TABETE SHIMAIMASHITA - ENDED UP EATING
      • NANI KA/DARE KA - SOMETHING/ SOMEBODY
      • NANI MO/DARE MO - SOMETHING/ NOTHING
      • BEGIN DOING - SHIHAJIMERU
      • TAME NI - IN ORDER TO/FOR THE SAKE OF
      • SHIKA NAI - NOTHING BUT
    • NCEA LEVEL 2 KANJI
    • ONLINE READING LINKS
    • HOMESTAY UNIT VOCABULARY
  • YEAR 13
    • YEAR13 LANGUAGE NOTES >
      • NODE - EXPLAINING CONSEQUENCES
      • ~SHI - EMPHASISING SUPPORTING INFORMATION
      • TARA - IF
      • ~NARA - IF
      • ~TARA II - SHOULD
      • ~SHITA HOU GA II - OUGHT TO
      • ~SHINAI HOU GA II - OUGHT NOT TO
      • ~KOTO NI NARU - IT HAS BEEN DECIDED THAT~
      • ~NAKEREBA NARANAI - I HAVE TO
      • ~NAKEREBA IKENAI - YOU HAVE TO
      • ~NAKUTE MO II - YOU DON'T HAVE TO
      • ~RARERU - THE POTENTIAL FORM
      • ~TE HOSHII - WANT SOMEONE TO DO
      • ~TE MORAU - GET SOMEONE TO DO
      • ~TE KURERU - SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING FOR US
      • ~KA DOU KA - EXPRESSING UNCERTAINTY
      • ~ TSUMORI WA NAI - HAVE NO INTENTION OF ~
      • ~HAZU DA - EXPECTATION/SHOULD BE
      • ~TRANSITIVE/INTRANSITIVE VERBS
      • SUPPORT/CHALLENGE IDEAS
    • NCEA LEVEL 3 KANJI
  • VERBS
    • ICHI(1)-DAN VERBS
    • GO(5)-DAN VERBS >
      • う-VERBS
      • く-VERBS
      • ぐ-VERBS
      • す-VERBS
      • つ-VERBS
      • ぬ-VERBS
      • ぶ-VERBS
      • む-VERBS
      • る-VERBS
    • IRREGULAR VERBS
    • VERB TENSES - HOW TO USE THEM

Verb Tenses
Which Tense When?


The Non-Past Tense - ~ます Form and Plain Form

The non-past tense is used to talk about both the present (to say what someone does / doesn't do) and the future (to say what someone will / won't do). We have to use context (clues in the conversation) to know if someone is talking about the present or the future.
  • Words like いつも (always), よく (often) are about the present - what someone does.
  • Words like あした (tomorrow), らいねん (next year) are about the future - what someone will do.
Examples:

Non-past ~ます (masu) Form:

Positive:
ばんごはん に よく さかな を たべます。
  • ​I often eat fish for dinner. (Present)
あした レストラン で たべます。
  • ​Tomorrow I will eat at a restaurant. (Future)
Negative:
​あまり バス に のりません。
  • ​I don't ​ride the bus much. (Present)
あした バス に のりません。
  • ​Tomorrow I won't ride the bus. (Future)
Vertical Divider

Non-past Plain Form:

Positive:
ばんごはん に よく さかな を たべる。
  • ​I often eat fish for dinner. ​(Present)
あした レストラン で たべる
  • ​Tomorrow I will eat at a restaurant.  (Future)
Negative:
あまり​ バス に のらない。
  • ​I don't ride the bus much. (Present)
あした バス に のらない。
  • ​Tomorrow I will not ride the bus.​ (Future)

The Present Continuous Tense - ~ます Form and Plain Form

We use the present continuous tense in two different ways:
  • something taking place at the moment. E.g. "I am eating my lunch at the moment" - I'm in the middle of doing this thing, and I'm not finished. 
  • actions or situations that are continuous, that aren't finished. E.g. "I live in Tokyo", or "I work at a convenience store" - this is the situation with my life right now, this is how things are.
Forming the present continuous:
  • Use the て form + いる/いない (plain form) or います/いません (-masu form)
Examples:

Present Continuous ~ます (masu) Form:

Positive:
いま、ひるごはん  を たべて います。
  • I am eating my lunch now. 
    ​(This is happening at the moment)
ゆうびんきょく  で ​はたらいて います。
  • I work at the post office. 
    ​(I might not be there right now, but this is the current situation in my life.)
きょう、あめ が ふって います。
  • It is raining today. 
    (This is happening at the moment.)
Negative:
いま、あさごはん  を たべて いません。
  • I am not eating my breakfast now. 
ぎんこう  では はたらいて いません。
  • I don't work at the bank. 
Vertical Divider

Present Continuous Plain Form:

Positive:
いま、ひるごはん  を たべて いる。
  • I am eating my lunch now.
    (This is happening at the moment.)
ゆうびんきょく  で ​はたらいて いる。
  • I work at the post office. 
    ​(I might not be there right now, but this is the current situation in my life.)
きょう、あめ が ふって いる。
  • It is raining today. 
    (This is happening at the moment.)
Negative:
いま、あさごはん  を たべて いない。
  • I am not eating my breakfast now. 
ぎんこう  では はたらいて いません。
  • I don't work at the bank. 

The Past Tense - ~ます Form and Plain Form

This one isn't rocket science. The past tense is used to talk about actions that began and finished in the past (to say what someone did). However, if you want to talk about what someone used to do, scroll down to the past continuous. 
​
Examples:

Past Tense ~ます (masu) Form:

Positive:
きのう、あさごはん  に  トースト を  たべました。
  • ​Yesterday I ate toast for breakfast. 
学校  に  行きました。
  • ​I went to school. 
Negative:
バス  に  のりません でした。
  • ​I didn't ride the bus. 
Vertical Divider

Past Tense Plain Form:

Positive:
きのう、あさごはん  に  トースト  を  たべた。
  • ​Yesterday I ate toast for breakfast. 
学校  に  行った。
  • ​I went to school. 
Negative:
バス  に  のりません でした。
  • ​I didn't ride the bus. 

The Past Continuous Tense - ~ます Form and Plain Form

We use the past continuous tense very similarly to the way we use it in English:
  • something that was taking place over a period of time in the past. E.g. "Yesterday at 1 p.m. I was eating my lunch in the classroom" - the inference here is that I probably began at some point before that, I was still doing it at that time, and I hadn't yet finished. 
We also use the past continuous to talk about situations that were continuous in the past.
  • E.g. "I lived in Tokyo for three years", or "I worked at a convenience store last year" - this was the situation with my life at that time, that is how things were.
In addition, combined with words like むかし, the past continuous can be used for the idea of "used to do" such and such.
  • e.g. "I used to play netball", or "I used to go to school by bus".

​Forming the past continuous:
  • Use the て form + いた/いなかった (plain form) or いました/いません  でした (-masu form)
Examples:

Past Continuous Tense ~ます (masu) Form:

Positive:
むかし  ネットボール  を   やって いました。
  • ​I used to play netball. 
3年間  東京  に   すんで いました。
  • ​I lived in Tokyo for three years.
きのう  1時に  きょうしつ  で  ひるごはん  を  たべて いました。
  • ​Yesterday at one o'clock I was eating lunch in the classroom.
Negative:
きっさてん  で  コーヒー  を  のんで いません でした。
  • ​I wasn't drinking coffee in a cafe.
Vertical Divider

Past Continuous Tense Plain Form:

Positive:
むかし  ネットボール  を   やって いた。
  • ​I used to play netball. 
3年間  東京  に   すんで いた。
  • ​I lived in Tokyo for three years.
きのう  1時に  きょうしつ  で  ひるごはん  を  たべて いた。
  • ​Yesterday at one o'clock I was eating lunch in the classroom. 
Negative:
きっさてん  で  コーヒー  を  のんで いなかった。
  • ​​I wasn't drinking coffee in a cafe.
Copyright © 2024
  • Home
  • CLASSROOM LANGUAGE
    • REI - STARTING THE LESSON
    • THINGS STUDENTS SAY
    • THINGS TEACHERS SAY
    • CLASSROOM OBJECTS
    • KIMOCHI - FEELINGS
  • YEAR 9
    • HAJIMEMASHITE - FIRST MEETINGS
    • AISATSU - GREETINGS
    • GREETINGS ANIME
    • NAMAE - NAMES
    • BANGOU - NUMBERS
    • NAN SAI? - HOW OLD ARE YOU?
    • WHERE WE LIVE
    • SPORTS AND PASTIMES
    • JIKO SHOUKAI - SELF INTRODUCTION
    • KAZOKU - FAMILY
    • LIKES AND DISLIKES
    • YURU KYARA - CHARACTER MASCOTS
    • PARTS OF THE BODY - FACES
    • THE BODY - KARADA
    • NANI IRO - WHAT COLOUR?
    • WHAT'S IT LIKE - DESCRIBING WORDS
    • TENKI - WEATHER
    • KAMOKU - SUBJECTS
    • SUBEJECT LIKES AND DISLIKES
    • GAKKOU - SCHOOL
    • HIRAGANA
    • YEAR 9 STUDENTS
  • YEAR 10
    • KUNI - COUNTRIES
    • KAZOKU - FAMILY >
      • FAMILY VOCABULARY
      • INTRODUCING FAMILY
      • NAN NIN? - HOW MANY PEOPLE?
      • DARE GA IMASU KA -WHO IS THERE?
      • DESCRIBING APPEARANCE
      • SHUMI - HOBBIES
      • SHIGOTO - JOBS
    • TABEMONO - FOOD >
      • ORDERING IN A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT
    • HOUSING >
      • AROUND HOME - VOCABULARY
      • WHAT'S IT LIKE? - DOU DESU KA?
      • ARIMASU-THERE IS/THERE ARE
      • HITOTSU ARIMASU-THERE IS ONE
      • IN/ON/UNDER - PREPOSITIONS
      • SAYING WHAT THERE IS AND WHERE
      • ASKING AND SAYING WHERE SOMETHING IS
      • KORE/SORE/ARE - THIS/THAT
    • SEIKATSU - DAILY LIFE >
      • VERBS - INTRODUCTION
      • VERBS - DAILY ACTIVITIES
      • HOW OFTEN?
      • TOMORROW - FUTURE TIME WORDS
      • PAST ACTIVITIES
      • YESTERDAY - PAST TIME WORDS
      • JIKAN - TIME
      • YOUBI - DAYS OF THE WEEK
    • YEAR 10 GAKKOU >
      • KAMOKU - SUBJECTS
      • SCHOOL VOCABULARY
    • NANI IRO - WHAT COLOUR?
    • DOUBUTSU - ANIMALS >
      • STORIES AND SONGS >
        • Zou no hana - The Elephant's Nose
        • Kobutanukitsuneko
    • YEAR 10 KANJI
    • LISTENING PRACTICE
  • YEAR 11
    • Y11 LANGUAGE NOTES >
      • THINGS AROUND TOWN
      • NANI GA ARU? - WHAT IS THERE?
      • MAE / YOKO / USHIRO - Locations
      • ADJECTIVES - REVIEW
      • DESCRIBING APPEARANCES
      • CHIISAKUTE, FURUI - Small and old - Joining adjectives
      • EKI GA ATTE, BENRI DESU - Forming compound sentences
      • IROIRONA MACHI - Descriptions of various towns
      • TARI-TARI - Do things like...
      • KARA - from, so, after >
        • KARA = FROM
        • KARA = THEREFORE/SO
        • KARA = AFTER
      • DOU YATTE IKU? - Giving Directions
      • NANI GA DEKIRU? - WHAT CAN WE DO THERE?
      • ASOBI NI KITE - COME AND VISIT
      • MACHI ONLINE READING LINKS
      • COUNTERS
      • NANI IRO - WHAT COLOUR?
      • AKAI NO GA HOSHII - I WANT THE RED ONE
      • IKURA - HOW MUCH?
      • SORE WO KUDASAI - THAT ONE PLEASE
      • NANI GA II - WHAT WOULD BE GOOD?
      • NI SHIMASU - EXPRESSING A DECISION
      • TO OMOU - I THINK
      • SHUMI - HOBBIES
      • GIVING & RECEIVING - AGERU KURERU MORAU
      • OISHISOU - LOOKS DELICIOUS
      • TABETAI - WANT TO EAT
      • TSUMORI - INTEND
      • DESCRIBING PEOPLE
      • MOU, MADA - ALREADY, NOT YET
      • SUGIMASU - Too much
      • NAGARA - While doing
      • TE MO II - PERMISSION
      • NARIMASU -BECOME
      • KOTO GA DEKIRU - CAN DO
      • CONNECTIVES - Joining words
      • SEQUENCE MARKERS AVERBS OF TIME
    • WATASHI-TACHI NO MACHI - OUR TOWN
    • KAIMONO - SHOPPING 1
    • KURISUMASU - CHRISTMAS
    • OTHER LANGUAGE NOTES
    • PRESENTATIONS - Oral language features
    • NCEA LEVEL 1 KANJI
    • FUNNY JAPANESE COMMERCIALS
    • INTERACTION PRACTICE
  • YEAR 12
    • YEAR12 LANGUAGE NOTES >
      • -NO HOU GA - COMPARISONS/ MORE - THAN
      • ICHIBAN - COMPARISONS/THE MOST
      • HODO NAI - COMPARISONS/ NOT AS
      • ONAJI GURAI - COMPARISONS/ SAME AS
      • DOUSHI - VERBS
      • KOTO NI SURU - DECIDE TO DO
      • SURU MAE NI - BEFORE WE DO
      • -TA ATODE - AFTER WE'VE DONE
      • CHIISAI TOKI - WHEN I WAS LITTLE
      • VERB AIDA - WHILE VERBING
      • -TE MIRU - TRY SOMETHING AND SEE
      • KISETSU - SEASONS
      • USING と FOR IF/WHEN
      • NO - NOMINALISING ADJECTIVES
      • TENKI - WEATHER
      • AME GA FUTTE IMASU - IT'S RAINING
      • NO/KOTO - NOMINALISERS 2
      • RELATIVE CLAUSES
      • TE FORM + IKU/KURU
      • REPORTED SPEECH-SOU DESU
      • DOU YATTE - HOW TO
      • YARIKATA - HOW TO
      • KOTO GA ARIMASU KA - HAVE YOU EVER...
      • TABETE SHIMAIMASHITA - ENDED UP EATING
      • NANI KA/DARE KA - SOMETHING/ SOMEBODY
      • NANI MO/DARE MO - SOMETHING/ NOTHING
      • BEGIN DOING - SHIHAJIMERU
      • TAME NI - IN ORDER TO/FOR THE SAKE OF
      • SHIKA NAI - NOTHING BUT
    • NCEA LEVEL 2 KANJI
    • ONLINE READING LINKS
    • HOMESTAY UNIT VOCABULARY
  • YEAR 13
    • YEAR13 LANGUAGE NOTES >
      • NODE - EXPLAINING CONSEQUENCES
      • ~SHI - EMPHASISING SUPPORTING INFORMATION
      • TARA - IF
      • ~NARA - IF
      • ~TARA II - SHOULD
      • ~SHITA HOU GA II - OUGHT TO
      • ~SHINAI HOU GA II - OUGHT NOT TO
      • ~KOTO NI NARU - IT HAS BEEN DECIDED THAT~
      • ~NAKEREBA NARANAI - I HAVE TO
      • ~NAKEREBA IKENAI - YOU HAVE TO
      • ~NAKUTE MO II - YOU DON'T HAVE TO
      • ~RARERU - THE POTENTIAL FORM
      • ~TE HOSHII - WANT SOMEONE TO DO
      • ~TE MORAU - GET SOMEONE TO DO
      • ~TE KURERU - SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING FOR US
      • ~KA DOU KA - EXPRESSING UNCERTAINTY
      • ~ TSUMORI WA NAI - HAVE NO INTENTION OF ~
      • ~HAZU DA - EXPECTATION/SHOULD BE
      • ~TRANSITIVE/INTRANSITIVE VERBS
      • SUPPORT/CHALLENGE IDEAS
    • NCEA LEVEL 3 KANJI
  • VERBS
    • ICHI(1)-DAN VERBS
    • GO(5)-DAN VERBS >
      • う-VERBS
      • く-VERBS
      • ぐ-VERBS
      • す-VERBS
      • つ-VERBS
      • ぬ-VERBS
      • ぶ-VERBS
      • む-VERBS
      • る-VERBS
    • IRREGULAR VERBS
    • VERB TENSES - HOW TO USE THEM