Japanese verbs
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Contents |
Introduction
One can actually define a variety of verb classes that exist in modern Japanese from their classical Japanese counterparts. Fortunately for us, the passage of time has not been kind to a few of the classical verb types and only a few examples of the less common types exist in modern Japanese. For simplicity's sake (and some might argue out of pedagogical tradition), we group Japanese verbs into two general verb classes and leave a few outcasts to be memorized seperately.
These two classes are known as ru-verbs (る-verbs) and u-verbs (う-verbs). Different Japanese language resources use a variety of different names for these two classes, but once you get a feel for them you shouldn't have much difficulty being able to switch between different naming conventions. The outcasts are the verbs する [suru], to do, and 来る [kuru], to come.
This introduction will use romaji whenever it is convenient and aids the understanding of verb inflection. However, romaji will not be used in any example sentences and it is highly recommended that any Japanese language learner memorize hiragana and katakana before they move beyond learning simple phrases.
Types of Verbs and their Verb Stems
Ru-Verbs
All ru-verbs, surprisingly enough, end in る. Though not all verbs that end in る are ru-verbs.
Examples of ru-verbs include:
- 食べる [taberu] to eat
- 付ける [tsukeru] turn/switch on (along with a variety of other meanings)
- 開ける [akeru] to open
To form what we will call the verb stem, one simply removes the る from the end of the verb. Thus, 負ける [makeru] to lose (a contest) becomes 負け [make] and 落ちる [ochiru] to fall/drop becomes 落ち [ochi]. Seems simple enough, doesn't it?
U-Verbs
Here is where things get a bit more complicated. All u-verbs, once romanized, end in u. This can include ending in ru る, which can be easily confused with a ru-verb.
Examples of u-verbs include:
- 飲む [nomu] to drink
- 遊ぶ [asobu] to play
- 泳ぐ [oyogu] to swim
- 帰る [kaeru] to return (home)
- 集まる [atsumaru] to gather [intransitive]
- 会う [au] to meet
To make the verb stem, one simply removes the u and replaces it with i. Thus 急ぐ [isogu] to hurry becomes 急ぎ [isogi] and 思う [omou] to think becomes 思い [omoi].
Telling the Difference
At first it may be rather challenging to figure out whether a verb ending in る is a ru-verb or an u-verb. There are, thankfully, a couple of simple rules to help you figure it out. Verbs that end in aru, uru, and oru are always u-verbs. Verbs that end in eru or iru are usually ru-verbs. If a verb ends in eru or iru and has a hiragana character between the initial kanji at the beginning of the verb and ru, then it is almost always a ru-verb.
If you can remember the dictionary form of a verb (the non-stem forms that have been listed here so far) and the stem form of a verb, then it is easy to remember what kind of verb it is. For now though, don't worry about it too much, you will get used to it after a while.
The Outcasts
As was mentioned in the introduction, the two main exceptions to the two verb classes are:
- する [suru] to do
- 来る [来る|kuru] to come
One basically has to simply memorize how they conjugate for different forms. The verb stem of 来る [kuru] is 来 [ki] and the verb stem of する [suru] is し [shi].
A Helping Hand
I realize it may be rather difficult to remember these verb stems without any context, so I highly recommend continuing on to -masu form where you can learn to use verb stems to make a new construction.
Present and Future
Japanese verbs do not (by themselves) distinguish between the present and the future. Usually this is not too much of a problem as the surrounding context makes the verb's usage obvious. However, situations may arise where it is difficult to disambiguate between the two.
Thus, 私はコーヒーを飲む can mean "I drink coffee" or "I will drink coffee".
"To get" Verbs
There are quite a few verbs in the Japanese language which indicate a change in state and do not have any direct correspondence with a specific English verb. A good example of such a verb is 知る [shiru] which is often translated as "to know" or "to be acquainted (with)", but is more aptly translated as "to get to know" or "to become acquainted (with)". Basically, because this kind of verb indicates a change in state, it must be treated differently than others. To actually say that you know something, one would have to say 知っている which would roughly indicate that you have gotten to know something and are still in that state. Conversely, to say that you don't know something, one simply needs to put the verb in the negative. Thus, 知らない I don't know, takes on the meaning of "I have not gotten to know" or "I have not become acquainted (with)".
