You have learned a number of verbs in this module. Have you noticed that all these verbs ended in ~ます?
The Japanese language has only 2 tenses, past and non-past, and ~ます ending is a non-past affirmative ending, so all verbs ending in ~ます indicate what you usually do or what you will do in the (near) future. That is あさごはんを たべます means “I eat breakfast” (as opposed to “I don’t eat breakfast”) or “I will eat breakfast (tomorrow).”
If you change ~ます into ~ました, that becomes a past ending, so all verbs ending in ~ました indicate something that a person did in the past.
If you change ~ます into ~ません, that becomes a negative, non-past ending, so all verbs ending in ~ません indicate something a person don’t usually do.
If you add でした into a ~ません sentence, that becomes a negative past ending, so all verbs ending in ~ませんでした indicate something a person didn’t do in the past.
tense | affirmative | negative |
---|---|---|
non-past | あさごはんを たべます I/someone eat(s) breakfast. | あさごはんを たべません I/someone do(es)n’t eat breakfast. |
past | あさごはんを たべました I/someone ate breakfast. | あさごはんを たべません でした I/someone didn’t eat breakfast. |
Explaining Video
Examples
わたしは バナナが すき じゃない です。だから、バナナを たべません。
I don’t like bananas. Therefore, I don’t eat bananas.あには きょう テニスを しました。でも、しあいに かちませんでした。
My brother played tennis today, but he did not win a match.ははは じてんしゃで えきまで いきました。そして そこから でんしゃで そぼの いえに いきました。
My mum rode a bicycle to the station. And then, from there, she went to my grandmother’s house on a train.あねは きのう ケーキを やきました。それから、ばんごはんも つくりました。
My sister baked a cake yesterday. And she cooked dinner as well.おとうとは サッカーが だいすきです。それで、まいにちサッカーをします。
My brother loves soccer. Therefore, he plays soccer everyday.
Vocabulary
も (replacing は, が or を) | too, as well |
だから | and, therefore |
でも | but, however |
そして | and, and then |
それから | and, after that |
それで | and, therefore |
Suggested Activities
Write a few sentences each of the following in Japanese.
- what you usually do
- what you usually don’t do
- what you did in the past
- what you didn’t do in the past
Do the first exercise in the Part IIII of the Module 4 of the Moodle Course.