Japanese Verbs

Present Indicative

Production Rules:

	Plain Affirmative	Polite Affirmative	Plain Negative	Polite Negative
Rule	[う-stem] [u-stem]	[い-stem] + ます [i-stem] + masu	[あ-stem] + ない [a-stem] + nai	[い-stem] + ません [i-stem] + masen
Meaning	X [does], X will [do]		X doesn't [do], X will not [do]

Inflection Examples:

	Plain Affirmative	Polite Affirmative	Plain Negative	Polite Negative
食べる taberu (to eat)	食べる taberu	食べます tabemasu	食べない tabenai	食べません tabemasen
話す hanasu (to speak)	話す hanasu	話します hanashimasu	話さない hanasanai	話しません hanashimasen
歩く aruku (to walk)	歩く aruku	歩きます arukimasu	歩かない arukanai	歩きません arukimasen
泳ぐ oyogu (to swim)	泳ぐ oyogu	泳ぎます oyogimasu	泳がない oyoganai	泳ぎません oyogimasen
呼ぶ yobu (to call)	呼ぶ yobu	呼びます yobimasu	呼ばない yobanai	呼びません yobimasen
飲む nomu (to drink)	飲む nomu	飲みます nomimasu	飲まない nomanai	飲みません nomimasen
死ぬ shinu (to die)	死ぬ shinu	死にます shinimasu	死なない shinanai	死にません shinimasen
作る tsukuru (to make)	作る tsukuru	作ります tsukurimasu	作らない tsukuranai	作りません tsukurimasen
待つ matsu (to wait)	待つ matsu	待ちます machimasu	待たない matanai	待ちません machimasen
洗う arau (to wash)	洗う arau	洗います araimasu	洗わない arawanai	洗いません araimasen

Usage Notes:

This form is generally used to express habitual action, or future action. It can be used generally where the present indicative or future tense is used in English.
Be sure to draw the distinction between habitual and progressive action. "I am eating" (that is, "I am in the process of eating right now") is expressed by the progressive form in Japanese, as in English. Many verbs in Japanese, however, also have an "instantaneous" quality about them, and in those cases the Japanese conceptualize a current condition as the progressive continuation of a previous change of state. Thus "I know" is not "shiru", but "shitte iru". That is, at some point in the past, I changed state from not knowing something to having learned about it, and I progressively continue to be in that state. Quite a few verbs in Japanese are like this.

Usage Examples: