To change Japanese verbs into the present tense, you first need to know if the verb is a ru-verb (also called ichidan) or a u-verb (also called godan).

1. Ru-verbs

• To change these verbs, just take off the -ru ending and add -masu.
  • Example: 食べる (taberu) becomes 食べます (tabemasu).

2. U-verbs

• For u-verbs, you need to change the last sound:
  • Change the ending -u to -imasu.
  • Example: 飲む (nomu) becomes 飲みます (nomimasu).

Key Facts:

• About 80% of Japanese verbs are u-verbs and around 20% are ru-verbs.
• Changing the verb this way also makes it more polite.

Negative Present Tense:

• For Ru-verbs: Add -masen. (For example, 食べません, tabemasen means "do not eat.")
• For U-verbs: Change the ending to -anai. (For example, 飲まない, nomanai means "do not drink.")

By knowing these patterns, you will be able to communicate better in Japanese!