Understanding Japanese verbs is super important, especially when you learn how to change them, which is called conjugation. There are two main types of verbs: regular and irregular. Let’s make it simple!

Regular Verbs

Regular verbs in Japanese usually end with the sounds -ru (る) or -u (う). The good news is that these verbs follow clear patterns, so they’re easier to learn!

1. Group 1: -u Verbs (Godan Verbs)
These verbs end with a consonant + -u. For example, 行く (iku), which means "to go."

Present Tense Conjugation:

• To make it positive, we drop the -u and add -imasu: 行きます (ikimasu).
• To make it negative, we drop the -u and add -imasen: 行きません (ikimasen).

2. Group 2: -ru Verbs (Ichidan Verbs)
These verbs end with -ru. A common one is 食べる (taberu), which means "to eat."

Present Tense Conjugation:

• For positive, drop the -ru and add -masu: 食べます (tabemasu).
• For negative, drop the -ru and add -masen: 食べません (tabemasen).

Irregular Verbs

There are just a few irregular verbs in Japanese, which makes them special. The main ones you will see are する (suru), which means "to do," and 来る (kuru), which means "to come."

Conjugation Patterns:

• する (suru)

  • Positive: します (shimasu)
  • Negative: しません (shimasen)

• 来る (kuru)

  • Positive: 来ます (kimasu)
  • Negative: 来ません (kimasen)

Summary

Let’s recap what we learned:

Regular Verbs:

• -u Verbs: Change -u to -imasu for positive and -imasen for negative.
• -ru Verbs: Change -ru to -masu for positive and -masen for negative.

Irregular Verbs:

• する (suru): します (shimasu) for positive and しません (shimasen) for negative.
• 来る (kuru): 来ます (kimasu) for positive and 来ません (kimasen) for negative.

Learning these patterns will help you feel more confident when using Japanese verbs in conversations. Remember, the more you practice, the better you’ll get! Happy studying!