Grammar

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Verb Conjugation exercises from Dictionary form to Masu-form

• Lesson 3 Particle Quiz (This link is currently broken. I will fix it as soon as I find the new one.)

• Website explaining basic particles and providing a practice handout for elementary level learners

Note: Change the encoding to Japanese if you cannot read Japanese characters. (In Firefox, go to the orange "Firefox" tab on the upper left -> "Web Developer" -> "Character Encoding" -> "Japanese"

I. Verb Conjugations (L3-1 Verb Conjugation & L3-2 Verb Types and the "Present Tense")

Flashcards of 40 Verbs with Example Audios

The tense of the ます form is called the "non-past tense" and used for both present and future tenses. We do not differentiate the forms for these two because whether the tense is present or future can generally be recognized from the context. When you use action verbs, you need to use Particle を, the direct object marker, to mark the noun. It is the same を as ～をください ("please give me...")& ～をおねがいします (..., please).

ex. わたしは にほんごを はなします。 (I speak Japanese.)

メアリーさんは コーヒーを のみません。 (Mary does not drink coffee.)

You can make a couple of different types of question sentences with action verbs at this point.

a. なにを ききますか。(What do/will you listen to? - WH question)

Sample answer: にほんのおんがくを ききます。(I (will) listen to Japanese music.)

b. なにを しますか。(What do you do? - more general WH question)

Sample answer: ほんを よみます。(I (will) read a book.)

c. おすしを たべますか。(Do/will you eat sushi? -yes/no question)

Sample answers: はい、たべます。(Yes, I do/will.) ← DO NOT use はい、そうです!

いいえ、たべません。 (No, I don't./won't.) (or いいえ、おすしを たべません。とんかつを たべます。 etc.) (I don't/won't eat sushi. I (will) eat tonkatsu.)

To answer questions with verbs, make sure to use the appropriate ます form of a verb, not です. You need to answer the questions using the exact same sentence patterns as the questions at this point. Be sure to remember not to use はい、そうです to answer yes/no questions with verbs since はい、そうです can be used only to respond to a [Noun]は[Noun]ですか pattern question.

II. Particles (L3-2 Particles)

1. Particle で：The Particle で is used to mark a place where an action takes place.

When you ask what someone does in a place, use the pattern:

[Place]で なにを しますか

If you are asking where the person does something, use the pattern:

どこで [something]を しますか

ex. Q1: メアリーさんは いえで なにを しますか。(What do you/does Mary do at home?)

A1: おんがくを ききます。(I/she listen(s) to music.)

Q2: たけしさんは としょかんで なにを よみますか。(What do you/does Takeshi read at the library?)

Q2: にほんごのほんを よみます。(I/he read(s) Japanese books.)

Q3: スーさんは どこで にほんごを べんきょうしますか。(Where do you/does Sue study Japanese?)

A3: ともだちの うちで べんきょうします。(I/she study/studies at a friend's house.)

Q4: ロバートさんは どこで おすしを たべますか。(Where do you/does Robert eat sushi?)

A4: すしはなで たべます。(I/he eat(s) at Sushi Hana.)

2. Particles へ (read as "e") and に：Motion verbs (いきます、きます、かえります) take the destination marker へ instead of the direct object marker を or the place of action marker で. You can substitute へ with another destination marker に, which is more colloquial.

ex.1 しゅうまつ おおさかへ(or に) いきます。(I will go to Osaka on weekend.)

ex.2 まいにち がっこうへ(or に) きます。(I come to school every day.)

ex.3 いま うちへ(or に) かえります。(I will go (return) home now.)

Note: Because these motions are based on where you are, when you want to say "I'm coming," you have to use いきます in Japanese. Also, even though you can say you "go" or "come" home, you always have to use かえります in Japanese.

Here are the particles you have learned so far

Can you match them with their functions? Click HERE for the answers.

• • • • • • を Confirmation and Expressing or Expecting Agreement

          • で Topic

          • か "too," "also"

          • は Possessive and Noun Modification

          • に Destination

          • も Place of Action

          • ね Question Sentence

          • よ Assuring

          • の Goal (Direction) of Action

          • へ Specific Point in Time

Direct Object

III. Frequency Adverbs (L3-7)

Memorize them with the verb forms by recite the following all together.

まいにち・よく・ときどき ます。あまり ません。ぜんぜん ません。

• まいにち・よく・ときどき ～ます (Followed by the affirmative form of a verb)

• あまり ～ません (Followed by the negative form of a verb)

• ぜんぜん ～ません (Followed by the negative form of a verb)

IV. Time Reference (L3-4)

Particle に for time is used only for time nouns that indicate specific points in time. It is similar to the English "on" or "at," so do not use に for time nouns that do not take "on" or "at." Also, when you have two time nouns, place the one that is more general first. Today at five in Japanese is きょう ごじに. If you use the word ごろ (around), you do not need に. Pay attention to where you use it. Around 4:30 is よじはんごろ, not ごろよじはん.

ex. （わたしは） きょう ごじに ともだちの いえに いきます。 (I will go to a friend's house at 5 today.)

にちようびに テニスを します。(I (will) play tennis on Sunday.)

メアリーさんは まいにち いちじに としょかんで にほんごを べんきょうします。(Mary studies Japanese at the library every day at 1.)

As you can see from the first example, you can have two に's in one sentence, with one marking the time and the other marking the destination. We do not use the particle に to mark the time if it's not specific (i.e., if it can be any day/time/year, etc.). For example, when you say "at 4," "on Sunday," "in July," or "on Christmas," they are all very specific, so they need に. On the other hand, if you say "today," "next week," "this month," or "next year," you are not talking about specific points in time, so you don't need に. You can consider that you use に when you have "on," "at," or "in" for the time noun in English. However, there are a few time nouns that can optionally use に. For words such as "in the morning/evening" and "on weekend," you can either have or not have に.

ex. あしたのあさ（に） がっこうへ いきません。(I will not go to school tomorrow morning.)

しゅうまつ（に） えいがを みます。(I will watch a movie on weekend.)

There are different WH question words you can use to ask about the time, "at what time" is なんじに, "on what day of the week" is なんようびに, and "when," the most general WH question word, is いつ. You do not use に for いつ because it is not about a specific time.

ex. Q: あした なんじに がっこうに いきますか。(What time are you going to school tomorrow?) A: はちじに（がっこうに）いきます。(I will go at 8.)

Q: メアリーさんは なんようびに としょかんで べんきょうしますか。(On which day does Mary/do you study at the library?) A: たいてい きんようびに べんきょうします。(I/She usually study/studies on Fridays.)

Q: いつ きょうとへ いきますか。(When are you going to Kyoto?) A: にちようびの くじに いきます。(I'm going there on Sunday at 9.)

V. Extending an Invitation: ませんか (L3-5)

When you invite someone to do an activity with you, use ～ませんか form. It means "would you like to..." but it is in the negative form because it is basically saying "won't you .... (with me)?" If you use ～ますか instead, it just asks if the person does/will do something or not, so remember to use ～ませんか for invitations.

ex.1 としょかんで にほんごを べんきょうしませんか。(Would you like to study Japanese in the library?)

ex.2 あした がっこうで テニスを しませんか。(Would you like to play tennis at school tomorrow?)

To accept the invitation, use いいですね (sounds good). When something is not convenient, use "(Noun)ですか。(Noun)はちょっと。" You can also use another variation "(Noun)ですか。すみませんが、(Noun)はちょっと。" if you want. No matter what type of noun you have, do not add に or で between the noun and はちょっと.

ex. A: マクドナルドで ひるごはんを たべませんか。

B: マクドナルドですか。マクドナルドは ちょっと。

A: じゃあ、モスバーガーは どうですか。

B: いいですね。

YouTube video: "To reply to an invitation" (Note: It is better to start with "...ですか" before you say "...はちょっと" even though it is not used in the video.)

VI. Word Order (L3-6)

You have learned several different particles so far, and can make a fairly long sentence by now. Pay close attention to the word order when you form a sentence. If you keep the subject (topic) in the sentence, your sentence should start with the subject. Then, it is usually followed by a time, place, the direct object (if there is one), and the verb.

Ex.1 （わたしは） きょう 五時に ともだちの いえに いきます。

[Topic] [Time (broader to more specific)] [Place (Destination)] [Motion]

Ex.2 メアリーさんは まいにち 一時に としょかんで にほんごを べんきょうします。

[Topic] [Time] [Place (of Action)] [Direct Object] [Action]