🕐 Daily Life & Verb Basics
Now we move from describing things (X is Y) to describing actions. Japanese verbs behave very differently from English — they come at the end of the sentence and conjugate for tense and politeness.
Verb Basics
Verb Placement
In Japanese, the verb always comes at the end of the sentence:
English: I eat sushi.
Japanese: わたしは すしを たべます。(Watashi wa sushi o tabemasu.)
The ます (masu) Form
The ます form is the polite present/future tense. This is the form you should learn first and use in most situations.
| Form | Suffix | Example (たべる — to eat) |
|---|---|---|
| Polite positive | ~ます | たべます (eat / will eat) |
| Polite negative | ~ません | たべません (don’t eat) |
| Polite past | ~ました | たべました (ate) |
| Polite past negative | ~ませんでした | たべませんでした (didn’t eat) |
Three Verb Groups
Japanese verbs are classified into three groups based on how they conjugate:
Group 1 — う-verbs (Godan): The vowel before ます changes.
| Dictionary Form | ます Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| のむ (nomu) | のみます (nomimasu) | to drink |
| かく (kaku) | かきます (kakimasu) | to write |
| はなす (hanasu) | はなします (hanashimasu) | to speak |
| よむ (yomu) | よみます (yomimasu) | to read |
| いく (iku) | いきます (ikimasu) | to go |
Group 2 — る-verbs (Ichidan): Simply replace る with ます.
| Dictionary Form | ます Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| たべる (taberu) | たべます (tabemasu) | to eat |
| みる (miru) | みます (mimasu) | to see / watch |
| ねる (neru) | ねます (nemasu) | to sleep |
| おきる (okiru) | おきます (okimasu) | to wake up |
Group 3 — Irregular verbs: Only two! Memorize them.
| Dictionary Form | ます Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| する (suru) | します (shimasu) | to do |
| くる (kuru) | きます (kimasu) | to come |
Key Particles for Actions
を (o) — Object Marker
Marks the direct object (what receives the action):
コーヒーを のみます。(Koohii o nomimasu.) — I drink coffee.
にほんごを べんきょうします。(Nihongo o benkyou shimasu.) — I study Japanese.
で (de) — Location of Action
Marks where an action takes place:
としょかんで べんきょうします。(Toshokan de benkyou shimasu.) — I study at the library.
うちで テレビをみます。(Uchi de terebi o mimasu.) — I watch TV at home.
に (ni) — Time / Destination
Used for specific times and destinations:
Time:
しちじに おきます。(Shichi-ji ni okimasu.) — I wake up at 7:00.
Destination:
がっこうに いきます。(Gakkou ni ikimasu.) — I go to school.
Important: に is NOT used with relative time words (today, tomorrow, every day). Only with specific times (3 o’clock, Monday, etc.)
Daily Routine Vocabulary
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| おきます | okimasu | to wake up |
| ねます | nemasu | to sleep / go to bed |
| たべます | tabemasu | to eat |
| のみます | nomimasu | to drink |
| いきます | ikimasu | to go |
| かえります | kaerimasu | to return (home) |
| べんきょうします | benkyou shimasu | to study |
| しごとします | shigoto shimasu | to work |
| みます | mimasu | to see / watch |
| よみます | yomimasu | to read |
| ききます | kikimasu | to listen |
| はなします | hanashimasu | to speak |
Time Words
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| まいにち | mainichi | every day |
| まいあさ | maiasa | every morning |
| まいばん | maiban | every evening |
| きょう | kyou | today |
| あした | ashita | tomorrow |
| きのう | kinou | yesterday |
Describing Your Day
Sample Daily Routine
まいあさ ろくじに おきます。 Maiasa roku-ji ni okimasu. Every morning, I wake up at 6:00.
しちじに あさごはんを たべます。 Shichi-ji ni asagohan o tabemasu. I eat breakfast at 7:00.
はちじに がっこうに いきます。 Hachi-ji ni gakkou ni ikimasu. I go to school at 8:00.
としょかんで にほんごを べんきょうします。 Toshokan de nihongo o benkyou shimasu. I study Japanese at the library.
ろくじに うちに かえります。 Roku-ji ni uchi ni kaerimasu. I return home at 6:00.
じゅういちじに ねます。 Juu-ichi-ji ni nemasu. I go to bed at 11:00.
Asking About Routines
| Question | Answer Pattern |
|---|---|
| なんじにおきますか。(What time do you wake up?) | ～じに おきます。 |
| あさごはんをたべますか。(Do you eat breakfast?) | はい、たべます。/ いいえ、たべません。 |
| どこでべんきょうしますか。(Where do you study?) | ～で べんきょうします。 |
Note: どこ (doko) means “where” — a very useful question word!
Practice Exercises
- Write your daily routine using at least 5 sentences with time expressions
- Conjugate these verbs in all 4 ます forms: のむ, みる, する
- Practice particles: Fill in the blanks with を, で, or に:
- がっこう＿＿いきます (go to school)
- コーヒー＿＿のみます (drink coffee)
- うち＿＿テレビをみます (watch TV at home)
- Ask and answer: Write 3 questions about daily routines with answers