Zaban
Chapter 14 of 17 · Explore the Japanese path

Optional reference · Chapter 14 of 17

Verb lookup: the tails this path did not need

Seven more everyday verbs with their past, plus wanting, giving, asking politely, and the shape that lets one verb carry on into the rest of a sentence. Neither closing reading needs any of it.

≈ 5 min of reading · Practise at your own pace

What’s in this chapter
  • Open this when a verb tail blocks you; neither of the closing readings needs any of it.
  • たいtai glued to a verb means “want to do it”: のむnomu → のみたいnomitai.
  • Japanese has two verbs for “give”, chosen by which way the thing is travelling.
  • くださいkudasai on the end is the one lump of politeness worth having.
  • “Must” is a double negative; read なくては いけないnakute wa ikenai as one lump.

Neither closing reading uses anything in this section. Open it when a verb tail you cannot place blocks a line, and leave it shut otherwise — these are shapes to recognise later, not homework now.

More everyday verbs, with their past

Seven more verbs a story leans on, each with its past form beside it. Look one up rather than learning the list.

EnglishJapanesePast
eatたべるtaberuたべたtabeta
drinkのむnomuのんだnonda
sleepねるneruねたneta
takeとるtoruとったtotta
findみつけるmitsukeruみつけたmitsuketa
helpてつだうtetsudauてつだったtetsudatta
fleeにげるnigeruにげたnigeta

A verb ending in むmu goes to んだnda. And note とるtoru taking the held beat while ねるneru and にげるnigeru do not, though all three end in るru.

Wanting to do something

Glue たいtai onto a verb and it means wanting to do that thing. Watch what happens to the verb’s last sound.

のむnomu“drink”
のみたいnomitai“want to drink”
いくiku“go”
いきたいikitai“want to go”
the verb’s last sound shifts to the “i” column before the ending — the gojūon table doing quiet work

Giving, in two directions

Japanese has two verbs for giving, and which one you use depends on which way the thing is travelling.

the thing goes away from me
あげるageru“give”
I give it to you, or she gives it to him
the thing comes towards me
くれるkureru“give”
you give it to me — English uses the same word and Japanese refuses to

水をmizu o“the water” くださいkudasai“please give”.

水を ください。

mizu o kudasai.

くださいkudasai on the end is the polite way to ask for something. It is a whole word, not an ending.

(I) いかなくては いけないikanakute wa ikenai“must go”.

いかなくては いけない。

ikanakute wa ikenai.

Japanese builds “must” out of a double negative — “not going will not do”. Do not decode it: recognise the tail なくては いけないnakute wa ikenai as “must”.

The て form: make the past, then swap た for て

This is the shape that lets a verb carry on into the rest of the sentence. Build the past first, then change the last character.

たべるtaberu“eat”
たべてtabete
past たべたtabeta → たta becomes てte
のむnomu“drink”
のんでnonde
a past in だda gives でde
かくkaku“write”
かいてkaite
いくiku“go”
いってitte
the same irregular as its past
するsuru“do”
してshite
くるkuru“come”
きてkite
on its own, a friendly “come here”

Two jobs a story needs. Chaining: 水を のんで、ねたmizu o nonde, neta“drank water and slept” — only the last verb carries the tense. And ongoing: たべて いるtabete iru“is eating”, ねて いたnete ita“was sleeping”.

“If” and “when”: two tails, both on the first half

Both of these hang off the end of the first half of the sentence. Read that half, add the tail, then read what follows.

あめが ふったame ga futta“it rained” + らra
あめが ふったら、いえに いるame ga futtara, ie ni iru“if it rains, I will stay home”
past form + らra — “if / once”
はるに なるharu ni naru“spring comes” + とto
はるに なると、はなが さくharu ni naru to, hana ga saku“when spring comes, flowers bloom”
plain form + とto — “whenever, as a rule”
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