Common Japanese Verbs
These are given in the polite -masu form, which is what a beginner should speak first. The verb always comes last in a Japanese sentence.
The ones that hold a sentence together
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です desu
dess
-
to be, it is
The u is barely voiced. Say dess, not deh-soo
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あります arimasu
ah-ree-MAHS
-
there is
For things that cannot move
-
います imasu
ee-MAHS
-
there is
For people and animals
Everyday actions
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行きます いきます ikimasu
ee-kee-MAHS
-
to go
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来ます きます kimasu
kee-MAHS
-
to come
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します shimasu
shee-MAHS
-
to do
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見ます みます mimasu
mee-MAHS
-
to see, to watch
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食べます たべます tabemasu
tah-beh-MAHS
-
to eat
-
飲みます のみます nomimasu
noh-mee-MAHS
-
to drink
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話します はなします hanashimasu
hah-nah-shee-MAHS
-
to speak
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住んでいます すんでいます sundeimasu
soon-day-MAHS
-
to live somewhere
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働きます はたらきます hatarakimasu
hah-tah-rah-kee-MAHS
-
to work
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分かります わかります wakarimasu
wah-kah-ree-MAHS
-
to understand
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できます dekimasu
deh-kee-MAHS
-
to be able to
The verb goes last, and the -masu forms are regular
Japanese word order is subject, object, verb. 私はりんごを食べます is literally I apple eat. The verb is always the last thing in the sentence, which means you often cannot tell what someone is doing until they finish speaking.
The -masu ending is the polite present. To make it negative, swap it for -masen: 食べます becomes 食べません, I do not eat. Past is -mashita, and past negative is -masen deshita. Four endings cover an enormous amount of ground.
Arimasu and imasu both mean there is, and the split is whether the thing can move by itself. A cat is imasu, a chair is arimasu. A car is arimasu even though it moves, because it does not move itself.
Desu is not really a verb but it behaves like one here. Its negative is じゃありません, ja arimasen.
- 東京に住んでいます。I live in Tokyo.
- 日本語が分かりません。I don't understand Japanese.
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