Lesson 14:
But, Verb Stems, right? Verb Groups!
Goal:
To learn how to organize verbs into their proper verb groups; how to agree with people, exclaim a statement, and use the word but.
To learn how to organize verbs into their proper verb groups; how to agree with people, exclaim a statement, and use the word but.
New Vocabulary |
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Particles
でも ... But ね ... Agreement よ ... Assertion Noun じょせい ... Woman だんせい ... Man Adjectives いたい ... Ow, hurt ながい ... Long みじかい ... Short くらい... Dark |
"Adverb"
ぜんぜん ...not at all Verbs たたかいます... Fight たおします ... Defeat つくります ... Make べんきょうします ... Study れんしゅうします ... Practice |
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New Grammar
- Verb Stems!
- Conjugating Japanese verbs is very different than conjugating English verbs. One of the most important steps in conjugation is finding the “Verb Stem”. Learn this term, and learn it fast. It is your key to making complex sentences.
- To find the “verb stem”, simply look at your verb in the plain form (-ます). Then, simply “drop the ます” from the verb
- For example:
- たべます => たべ いきます => いき ころします => ころし つくります=>つくり
- Verb Groups
- There are 3 different kinds of verbs in Japanese: Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3. Convenient, eh?
- Group 1 Verbs: These are verbs whose verb stems are (1) more than 1 character long, and (2) end in the い sound.
- いきます たおします のみます かいます うたいます
- There are a few exceptions, such as おきます, which is a group 2
- Group 2 Verbs: These are verbs whose stems either (1) are only one character long, or (2) end in an え sound.
- たべます みます かけます ねます
- Exceptions: おきます, which is group 2. : します and きます are both group 3.
- Group 3 Verbs: These are just weird ones that you have to memorize. Luckily there are only three!
- します
- きます
- です
- Each verb is labeled in the dictionary, but don’t rely on this label. Memorize the pattern.
- XXXXX します
- You’ll notice that MANY verbs end in します: べんきょうします れんしゅうします こうげきします.
- The words BEFORE the します are actually secretly nouns. You CAN put an を before します, but it is unnecessary.
- Be careful, though. Words like はなします and おします are NOT members of this pattern. Once you learn Kanji, the pattern becomes a bit more clear.
- Sentence Ending Particles ね and よ
- ね, at the end of a sentence, turns the sentence from “normal” to “don’t you agree?”.
- ね can be pronounced a few different ways, with a few different intonations, to slightly change the meaning. In each situation, however, the meaning is still loosely tied to “don’t you agree?”
- よ, at the end of a sentence, turns the sentence from “normal” to an assertion
- Unfortunately, many texts translate the よ particle as an exclamation point (!), which isn't exactly true. In Japanese, you can make assertions without being shocking or loud, and thus it won't always be translated accurately as a !.
- Note the difference: ほん です. "It's a book" and ほん です よ "It's a book." -- there's no need for an exclamation point.
- ぜんぜん
- ぜんぜん only works with negative verbs. It translates to “not at all”.
Examples
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- どうくつ は くらかった から きょだい な くも を ぜんぜん みません でした。 Because the cave was dark, I didn’t see the giant spiders at all.
- あまり くらくない です ね。 It isn’t very dark, eh?
- ぜんぜん べんきょう しません。 I didn’t study at all.
- せんしゅう、よく れんしゅう しました よ。 I practiced a lot last week!
- せんしゅう、 はやし に いきました。でも なに も いません でした。I went to the forest last week. But there wasn’t anything (animate) there.
- あたらしい けん を かいました。でも、あまり よくない です。 I bought a new sword. But, it isn’t very good.
- つちほこ が みじかい です ね。That is a short mace, right?
- わたし の けん は ふるかった から、あたらしい けん を つくりました。 Since my sword was old, I made a new sword.
- ウィザード の fireball の じゅもん は いたかった です ね。 The wizard’s fireball spell hurt, didn’t it?
- ハハハ。 ぜんぜん いたくなかった です よ。 Ha ha ha! That didn’t hurt at all!
- あなた を たおします よ。I will defeat you!
- はやし は とても くらい です ね。 The woods are very dark, aren’t they!
Practice
(1) Mundane but very important: Turn these verbs into their stem-form. Are they group 1, 2, or 3? And translate them!
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(2) Add a “but” after the sentence given, and then make something exciting up!.
Example: がいこつ を たおしました。 => でも、ゾンビ も いました。
I defeated the skeleton. But, there was a zombie as well.
Example: がいこつ を たおしました。 => でも、ゾンビ も いました。
I defeated the skeleton. But, there was a zombie as well.
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(3) Another member in your party says the following, expecting agreement.
...... Instead, tell him “no”, and emphatically say the opposite.
Example: けん は あたらしい です ね。 => いいえ、ぜんぜん あたらしくない です よ。
The sword is new, isn’t it! No, it’s not new at all!
Remember: ぜんぜん works with negatives, not positives.
...... Instead, tell him “no”, and emphatically say the opposite.
Example: けん は あたらしい です ね。 => いいえ、ぜんぜん あたらしくない です よ。
The sword is new, isn’t it! No, it’s not new at all!
Remember: ぜんぜん works with negatives, not positives.
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(4) Identify the following as true or false! If true say “はい” and repeat the true part.
(If you don’t know the answer, just make up an answer).
Example: ゾンビ は こわい です。 => True! はい、ゾンビ は こわい です ね
Zombies are scary. Yes, zombies are scary, aren’t they.
(If you don’t know the answer, just make up an answer).
Example: ゾンビ は こわい です。 => True! はい、ゾンビ は こわい です ね
Zombies are scary. Yes, zombies are scary, aren’t they.
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