Polite verbs: ます・ません
Verb-ます／ません
Verb-ます = polite present or future; Verb-ません = negative. The stem (without ます) is the base for many other forms.
In short
The ます-form is the polite form of the verb in the present (it's also used for the future). For the negative, ます becomes ません. The verb always goes at the end of the sentence.
- 毎日 よみます。mainichi yomimasuI read every day.
- 今日は いきません。kyō wa ikimasenI'm not going today.
- 日本に いきます。nihon ni ikimasuI'm going to Japan.
The basics
The ます-form is the polite form of the verb, the one you use with anyone you don't know well. It covers the present and the future: 食べます means “I eat” or “I will eat”, depending on the context.
For the negative, ます becomes ません. The verb always goes at the end of the sentence.
- まいにち コーヒーを 飲みます。mainichi kōhī o nomimasuI drink coffee every day.
- あした 学校へ 行きます。ashita gakkō e ikimasuTomorrow, I'll go to school.
- おさけは 飲みません。osake wa nomimasenI don't drink alcohol.
Present and future, same form
Japanese has no separate future tense: the context (あした, tomorrow; らいしゅう, next week) tells you whether the action is a habit or still to come. With no other clue, 行きます can mean “I go” or “I'll go”.
The forms of the polite verb
With these four forms, you can already say everything politely. The past is covered in the next lesson.
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present / future | 食べます | 食べません |
| Past | 食べました | 食べませんでした |
The stem, the base of many forms
What's left when you remove ます is called the stem: 食べ, 飲み, 行き. You'll reuse it constantly: 食べたい (I want to eat), 飲みに行く (to go for a drink), 読みかた (the way to read).
- よく 本を 読みます。yoku hon o yomimasuI often read books.
Common mistakes
- Looking for a separate future: 行きます is enough, the context places it in time.
- Putting the verb in the middle of the sentence: it always goes at the end.
- Saying “まいにち 飲みますません”: ません replaces ます, it isn't added to it.
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Namboku Line (Time) of the Tokyo subway.