In this lesson you will
- Use 〜ます and 〜ません for habits and the future
- Use 〜ました and 〜ませんでした for the past
- Recognise the three verb groups from the ます form
- Use 毎日, 今日, 明日 and 昨日 without a particle
- Read and write 毎, 今, 明, 昨, 飲 and 書
Verbs are the heart of every Japanese sentence, and they always come at the end. In this lesson you learn the polite ます form — the form you use with teachers, colleagues, customers and anyone you don’t know well. With just four endings you can talk about your daily routine, your plans and what you did yesterday.
Four endings
| Tense | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Present / future | 食べます tabemasu — I eat / I will eat | 食べません tabemasen — I don’t eat / I won’t eat |
| Past | 食べました tabemashita — I ate | 食べませんでした tabemasen deshita — I didn’t eat |
Japanese has no separate future tense: 行きます means “I go” (habit) or “I will go” (plan). The time word or the situation tells you which. The endings never change for “I”, “you”, “he” or “they”.
The three verb groups
Every verb belongs to one of three groups. You will need the groups later to make other forms; for now, learn to recognise them:
- Group 1 (also called u-verbs): the sound before ます is usually an i-sound — 飲みます (drink), 書きます (write), 行きます (go), かいます (buy), かえります (go home).
- Group 2 (also called ru-verbs): usually an e-sound before ます — 食べます (eat), ねます (sleep). A few Group 2 verbs have an i-sound, such as 見ます (see) and おきます (get up); learn them as you meet them.
- Group 3 (irregular): only two verbs — します (do) and 来ます (come). Many nouns become verbs with します: べんきょうします (study), しごとします (work).
Time words: 毎日, 今日, 明日, 昨日
毎日 (every day), 今日 (today), 明日 (tomorrow) and 昨日 (yesterday) are used without a particle: 明日行きます. Clock times and dates do take に: 七時におきます. Note that 今日, 明日 and 昨日 have special readings that don’t follow the readings of their kanji.
Word order
A typical sentence goes: time → place → object → verb. 毎日がっこうで日本語をべんきょうします — “I study Japanese at school every day.” Particles show each word’s job, so the order of the middle parts can change, but the verb stays at the end.
Common mistakes
- Adding に to 今日, 明日 or 毎日: say 明日行きます, not “明日に行きます”.
- Forgetting でした in the past negative: 食べませんでした, not “食べませんした”.
- Treating かえります (go home) like 食べます. It looks like Group 2 in its dictionary form, but it is Group 1.
- Using 〜ません for the past: 昨日行きませんでした (I didn’t go yesterday), not “昨日行きません”.
How to practise
- Describe your typical day in five sentences with 〜ます.
- Then say what you did yesterday with 〜ました and what you didn’t do with 〜ませんでした.
- Sort the vocabulary verbs into the three groups.
- Write the six new kanji on the worksheet and do the fill-in exercise.
Study options
Vocabulary
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 毎日 | まいにち | mainichi | every day | Noun |
毎日日本語をべんきょうします。 Mainichi Nihongo o benkyō shimasu. I study Japanese every day. | ||||
| 今日 | きょう | kyō | today | Noun |
今日はアルバイトがありません。 Kyō wa arubaito ga arimasen. I don’t have my part-time job today. | ||||
| 明日 | あした | ashita | tomorrow | Noun |
明日友だちとかいものに行きます。 Ashita tomodachi to kaimono ni ikimasu. Tomorrow I’m going shopping with a friend. | ||||
| 昨日 | きのう | kinō | yesterday | Noun |
昨日はどこへも行きませんでした。 Kinō wa doko e mo ikimasen deshita. I didn’t go anywhere yesterday. | ||||
| 今 | いま | ima | now | Noun |
今からひるごはんを食べます。 Ima kara hirugohan o tabemasu. I’m going to have lunch now. | ||||
| 飲みます | のみます | nomimasu | to drink | Verb |
まいあさコーヒーを飲みます。 Maiasa kōhī o nomimasu. I drink coffee every morning. | ||||
| 書きます | かきます | kakimasu | to write | Verb |
ここになまえを書いてください。 Koko ni namae o kaite kudasai. Please write your name here. | ||||
| よみます | よみます | yomimasu | to read | Verb |
でんしゃで本をよみます。 Densha de hon o yomimasu. I read a book on the train. | ||||
| ききます | ききます | kikimasu | to listen; to hear; to ask | Verb |
よる日本のおんがくをききます。 Yoru Nihon no ongaku o kikimasu. I listen to Japanese music in the evening. | ||||
| かいます | かいます | kaimasu | to buy | Verb |
コンビニでパンをかいました。 Konbini de pan o kaimashita. I bought bread at the convenience store. | ||||
| おきます | おきます | okimasu | to get up; to wake up | Verb |
毎日六時におきます。 Mainichi rokuji ni okimasu. I get up at six every day. | ||||
| ねます | ねます | nemasu | to sleep; to go to bed | Verb |
昨日は十一時にねました。 Kinō wa jūichiji ni nemashita. I went to bed at eleven yesterday. | ||||
| かえります | かえります | kaerimasu | to go home; to return | Verb |
今日は七時にうちへかえります。 Kyō wa shichiji ni uchi e kaerimasu. Today I’ll go home at seven. | ||||
| します | します | shimasu | to do | Verb |
土曜日にテニスをします。 Doyōbi ni tenisu o shimasu. I play tennis on Saturdays. | ||||
| べんきょうします | べんきょうします | benkyō shimasu | to study | Verb |
昨日はべんきょうしませんでした。 Kinō wa benkyō shimasen deshita. I didn’t study yesterday. | ||||
Grammar
〜ます／〜ません
do / will do — don’t / won’t do (polite, present & future)
The ます form describes habits, general facts and future plans. Replace ます with ません to make it negative.
Examples
毎日コーヒーを飲みます。
まいにちコーヒーをのみます。
Mainichi kōhī o nomimasu.
I drink coffee every day.
明日はがっこうへ行きません。
あしたはがっこうへいきません。
Ashita wa gakkō e ikimasen.
I won’t go to school tomorrow.
わたしはおさけを飲みません。
わたしはおさけをのみません。
Watashi wa osake o nomimasen.
I don’t drink alcohol.
〜ました／〜ませんでした
did — didn’t do (polite past)
Replace ます with ました for the past, and with ませんでした for the past negative.
Examples
昨日友だちとえいがを見ました。
きのうともだちとえいがをみました。
Kinō tomodachi to eiga o mimashita.
Yesterday I watched a film with a friend.
今日はあさごはんを食べませんでした。
きょうはあさごはんをたべませんでした。
Kyō wa asagohan o tabemasen deshita.
I didn’t eat breakfast today.
Verb groups 1, 2, 3
recognising the group from the ます form
Group 1: usually an i-sound before ます (飲みます, 書きます, かえります). Group 2: usually an e-sound (食べます, ねます), plus some i-sound verbs such as 見ます and おきます. Group 3: します and 来ます. The groups matter when you learn other verb forms in later lessons.
Examples
かきます（グループ1）
かきます
kakimasu (group 1)
to write
たべます（グループ2）
たべます
tabemasu (group 2)
to eat
します・きます（グループ3）
します・きます
shimasu, kimasu (group 3)
to do, to come
毎日・今日・明日・昨日 + verb (no particle)
time words that take no particle
Relative time words — 毎日, 今日, 明日, 昨日, 今 — are used without に. They can take は to set the topic or show contrast: 今日はやすみです.
Examples
明日日本語のテストがあります。
あしたにほんごのテストがあります。
Ashita Nihongo no tesuto ga arimasu.
I have a Japanese test tomorrow.
昨日は十時にねました。
きのうはじゅうじにねました。
Kinō wa jūji ni nemashita.
Yesterday I went to bed at ten.
Kanji
Select a kanji to see its readings, stroke count and example words.
毎every
- On’yomi
- マイ
- Kun’yomi
- ごと（に）
- Strokes
- 6
Example words
- 毎日 まいにち every day
- 毎週 まいしゅう every week
- 毎朝 まいあさ every morning
今now
- On’yomi
- コン、キン
- Kun’yomi
- いま
- Strokes
- 4
Example words
- 今 いま now
- 今日 きょう today
- 今年 ことし this year
明bright; clear
- On’yomi
- メイ、ミョウ
- Kun’yomi
- あか（るい）、あ（ける）
- Strokes
- 8
Example words
- 明日 あした tomorrow
- 明るい あかるい bright; cheerful
- 説明 せつめい explanation
昨previous; last
- On’yomi
- サク
- Kun’yomi
- —
- Strokes
- 9
Example words
- 昨日 きのう yesterday
- 昨年 さくねん last year (formal)
飲to drink
- On’yomi
- イン
- Kun’yomi
- の（む）
- Strokes
- 12
Example words
- 飲みます のみます to drink
- 飲み物 のみもの drink; beverage
書to write
- On’yomi
- ショ
- Kun’yomi
- か（く）
- Strokes
- 10
Example words
- 書きます かきます to write
- 辞書 じしょ dictionary
- 図書館 としょかん library
Practice quiz
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no future tense?
Japanese uses the same form for the present and the future. 行きます can mean “I go” or “I will go”; time words like 明日 or the situation make it clear. This actually makes verbs easier: you only need the present and the past.
Do I need to learn the dictionary form now?
Not yet. The ます form is all you need for polite conversation at N5. You will learn the dictionary form (食べる, 飲む) and the て form in later lessons, and that is where the verb groups become important.
Is 〜ません rude when I say no?
No — 〜ません is polite. To sound softer when refusing an invitation, Japanese speakers often avoid a direct “no” and say ちょっと… (“it’s a little difficult …”). You will learn this in a later lesson.
Why are 今日, 明日 and 昨日 read so differently from their kanji?
They are old Japanese words that were later written with kanji that match their meaning, not their sound. Such words are called jukujikun. Learn the reading of the whole word; the separate kanji readings don’t help here.