Present & Past Tense (ます / ました)
Learning Objectives
- Understand the purpose of the Polite ます (masu) form.
- Conjugate Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 verbs into the present/future tense.
- Conjugate verbs into the past tense (ました).
- Form polite, complete sentences about daily actions.
In Chapter 12, we learned the Dictionary Form of verbs. While you can use Dictionary Form to speak casually with friends (e.g., ほん を よむ - “I read books”), in Japanese society, adults are expected to speak politely to strangers, coworkers, and superiors.
To make a verb polite, we change its ending to the ます (masu) form. Your ability to smoothly convert a Dictionary Form verb into its polite ます-form depends entirely on which of the three Verb Groups it belongs to! Let’s master the present and past tenses.
1. Creating the Polite Root (The ます-stem)
Before we can add polite endings like masu, we have to find the verb’s polite root (often called the masu-stem). The rule changes depending on the group.
Group 1 (u-verbs)
To find the polite root of a Group 1 verb, take the final Hiragana character (which is always in the “u” row) and shift it up one row to the corresponding “i” character!
- のむ (no-mu) ➔ のみ (no-mi)
- かく (ka-ku) ➔ かき (ka-ki)
- はなす (hana-su) ➔ はなし (hana-shi)
- まつ (ma-tsu) ➔ まち (ma-chi)
Group 2 (ru-verbs)
Group 2 verbs are the easiest. To find the polite root, simply drop the る. That’s it!
- たべる (tabe-ru) ➔ たべ (tabe)
- みる (mi-ru) ➔ み (mi)
- ねる (ne-ru) ➔ ね (ne)
Group 3 (Irregular)
You just have to memorize these two roots!
- する (suru) ➔ し (shi)
- くる (kuru) ➔ き (ki)
2. Present / Future Tense: 〜ます
Once you have the polite root, simply attach ます (masu).
Japanese does not have a separate future tense. The ます form handles both habitual present actions (“I drink coffee every day”) and future actions (“I will drink coffee tomorrow”). Context (like time words) tells you which one it is.
わたし は あした えいが を みます。
Watashi wa ashita eiga o mimasu.
I will watch a movie tomorrow. (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. (のみ + ます)
きょう べんきょう を します。
Kyou benkyou o shimasu.
Today I will study. (し + ます)
3. Past Tense: 〜ました
To talk about actions that are finished (Past Tense), take the exact same polite root and attach ました (mashita) instead of ます.
きのう えいが を みました。
Kinou eiga o mimashita.
Yesterday I watched a movie. (み + ました)
あさ コーヒー を のみました。
Asa kōhī o nomimashita.
I drank coffee in the morning. (のみ + ました)
しゅうまつ テニス を しました。
Shuumatsu tenisu o shimashita.
I played tennis on the weekend. (し + ました)
[!TIP] Questions Just like sentences ending in です, you can turn a verb sentence into a polite question by simply adding か (ka) at the very end. Example: みました (I watched) ➔ みましたか？ (Did you watch?)
Verb Conjugation Practice Table
Here are common N5 verbs shown with their Dictionary form alongside their polite Present and Past tenses.
| Word | Romaji | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| かく | kaku | かきます / かきました (kakimasu / kakimashita) | Group 1 |
| いく | iku | いきます / いきました (ikimasu / ikimashita) | Group 1 |
| のむ | nomu | のみます / のみました (nomimasu / nomimashita) | Group 1 |
| かえる | kaeru | かえります / かえりました (kaerimasu / kaerimashita) | Group 1 Ex |
| たべる | taberu | たべます / たべました (tabemasu / tabemashita) | Group 2 |
| みる | miru | みます / みました (mimasu / mimashita) | Group 2 |
| する | suru | します / しました (shimasu / shimashita) | Group 3 |
| くる | kuru | きます / きました (kimasu / kimashita) | Group 3 |
Conversation Practice
スミスさん、おはようございます。きのう は なに を しましたか。
Sumisu-san, ohayou gozaimasu. Kinou wa nani o shimashitaka?
Good morning, Mr. Smith. What did you do yesterday?
おはようございます。きのう は ともだち と デパート へ いきました。たなかさん は？
Ohayou gozaimasu. Kinou wa tomodachi to depāto e ikimashita. Tanaka-san wa?
Good morning. Yesterday I went to the department store with a friend. How about you, Tanaka?
わたし は うち で テレビ を みました。きょう は いそがしい です。たくさん はたらきます！
Watashi wa uchi de terebi o mimashita. Kyou wa isogashii desu. Takusan hatarakimasu!
I watched TV at home. Today is busy. I will work a lot!
がんばって ください！わたし も きょう は 日本語 を べんきょうします。
Ganbatte kudasai! Watashi mo kyou wa nihongo o benkyoushimasu.
Do your best! I will also study Japanese today.
いい です ね。あした デパート で かいもの を します か。
Ii desu ne. Ashita depāto de kaimono o shimasu ka?
That's good. Will you shop at the department store tomorrow?
いいえ、あした は テニス を します。
Iie, ashita wa tenisu o shimasu.
No, tomorrow I will play tennis.
Chapter Summary
- 1The ます (masu) form is the standard polite speaking style in Japanese.
- 2Group 1 verbs change their final 'u' sound to the matching 'i' sound (e.g., kaku ➔ kaki) before adding ます.
- 3Group 2 verbs simply drop the final る before adding ます (e.g., taberu ➔ tabe).
- 4Irregular verbs: する becomes します, and くる becomes きます.
- 5Replace ます with ました to create the polite Past Tense (e.g., たべます ➔ たべました).
Knowledge Check
Test your ability to conjugate verbs politely!
Quiz
What is the polite present/future form of 'のむ' (nomu)?