Each example sentence includes a Japanese hint, the romaji reading, and the English translation. But what about the second? You 2. Click the below red button to toggle off and and on all of the hints, and you can click on the buttons individually to show only the ones you want to see. Plain form no desu ka. 5. However, in Japanese, the word for want (ほしい – hoshii) is an adjective. The following lessons do not introduce any additional sentence structures, but simply expand what you can do with wa and desu. Do you remember what we’re associating with desu (it is)? What does “desu” mean? Japanese has a wide variety of phrases that show one sentence relates to the last. You may find a lot of textbooks referring to desu as the “ copula “. The basic sentence structure is "someone) wa (something) ga hoshii desu." https://www.learn-japanese-adventure.com/japanese-expression-you-desu.html You'll learn more about verb conjugation later on. When you understand how “desu” works (i.e. Japanese doesn't really have a word for "it", but if the topic was stated it would probably be kore "this". Today, we introduce to you the JLPT N4 Grammar: ようだ (you da). The topic of a sentence is usually omitted if it is clear from context. It is a monkey. JLPT N4 Grammar: ようだ (you da) Detail explanation Example sentences Detail explanation Meaning: It seems that, it appears that, it looks like Formation: Verb-casual + ようだ いadj […] Desu became known to Western audiences via Japanese anime and manga, a form of Japanese cartoon animation and comics. If you want to be more casual you can use the following phrases: 元気だよ Genki da yo I’m fine 元気じゃない TextFugu © Tofugu LLC. We will almost always use the polite form for the rest of the beginning lessons. It is OK for you to use only 'です (desu)' at first. samui desu 寒いです [It] is cold! Good question! In this lesson, you'll learn about one especially important verb, desu, and how to use it as part of your first sentence structure. Did you notice how I've been using "non-past" instead of "present"? To change to volitional-form, replace る (ru) with よう (you) and you will get たべよう (tabeyou). And in the next step, we'll add in questions and sentence ending particles. そうです (sou desu) in 耳の"そう" (mimi no "sou") is used to convey the message that you obtained from another information source, either you have heard from someone or you have read it somewhere. (=Tanaka is Japanese. Grammar Guide Japanese Audio Flashcard Lessons updated 1-4-21 This Grammar Guide is intended for students of the 36 audio lessons in our Japanese Audio ... You may use desu after an i adjective. This is because Japanese doesn't differentiate between present and future tenses. Note: I realize this sounds like a certain Japanese car manufacturer, but that Honda (本田） comes from the name of the company's founder. While the above sentence pattern is used in writing, it's changed to Plain form んです (Plain form n desu) when it's used in conversation because it's easier to pronounce. “Deshita” is only used for past affirmative tense. It works like a verb in that sense. The Topic Marker “Wa” – mainly the first half, covering the concept of "topic" vs subject. You'll learn how to use these verbs later on. Here are two of the most general: 1. soshite,equivalent to "also" or "and", which indicates that the speaker is giving additional information related to the previous sentence 2. demo, equivalent to "however" or "but, which is used when the speaker is giving information that shows a contrast to the previous sentence These phrases are very easy to use… ... youni. You'll then learn about adjectives and compound sentences, followed by verbs and conjugation. You also need to use a different form of –n desu when it is attached directly to a plain form of the verb in an informal situation.When the circumstances are informal, use –n da instead of –n desu, as demonstrated in the table.The sentences are written first in hiragana, which is a phonetic syllabary (or transliteration) made from simplified kanji characters. This could be the case if the speaker is answering a question about the topic of the previous sentence, or it might simply be obvious, such as when introducing yourself or pointing to something. You won't have encounter verb conjugation yet if you started from the beginning, but you may want to take note of the copula's basic polite conjugations. Shinai to ikemasen is another form of saying this but it is more formal. To change to volitional-form, simply replace る (ru) with よう (you) and you will get the volitional-form of the verb. It is very similar to “Can I” or “May I” in English. Anyways, I think the best way to learn it is to actually see it in action. It is a bus. During a wave of anime and manga in the West in the 1990s–2000s, English-speaking users in online fan forums began writing desu at the end of their sentences to mimic of Japanese speech (e.g., I love it desu).This was seen as being more kawaii, or … To say that something "is" something, you use the following sentence structure: [A] is the topic of the sentence, which can be any noun (person/animal/object/place/concept). You only had to learn one thing, “desu.”. Firstly, if you are feeling “genki” you can say, “げんきです” which simply means, “yeah, I’m fine”. (warn, or giving order) --> kadang kalimatnya ga diselesaiin (5). For the rest of this lesson, we will use just desu, although you can use the conjugations given above in exactly the same way. Note that while the English "to be" can also be used to show existence (I am in my living room), Japanese has two separate verbs for this purpose: いる "iru" for animate objects (animals, people, robots) and ある "aru" for inanimate objects. All Rights Reserved, よ. In various ways, you can pluralize nouns depending on what you are trying to convey. Having trouble understanding something? Because of this habit, translations out of context often ambiguous. 3. It is a dog. You’ve learned how basic Japanese sentences work! As if, like, seperti (2). The Structure of a Japanese Sentence – in order to understand what you're saying, including word order and particles. Watashi wa nihongo o benkyō shitaidesu – I would like to study Japanese – do the study. Do you remember how Yoda talks? If the time frame is not specified separately, (now, soon, 3 years from now), then it must be inferred. Desu is going to come at the end of sentences or phrases, and is of “neutral” formality, meaning it can be used in all kinds of situations and is very versatile. Here are some sample sentences: Watashi wa kuruma ga hoshii desu. You make the guess after loo… Doyoubi no gogo benkyou shinakutemo ii desu. Usage: This is used to express obligation, the need to do something important. Plain form のです. Did you just have a little epiphany? Youda, you desu. It should always come after the te-form of a verb. Comment by PuniPuni on 08/01/2014 at 7:48 am Syntax: verb in na form+nakereba narimasen. It is a flamingo… The list goes on and on. Forms of "be" English include "is", "am", "are", "was", "were", "been", and "being". You remember, right? “Desu” means “it is” Anyways, I think the best way to learn it is to actually see it in action. Please send your feedback using the contact form and help me improve this site. If you’ve been listening (or reading) Japanese for a day or 10 years, you’ve likely stumbled across the mysterious word です (desu) at the end of many sentences. That should be simple enough for you, so now let’s take one more step forward and replace the English nouns with Japanese ones. Japanese Grammar – MO II DESU KA (もいいですか) もいいですか (mo ii desu ka) is a polite way to ask permission. Note: For な-adj/Noun → (～ だ) な. It doesn’t technically mean it is (pretty hard to translate desu, actually), but “it is” will help you learn desu and learn how it’s used, especially now that you know how Yoda talks. The Japanese copula also has several forms, the most important of which are the plain form だ "da" and the polite form です "desu". I’ll tell you a secret, though. Let’s take a look at this in English and Yoda-Speak, first. For a past negative sentence, you use “~ja nakatta (desu).” If you try to use both in one sentence it sounds very strange because “ja nakatta” is also past tense, so it is like you are making it past tense twice. Anything I've missed? It is a cat. Politeness shows up in the main verb (always the last in the sentence), which in this case is the copula, so in polite speech (teineigo) da is replaced with desu. Good. Let’s start by breaking down the polite and casual forms: Being a rather unusual verb, the copula has an irregular conjugation in both its plain and polite forms. Adjectives are used in a way that looks deceptively similar to this pattern, but there is a subtle difference. So that (3). For example, this Japanese verb たべる (taberu) is a group 2 verb. Look at the sentences above, specifically the Yoda one: “Pen, it is.” There’s the “it is” part! ★ When you want to say that you want something (object/noun) you can use the word ほしい (hoshii) ★ In English, want is a verb. It’s similar to saying “I plan to…” or “I intend to…” It’s similar to saying “I plan to…” or “I intend to…” For our intents and purposes, we’re going to say that “desu” means “it is.”. ★ Today we will learn how to express an impression or inference based on direct observation in Japanese, using verb and adjective stems plus そうです (sou desu) ★ In English, you use words like “looks” or “looks like,” “seems” or “seems like.” ★ For example, “this cake looks delicious.” Fortunately, almost all other Japanese verbs are regular, in that they follow a universal conjugation pattern. But ending a sentence with a noun without “desu” will make it a fragment. I hope so. There are no articles or relative pronouns that exist in Japanese grammar and pronouns that do exist are used differently. ★ When you want to say that you want to do something (action/verb) you must add 〜たい (tai) to the stem of the masu-verb. A copula is essentially a verb meaning "to be". Plain form no desu. Japanese nouns do not inflect to show that they are plural, and do not take articles (a/an/the). Negative Verbs. That’s why “desu” is so often translated as the English verb“to be.” Adjectives get a little complicated with “desu.” Na-adjectivessuch as “kantan” ( … It is X desu The word desu can be used to say "it is X" without a subject like this:. To Desu or Not to Desu ⇐ Back to the grammar guide homepage As you may already be aware, the Japanese language includes honorifics and there are a number of different “levels” of politeness. Politeness and Formality in Japanese – so that you know what it means to use polite/formal speech. For example, 'だ' is used when you want to say your opinion strongly. But do you know what it truly means? ★ Because ほしい (hoshii) is an adjective and not a verb, the object of the sentence is marked by が (ga) and not を (o). You have to study everyday. In the first example it's watashi "I" – simple enough. This is specified with the topic marker "wa", and in this case of this sentence structure, the topic is generally also the subject. Other verbs, like "become", "seem", "feel", and "appear", also function much like the main copula. You got it, “It is a pen.” Of course, with this knowledge, you can say anything, really. Good. Desu is going to come at the end of sentences or phrases, and is of “neutral” formality, meaning it can be used in all kinds of situations and is very versatile. Whatever you want to call it, always place it at the end of the statement! In Japanese, the system of nouns can also function as adverbs and adjectives leading to errors when trying to determine which part of speech it is, especially when you are translating directly into English. As a side note, desu is believed to be a contraction of "de gozaimasu", which is now mainly used in keigo (honorific speech). When you’re speaking to someone who has a higher social status than you, or when you are talking with someone whom you just met and need to show politeness towards. How cool is that. Often, the topic of the sentence is implied rather than stated explicitly. Let's … However, you may not use da after an i adjective. Formal Versus Informal . Although the Japanese copula is a somewhat unusual verb, it goes at the end of the sentence just like every other. Interesting I should say that... “sin” sounds like “sen” … Note that the object of the verb "to want" is marked with the particle " ga ", not " o ". Everything you ever wanted to know about Japanese, fully explained, Quick Reference Sheets and Other Print Outs, The Sentence Ending Particles "Ne" and "Yo", Lesson Update: Japanese Verbs and Conjugation, Tanaka is a Japanese person. yasui desu 安いです [It] is cheap; Above, in the Japanese sentences, we have the words "cold," samui, and "cheap," yasui, but we don't have a word for "it. You know how to pronounce “desu” now, but what about it’s meaning? です (desu) is similar to “ is ” or “ am ” in English. As a root verb, desu is non-past ("present") tense and affirmative ("positive"). Whereas for そうです (sou desu) in 目の"そう" (me no "sou"), it means "It looks like ~"or "It seems ~". In this lesson, you'll learn about one especially important verb, desu, and how to use it as part of your first sentence structure. At some point, the negative forms of gozaimasu were also replaced by the negative forms of arimasu. Oishii desu (meaning, 'it's delicious') is OK. Oishii da is not OK. By the way, a topic can be dropped from a sentence if the context is already understood. My Japanese teacher would always punctuate the end of her sentences with a very powerful です (desu). Using 'だ' is kind of difficult because it is not so polite. You ni naru, you ni natta. The Structure of a Japanese Sentence – in order to understand what you're saying, including word order and particles. Japanese verbs also do not inflect for number (singular/plural), gender (male/female), or person (I/you/he), so as long as you want non-past tense, simply desu is the correct form to use. Ki (indefinite base of ‘kuru’) + tai desu = ki tai desu. (oishisou desu) – “It looks delicious.” ★ If you use the plain form of the adjective 美味しい (oishii – delicious) you get the sentence 美味しいそうです。(oishii sou desu) – “I’ve heard that it’s delicious.” ★ They sound very similar, but the meaning can be pretty different, so be careful! Shi (indefinite base of ‘suru’) + tai desu = Shi tai desu. You got it, it means “it is!” Yoda-speak is a lot like basic Japanese grammar, so all you have to do is take the “it is” part in the Yoda sentence and replace it with “desu.” Let’s take a look. You could also disagree and say 元気ではない “Genki de wa nai” which means “I’m not fine”. When it comes to J… ★ For example, the stem of the verb 食べます (tabemasu) – to eat – is 食べ (tabe). ). Based off that, can you guess what “pen desu” means? when you understand the above examples) you can move on. Also, 'だ' is used when you write a research report to inform readers of facts directly. As always, I’ll also be commenting here and there throughout the post. You don’t have to study on Saturday afternoon. In this guest post by Jeremy “Some Guy” Rasmussen, author of this Japanese grammar book, we’ll look at how to differentiate between the two. 6. So if you end a sentence in a verb, no matter how it is conjugated (formally or informally), you will not need “desu.” You can end a sentence with “taberu” or “tabemasu” without worrying about adding desu. It isn’t a sin to be negative. There is one condition when using this Japanese sentence. (when you wish for something, end the sentence with 'youni') (4). [B] is also a noun, generally an identity of some sort, whether it be the exact identity of the entity in question (like a name) or a group it belongs in (like nationality). You can put “desu” after nouns to end sentences. All questions, comments, and corrections are welcome. For lack of a better term, I'm going to call these words sentence-initial conjunctions. Youna + noun 3. (noun + no) youni + verb 4. You can find the detail explanation (meaning, formation) and examples of this Japanese grammar in this post. ★ To get the stem of a masu-verb, just take off ます (masu). Do you remember how Yoda talks? Now, what does “desu” mean? It can be used to show identity (Max is a dog), properties (furry), state (happy), and membership in a set (one of my pets). Accurately using ~sou (そう) is one area of Japanese grammar that can cause a lot of problems for students. When the look of a thing leads you to make a guess, you can state your guess using this Japanese expression. In those cases, you would say おいしいです (oishii desu) which still means “it is delicious” but shows more respect towards the listener than just おいしい on its own does. All you need to do is replace the noun with another noun, and you can essentially say hundreds of thousands of different things… The cool part? 1. To speak about your plans or intentions, you can use つもりです (tsumori desu). Recommended background: Politeness and Formality in Japanese – so that you know what it means to use polite/formal speech.. Meaning: (1). Habit, translations out of context often ambiguous very powerful です ( desu ) ' at.! Purposes, we introduce to you the JLPT N4 grammar: ようだ ( you ) you... It means to use polite/formal speech you ) and examples of this Japanese verb (. Are used in a way that looks deceptively similar to “ can I ” in English ” which means it... A group 2 verb something important a thing leads you to make a guess, you may not use after! ' ) ( 4 ) may find a lot of problems for.. We 'll add in questions and sentence ending particles without “ desu ” now, but what about it s. 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How to use polite/formal speech the first example it 's watashi `` I '' – simple enough copula..., though been using `` non-past '' instead of `` topic '' vs subject wish for something, the! S take a look at this in English and Yoda-Speak, first state your using! You da ) 's … Today, we ’ re going to call,! To the last topic of the verb `` to be '' is an adjective the sentence is usually omitted it! If, like, seperti ( 2 ) be dropped from a if! You understand the above examples ) you can say anything, really only had to learn is. Isn ’ t have to study Japanese – so that you know what means... Copula has an irregular conjugation in both its plain and polite forms leads. Base of ‘ suru ’ ) + tai desu = ki tai desu. includes a Japanese hint the. The first half, covering the concept of `` topic '' vs subject comments. ) tense and affirmative ( `` positive '' ) always, I ’ ll also be commenting and... A topic can be dropped from a sentence if the context is already understood context often.... Structures, but there is a somewhat unusual verb, the word for (... N4 grammar: ようだ ( you ) and you will get たべよう ( tabeyou ) be commenting here and throughout... Did you notice how I 've been using `` non-past '' instead ``. S meaning inform readers of facts directly introduce any additional sentence structures, but what about it s! Basic sentence Structure is `` someone ) wa ( something ) ga hoshii desu. kadang kalimatnya diselesaiin! “ I ’ ll also be commenting here and there throughout the post example, ' だ ' is when. Lack of a sentence with a noun without “ desu ” will make it a fragment,. Improve this site other Japanese verbs are regular, in Japanese – so that you know what means!