Japanese Verb Conjugation: A Practical Guide

The Three Verb Groups

Group 1 (五段 godan): Verbs whose stems end in a consonant. Examples: 飲む (nomu, drink), 書く (kaku, write), 話す (hanasu, speak). These conjugate by changing the final vowel sound.

Group 2 (一段 ichidan): Verbs ending in -iru or -eru. Examples: 食べる (taberu, eat), 見る (miru, see). These conjugate simply by dropping -ru and adding the conjugation ending.

Group 3 (不規則 irregular): Only two verbs — する (suru, to do) and 来る (kuru, to come). These must be memorized individually.

Polite Form (ます)

The polite form is used in most social situations. Group 1: change the final -u to -imasu (飲む→飲みます). Group 2: drop -ru, add -masu (食べる→食べます). Irregular: する→します, 来る→来ます. Try our Verb Conjugator to see all forms.

Te-Form

Te-form is essential for making requests, connecting sentences, and forming progressive tense. Group 2 is easy: drop -ru, add -te (食べて). Group 1 follows patterns based on the ending consonant: -mu/-nu/-bu → -nde, -ku → -ite, -su → -shite, -u/-tsu/-ru → -tte. The irregular verbs: して, 来て.

Past and Negative

Past tense follows the same consonant patterns as te-form but ends in -ta/-da instead. Negative form: Group 1 changes final -u to -anai (飲まない), Group 2 drops -ru and adds -nai (食べない). Irregular: しない, 来ない. Practice all conjugations with our Verb Conjugator.