Present, future, past, and not
Use the four basic polite verb endings without person tables.
What you’ll work on
- Use polite nonpast and past forms
- Negate an action politely
- Use context to distinguish present from future
A short conversation
Google voice when available; device voice as a fallback. Kana readings help you read the written words; they do not show pitch accent.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- きのう、kinouyesterday
- なにnaniwhat
- をoobject markerPronounced o. Marks what the action acts on; English usually has no separate word for it.
- しましたshimashitadid (polite past)English puts the past tense in “did” in this question.
- か。kaquestion markerMakes the sentence a question; English often changes its word order instead.
The subject is understood from context in Japanese. English adds “I”, “you”, or “we” as needed. Match meaningful word groups, not individual characters.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- ほんhonbook
- をoobject markerPronounced o. Marks what the action acts on; English usually has no separate word for it.
- よみました。yomimashitaread (polite past)
The subject is understood from context in Japanese. English adds “I”, “you”, or “we” as needed. Match meaningful word groups, not individual characters.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- あしたashitatomorrow
- もmoalso / too
- よみますyomimasuread (polite nonpast)
- か。kaquestion markerMakes the sentence a question; English often changes its word order instead.
The subject is understood from context in Japanese. English adds “I”, “you”, or “we” as needed. Match meaningful word groups, not individual characters.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- いいえ、iieno
- あしたashitatomorrow
- はwatopic markerPronounced wa. Marks what the sentence is about; it does not mean “is”.
- よみません。yomimasendo not / will not read
The subject is understood from context in Japanese. English adds “I”, “you”, or “we” as needed. Match meaningful word groups, not individual characters.
Four endings from the same stem
Once you have the polite stem 読み, use ます for affirmative nonpast, ません for negative nonpast, ました for affirmative past, and ませんでした for negative past. Keep the stem the same across these four forms.
Nonpast can describe a habit or future action: 毎日読みます, I read every day; 明日読みます, I will read tomorrow. A separate future tense ending is unnecessary.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- よみません。yomimasendo not / will not read
One Japanese nonpast negative form can mean either “do not read” or “will not read”, depending on context. “I” is understood.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- よみました。yomimashitaread (polite past)
ました marks a polite past form. The English spelling “read” is unchanged, but its past pronunciation is red. “I” is understood.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- よみませんでした。yomimasendeshitadid not read (polite past)
The subject is understood from context in Japanese. English adds “I”, “you”, or “we” as needed. Match meaningful word groups, not individual characters.
Time words make the context clear
昨日 means yesterday, 今日 today, and 明日 tomorrow. Use the time word alongside the appropriate form. Do not mechanically translate every English present sentence with a Japanese nonpast verb: some situations need ています, introduced later.
A question keeps its ending and adds か: 食べましたか, Did you eat? The answer can be a short はい、食べました. Japanese does not need an English-style “did” auxiliary.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- きのう、kinouyesterday
- たべませんでした。tabemasendeshitadid not eat (polite past)
The subject is understood from context in Japanese. English adds “I”, “you”, or “we” as needed. Match meaningful word groups, not individual characters.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- あした、ashitatomorrow
- べんきょうします。benkyoushimasustudy (polite nonpast)
The subject is understood from context in Japanese. English adds “I”, “you”, or “we” as needed. Match meaningful word groups, not individual characters.
Lesson vocabulary
Listen once, say it aloud, and try to recall the Japanese before looking.
| Japanese / reading | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| 昨日 きのう | yesterday | |
| 今日 きょう | today | |
| 明日 あした | tomorrow | |
| 毎日 まいにち | every day | |
| 朝ご飯 あさごはん | breakfast | |
| 映画 えいが | film |
Practice questions
Try every question, then check your answers. Punctuation and spacing do not affect your score. Use the displayed Japanese spelling or the complete kana reading; mixed spellings are accepted only when explicitly listed. Long vowels, small kana, and verb endings matter.
Showing an answer makes that question a practice item worth zero for this attempt. Retry with the answers hidden when you’re ready. If audio cannot play, use Show answer / text to practice by reading.
Independent practice
These are independent practice tasks. The site does not record your voice, save your writing, or grade open-ended answers. Ask a teacher or conversation partner for feedback when you can.
Speaking practice
Say what you did yesterday and what you will not do tomorrow using the same verb.
Writing practice
Make a four-cell table for 飲みます, 飲みません, 飲みました, and 飲みませんでした.
Review the lesson objectives
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