Nouns with です
Identify someone or something politely.
Use です after a noun to identify or classify: 学生です, am a student. The polite negative is 学生ではありません; 学生じゃないです is also common in conversation. The polite past is 学生でした.
These endings do not change for I, you, or they. も can replace は to add “also”: 私も学生です. Nouns do not normally need articles or obligatory plural endings, so context helps show whether one or several are meant.
Examples
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- がくせいgakuseistudent
- です。desuam / is / are (polite)
“I” is understood from context here; there is no written Japanese word for it in this sentence.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- せんせいsenseiteacher
- ではありません。de wa arimasenam / is / are not (polite)Learn this whole noun-negative ending; は within it is pronounced wa.
“I” is understood from context here; there is no written Japanese word for it in this sentence.
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
- はwatopic markerPronounced wa. Marks what the following comment is about; it is not the word “is”.
- やすみyasumiday off / break
- でした。deshitawas / were (polite)
Keep in mind
Do not attach verb ません directly to a noun: 学生ません is not the noun negative.