Master the 〜ます Form: The Gateway to Polite Japanese (JLPT N5)

Welcome to your first major milestone in Japanese grammar!

In Japanese, the level of politeness you use depends entirely on who you are speaking to. The 〜ます (~masu) form is the standard polite form (Teineigo). It is the perfect, "safe" register to use with teachers, strangers, coworkers, and acquaintances.

In this guide, you will learn how to conjugate verbs into the Polite Present/Future Form and understand how to use them in everyday sentences.

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1. The Dual Nature of 〜ます: Present & Future

Unlike English, Japanese does not have a distinct future tense. The 〜ます form serves two purposes depending on the context:

1. Habitual/Present Action: Actions you do regularly.
2. Future Action: Actions you intend to do in the future.

• 毎日、お茶を飲みます。
  • Mainichi, ocha o nomimasu.
  • "I drink green tea every day." (Habitual Present)
  毎日茶飲
• 明日、お茶を飲みます。
  • Ashita, ocha o nomimasu.
  • "I will drink green tea tomorrow." (Future)
  明日茶飲

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2. How to Conjugate: The 3 Verb Groups

To conjugate any verb into the 〜ます form, you must first identify which of the three verb groups it belongs to.

Group 1: U-Verbs (Godan Verbs)

These verbs end in dictionary sounds like ~u, ~ku, ~gu, ~su, ~tsu, ~nu, ~bu, ~mu, or ~ru.

• The Rule: Change the final ~u vowel sound of the dictionary form to its corresponding ~i sound, then add ます.

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Group 2: Ru-Verbs (Ichidan Verbs)

These verbs usually end in 〜いる (~iru) or 〜える (~eru).

• The Rule: Simply drop the final る (~ru) and add ます.

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Group 3: Irregular Verbs

There are only two irregular verbs in Japanese. You must memorize these.

• する (suru - to do) $\rightarrow$ します (shimasu)
• 来る (kuru - to come) $\rightarrow$ 来ます (kimasu)来

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3. Sentence Structure & Key Particles

Let's look at how to build a complete sentence using the 〜ます form and basic N5 particles:

$$\text{[Subject/Time]} + \text{[Object]} + \mathbf{\text{を (o)}} + \mathbf{\text{Verb-ます}}$$

• 日本語を勉強します。日本語勉強

  • Nihongo o benkyou shimasu.
  • "I study Japanese." / "I will study Japanese."
  • (Note: The particle を marks the direct object).
  日本語勉強

• 明日、友達が来ます。明日友達来

  • Ashita, tomodachi ga kimasu.
  • "Tomorrow, my friend will come."
  • (Note: The particle が marks the subject performing the action).
  明日友達来

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4. Quick Challenge!

Try conjugating these three dictionary-form verbs into the 〜ます form yourself:

1. 買う (kau - to buy) [Group 1]買
2. 寝る (neru - to sleep) [Group 2]寝
3. 散歩する (sanpo suru - to take a walk) [Group 3]散歩

(Answers: 1. 買います / 2. 寝ます / 3. 散歩します)買寝散歩