Verb Conjugation: Present Tense

What the "Present Tense" Actually Means

Before we conjugate anything, a heads up: Japanese doesn't have a clean "present tense" the way English does. What textbooks call present tense actually covers two meanings:

1. Habitual actions — things you do regularly: "I drink coffee" (毎日コーヒーを飲みます)
2. Future actions — things you will do: "I'll drink coffee tomorrow" (明日コーヒーを飲みます)

The same form handles both. Context and time words (毎日, 明日, 今日) tell the listener which one you mean. There's no separate future tense — the present form does double duty.

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Two Levels of Politeness

Japanese has two main speech levels, and both have present tense forms:

As a beginner, focus on the polite ます form. It's what you'll use 90% of the time, and nobody will ever be offended by being spoken to politely. Plain form is important too, but ます form is your bread and butter.

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Group 2: Ichidan Verbs (The Easy Ones)

We're starting with ichidan because they're the simplest — a confidence boost before we tackle godan.

The Rule

Drop る, add the ending. That's it. The stem never changes.

Polite Present

Every single ichidan verb works this way. Drop る, add ます or ません. No exceptions.

Plain Present

The plain affirmative is the dictionary form — no changes needed. For the negative, drop る and add ない. Same pattern as ます, just a different ending.

In Practice

毎朝七時に起きます。(Maiasa shichiji ni okimasu.) "I wake up at 7 every morning."

今日は映画を見ません。(Kyō wa eiga o mimasen.) "I won't watch a movie today."

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Group 1: Godan Verbs (The Big Group)

Godan verbs need one extra step: you have to shift the final sound to a different vowel row before adding the ending.

The Key: Vowel Row Shifting

Remember from the verb groups post — godan verbs cycle through the five vowel rows (あ, い, う, え, お). For the ます form, you shift the ending to the い-row:

Every ending shifts to its い-row partner. Once you see the pattern, it becomes automatic.

Polite Present

Notice: once you've done the い-row shift, the rest is identical to ichidan — just add ます or ません.

Plain Present

For the plain negative, godan verbs shift to the あ-row and add ない:

Watch out for う-ending verbs! The あ-row of う is technically あ, but instead of 買あない, it becomes 買わない. This is the one irregular pattern in the あ-row shift.

In Practice

毎日日本語を話します。(Mainichi nihongo o hanashimasu.) "I speak Japanese every day."

お酒を飲みません。(Osake o nomimasen.) "I don't drink alcohol."

明日東京に行きます。(Ashita Tōkyō ni ikimasu.) "I'll go to Tokyo tomorrow."

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Group 3: Irregular Verbs (Just Two)

する (suru) — To Do

And remember: する creates hundreds of compound verbs:

Every noun + する compound conjugates the same way. Learn する once, use it everywhere.

来る (kuru) — To Come

The tricky part: the kanji 来 stays the same, but the reading changes:

• Dictionary: くる (ku-ru)
• ます form: きます (ki-masu)
• ない form: こない (ko-nai)

Three different readings for the same kanji. Just memorize them — it's only one verb.

In Practice

毎晩勉強します。(Maiban benkyō shimasu.) "I study every night."

明日友達が来ます。(Ashita tomodachi ga kimasu.) "My friend is coming tomorrow."

今日は運動しません。(Kyō wa undō shimasen.) "I won't exercise today."

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The Complete Present Tense Cheat Sheet

Here's everything in one table:

Polite Present (ます form)

Plain Present

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Treating godan る-verbs like ichidan

❌ 帰る → 帰ます (kae-masu) ✅ 帰る → 帰ります (kaeri-masu)

帰る is godan, so you shift to the い-row (り), not just drop る. Always check the verb group.

2. Forgetting the わ exception

❌ 買う → 買あない (kaa-nai) ✅ 買う → 買わない (kawa-nai)

For う-ending godan verbs, the あ-row negative uses わ, not あ.

3. Mixing up 来る readings

❌ 来ません (ku-masen) ✅ 来ません (ki-masen)

The polite form reads き, not く. If you're using kanji, double-check the reading.

4. Using plain form in polite situations

As a learner, default to ます form. Using plain form with a stranger or someone older can sound rude, even if grammatically correct. When in doubt, be polite.

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How to Practice

1. Pick five verbs from each group and conjugate them into all four forms (polite affirmative, polite negative, plain affirmative, plain negative)
2. Make sentences with time words: 毎日 (mainichi — every day), 明日 (ashita — tomorrow), 今日 (kyō — today)
3. Practice switching: take a polite sentence and convert it to plain form, and vice versa
4. Describe your daily routine using ます form: 七時に起きます。朝ごはんを食べます。学校に行きます。

The present tense is your foundation. Every other tense — past, progressive, conditional — builds on these same patterns. Master this, and the rest gets easier.

現在形をマスターしましょう！ (Genzaikei o masutā shimashō!) — Let's master the present tense!