Language/Japanese/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Japanese Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Japanese learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "be" in Japanese. It's a fundamental concept in any language, but it has its peculiarities in Japanese. Let's dive into it!

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Comparison and Superlative & Particle は and が.

The Basic Verb "Desu"

In Japanese, the basic way to express the idea of "be" is the verb "desu." It means "is" or "am," but it has other functions too, like marking the end of a sentence or adding politeness to it. The verb "desu" is always at the end of a sentence or a clause, and it changes depending on the tense, negation, and other factors.

For example, let's see how "desu" works in different contexts.

Japanese	Pronunciation	English
わたしはがくせいです。	watashi wa gakusei desu.	I am a student.
あなたはにほんじんですか。	anata wa nihonjin desu ka.	Are you Japanese?
いいえ、わたしはあめりかじんではありません。	iie, watashi wa amerikajin de wa arimasen.	No, I am not an American.

As you can see, "desu" helps us to identify the subject and the predicate of the sentence, and to express affirmation or negation. But there are more variations to it!

The Informal Forms - "da" and "ja nai"

In informal Japanese, instead of using "desu," we can use the shorter forms "da" (for affirmative sentences) and "ja nai" (for negative sentences). They have the same meaning as "desu" but are more casual and sometimes even slang.

For example:

Japanese	Pronunciation	English
あのひとはにほんじんだ。	ano hito wa nihonjin da.	That person is Japanese.
あのくだものはおいしくないじゃない。	ano kudamono wa oishikunai ja nai.	That fruit is not tasty, isn't it?

Notice how we change the ending from "desu" to "da" or "ja nai" depending on the context. That's a typical example of how Japanese grammar works: by means of inflections and particles rather than word order or auxiliary verbs.

The Negative Forms - "De wa Arimasen" and "Ja nai"

In previous examples, we have already seen how to negate a sentence with "ja nai." However, there's a more polite and sophisticated way to do it: by using "de wa arimasen." It has the same meaning as "ja nai" but is preferred in formal contexts or when speaking to elders or superiors.

For example:

Japanese	Pronunciation	English
あのひとはせんそうかではありません。	ano hito wa sensouka de wa arimasen.	That person is not a soldier.
あのくだものはぜんぜんおいしくないじゃない。	ano kudamono wa zenzen oishikunai ja nai.	That fruit is not tasty at all, is it?

Notice that "de wa arimasen" is longer and more complex than "ja nai," but it also sounds more polite and respectful. It's up to you to decide which one to use depending on the context and the speaker's intentions.

The Past Form - "Deshita" and "Ja nakatta"

To express the past tense with the verb "be," we use the form "deshita" (for affirmative sentences) or "ja nakatta" (for negative sentences). They are conjugations of "desu" that indicate past time.

For example:

Japanese	Pronunciation	English
きのうわたしはがっこうのせんせいでした。	kinou watashi wa gakkou no sensei deshita.	Yesterday, I was a teacher at school.
あのひとはよくないゆめをみなかったじゃなかった。	ano hito wa yoku nai yume wo minakatta ja nakatta.	That person did not have a good dream, didn't he/she?

Notice how we add the past marker "-ta" to "desu" to create "deshita," and how we use "ja nakatta" instead of "ja nai." It's a simple but powerful way to add temporal meaning to our sentences.

Dialogue

Let's see how "be" works in a dialogue between two people who are introducing themselves. We will use some of the examples we saw before in context.

• A: わたしはかずやです。 (I am Kazuya.)
• B: はじめまして、かずやさん。あなたはにほんじんですか。 (Nice to meet you, Kazuya-san. Are you Japanese?)
• A: はい、にほんじんです。 (Yes, I am Japanese.)
• B: そうですか。わたしはえいごのせんせいです。 (I see. I am an English teacher.)
• A: おお、すばらしいですね。 (Wow, that's great!)

In this dialogue, we use "desu" and "san" (a suffix of respect and politeness) to introduce ourselves and to show interest in the other person's background. It's a typical example of how social relationships are built in Japanese by means of language and culture.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we learned the basics of how to use "be" in Japanese. We saw how the verb "desu" works as the foundation of many types of sentences, and how we can adapt it to different levels of politeness, informality, and time.

To improve your Japanese Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Upon wrapping up this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Noun and Adjective Modification & Adjective Conjugation.

Other Lessons

• Adjectives
• Pronouns
• Negation 否定
• Plurals
• Adjectives 形容詞
• How to Use Have
• Conditional Mood
• Nouns 名詞
• Give your Opinion
• Feminine 女性

Sources

• Japanese Grammar Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Guide
• The Japanese Grammar Index
• Learn Japanese Grammar: How to Use Japanese Adjectives