Japanese Lessons with Mayuna

  • Basics of Japanese Adjective Conjugation

    Basics of Japanese Adjective Conjugation

    Many learners struggle to get used to Japanese adjective conjugation. Let’s review the basic rules and cement your knowledge.

    Why do adjectives conjugate? Is it necessary?

    Yes. Adjective conjugation is one of the most important aspects of Japanese grammar. Conjugated adjectives are necessary to express negation, tense, conditional, etc.

    Here are 7 conjugation patterns of adjectives. 

    And there are 2 kinds of adjectives in Japanese: い-adjectives and な-adjectives. So why are there 2 kinds? This is because な-adjectives were invented later than い-adjectives. During the Heian period (795-1185), there were not enough adjectives to describe complex concepts. So they converted some nouns into adjectives by adding な at the end. This is how な-adjectives were made. Therefore, い-adjectives often describe fundamental concepts such as emotions, sensations, and colors, while な-adjectives tend to describe abstract concepts such as states of things.

    い-adjectives end with い, and な-adjectives end with な. See the following adjectives. Can you guess which is which?

    あつい・きれいな・たのしい・かわいい・にぎやかな・べんりな

    The answer is, あつい, たのしい, and かわいい are い-adjectives, and きれいな, にぎやかな, and べんりな are な-adjectives. Easy! Both types of adjectives are used in the same way in sentences. The only difference is the pattern of conjugation.

    In summary, Japanese adjectives have 7 conjugation forms, and each of the 2 adjective types has its own conjugation pattern. Therefore, to use an adjective correctly, you must know at least 14 patterns. Let’s look at them one at a time!

    Attribute form

    Any adjectives ending with い or な are in the attribute form. The attribute form of an adjective is a basic form that is used to describe nouns. You can put them directly before nouns, just like English adjectives.

    かわいい ねこ　a cute cat
    にぎやかな みち　a busy street

    And you need to remember the attribute forms to know the stem of an adjective. 

    かわいいにぎやかな

    The stem is a fixed part that is not affected by conjugation. In this example, かわい and にぎやか are the stems. Conjugation changes the parts in red: the last い and な in the attribute form. 

    Infinitive form

    The infinitive form is used when an adjective is at the end of a sentence.

    ねこ は かわいい。　The cat is cute.
    みち は にぎやかだ。　The street is busy.

    For the infinitive form, い-adjectives are the same as the attribute form, while な-adjectives change to “stem+だ”. This だ is a short form of です. だ/です are auxiliary verbs that are used at the end of assertive sentences. Assertive sentences are sentences like “X is Y” and their endings are always nouns or adjectives. です is politer than だ and more common in polite conversation.

    ねこ は かわいい +です。　The cat is cute. (polite)
    みち は にぎやかです。　The street is busy. (polite)

    Negative form

    When the sentence is negative, you must change the adjective to negative form.

    ねこ は かわいくない。　The cat is not cute.
    みち は にぎやかじゃない。　The street is not busy.

    For the negative form, い-adjectives change to “stem+くない”, and な-adjectives change to “stem+じゃない”. If you say かわいいじゃない/にぎやかくない, it’s wrong because かわいい is an い-adjective and にぎやかな is a な-adjective. Please do not mix up these 2 conjugation patterns. 

    かわいいじゃない – Not correct!
    にぎやかくない – Not correct!

    The negative form can be used in front of nouns just like the attribute form.

    かわいくない ねこ　 not a cute cat
    にぎやかじゃない みち　not a busy street

    And of course, when it’s the last word of a sentence, you can add です at the end in order to make the sentence more polite. 

    ねこ は かわいくない +です。　The cat is not cute. (polite)
    みち は にぎやかじゃない +です。　The street is not busy. (polite)

    Adverb form

    You can turn adjectives into adverbs using the adverb form. Adverbs are content words to describe verbs or adjectives. For example, “slow” is an adjective, and “slowly” is an adverb. Here are the adverb forms:

    ねこ は かわいく ねた。　 The cat slept cutely.
    こども は にぎやかに あそんだ。　The children played merrily.

    For the adverb form, い-adjectives change to “stem+く”, and な-adjectives change to “stem+に”. Japanese grammatical order is: Subject+Object+Verb, while English is SVO. So verbs are always at the end of sentences. Adverbs are usually right before verbs. 

    Conjugative form (Te-form)

    When you list 2 or more adjectives in one sentence, you must change the adjectives into the conjugative form except the last one. Let’s look at an example.

    いぬ は かわいくて、にぎやかで、たのしい。　Dogs are cute, lively, and fun.

    There are 3 adjectives in this sentence; かわいい, にぎやかな, たのしい. The first and second adjectives must be in the conjunctive forms in order to connect to the next adjective. For the conjunctive form, い-adjectives change to “stem+くて” and な-adjectives change to “stem+で”. The conjugative forms cannot be used at the end of sentences.

    Past form (Ta-form)

    The past form expresses the past tense.

    ねこ は かわいかった。　The cat was cute.
    みち は にぎやかだった。　The street was busy.

    For the past form, い-adjectives change to “stem+かった”, and な-adjectives change to “stem+だった”. Like other forms, the past form can be put in front of nouns, too.

    かわいかった ねこ　The cat that was cute.
    にぎやかだった みち　The street that was busy.

    Can you add です at the end to the past form when it’s at the end of a sentence? Yes and no. Look at the examples.

    ねこ は かわいかった +です。　The cat was cute. (polite)
    みち は にぎやかでした。　The street was busy. (polite)

    For い-adjectives, you can add です after the past form. However, for な-adjectives, “stem+だった” changes to “stem+でした” when it’s polite. This is because だった is a short form of でした. Do not mix up these rules. かわいかったでした/にぎやかだったです are incorrect.

    かわいかったでした – Not correct!
    にぎやかだったです – Not correct!

    Conditional form (Ba-form)

    The conditional form expresses conditions. It’s the part of the sentence which contains “if” in sentences such as: “If it’s sunny tomorrow, I will go outside.”

    ねこ が かわいければ もらいます。　I will get the cat if it is cute.
    パーティ が にぎやかならば/であれば いきます　I will go to the party if it is lively.

    For the conditional form, い-adjectives change to “stem+ければ” and な-adjectives change to “stem+ならば/であれば”.

    The past form +ら also works as the conditional form.

    ねこ が かわいかった +ら もらいます。　I will get the cat if it is cute.
    パーティ が にぎやかだった +ら いきます　I will go to the party if it is lively.

    Here is a summary.

    いadjectiveなadjective
    Attribute formstem+いstem+な
    Infinitive formstem+い (+です)stem+だ (or です)
    Negative formstem+くない (+です)stem+じゃない (+です)
    Adverb formstem+くstem+に
    Conjugative form (Te-form)stem+くてstem+で
    Past form (Ta-form)stem+かった (+です)stem+だった (or でした)
    Conditional form (Ba-form)stem+ければstem+ならば/であれば

    So, how can you change the conjugative form, the past form, and the conditional form to the negative?  What are the differences among the several conditional forms? Take a Japanese lesson to find out the answer!

  • S3E3. ワイヤレスイヤホン

    はい、こんにちは。今回こんかいはポッドキャストのシーズン３の３回目かいめです。やっと新あたらしいパソコンが届とどきました。上海しゃんはいの工場こうじょうからだったので、注文ちゅうもんしてから届とどくまで２週間しゅうかんかかりました。 新あたらしいパソコンは動作どうさがとても早はやくて便利べんりです。一度いちどにたくさんのアプリケーションを開ひらくことができます。レッスンがやりやすくなりました。

    Hello. This is episode 3 of season 3 of my podcast. I finally got a new computer. It was from a factory in Shanghai, so it took two weeks from the time I ordered it until it arrived. The new computer is very fast and convenient. I can open many applications at once. It makes it easier for me to do my lessons.

    新あたらしいパソコンが届とどく前まえに、ワイヤレスイヤホンを買かいました。新あたらしいパソコンを買かった時ときにもらったギフトカードを使つかったので、払はらったのは800円えんだけでした。私わたしは今いままで有線ゆうせんのイヤホンを使つかっていました。有線ゆうせんとは、コードがあることです。今いままでは有線ゆうせんのイヤホンのほうが便利べんりだと思おもっていました。充電じゅうでんも接続せつぞくも必要ひつようないからです。だけどワイヤレスイヤホンを使つかってみると、コードが邪魔じゃまだったことに気きづきました。とくに運動うんどうをするときは、ワイヤレスの方ほうが集中しゅうちゅうできます。

    I bought wireless earbuds before my new computer arrived. I used a gift card I got when I bought my new computer, so all I paid was 800 yen. I had been using yuusen earphones. Yuusen means “with a cord”. I used to think that earphones with a cord were more convenient. Because I don’t need to charge or connect them. But when I started using wireless earphones, I realized that the cords were in the way. Especially when I exercise, I can concentrate better with wireless earphones.

    新あたらしいイヤホンはカナル型がたです。カナル型がたは、イヤーピースがついたイヤホンです。中学生ちゅうがくせいの時ときはカナル型がたを使つかっていましたが、最近さいきんはずっとインナーイヤー型がたを使つかっていました。インナーイヤー型がたは、イヤーピースのないイヤホンです。プラスチックの部分ぶぶんを直接耳ちょくせつみみに入れるイヤホンです。カナル型がたのイヤホンは周まわりの音おとが聞きこえにくいので、外そとで使つかうのは危あぶなないと思おもっていました。だけど実際じっさいに使つかってみると、インナーイヤー型がたとあまり変かわりません。そして、音質おんしつがとてもいいです。

    The new earphones are canal-type. Canal-type earphones are earphones with earpads (soft objects around the speakers). I used to use the canal-type when I was in junior high school, but recently I had been using the inner-ear type. Inner-ear type earphones are earphones without earpads. It is an earphone that puts the plastic part directly into the ear. I thought it was dangerous to use canal-type earphones outside because it is difficult to hear sounds around you. But when I actually use them, they are not much different from inner-ear type earphones. And the sound quality is very good.

    昔むかしからある家電かでんも、常つねに進化しんかしていますね。久ひさししぶりに買かい換かえると、品質ひんしつがとても高たかくなっていて驚おどろきます。はい、じゃあ今日きょうはこんな感かんじで終おわりたいと思おもいます。また次回じかいお会あいしましょう。どうもありがとうございました。

    Everyday devices that have been around for a long time are constantly evolving. When you replace them after a long time, you are amazed at the very high quality. Well, I think that’s it for today. See you next time and thanks for listening!

  • S3E2. 新あたらしいパソコン

    はい、こんにちは。今回こんかいはポッドキャストのシーズン3の2回目かいめです。先週せんしゅう、クレジットカードのゴールドカードが届とどきました。日本にほんではフリーランスは社会的しゃかいてきに信用しんようが低ひくいですが、続つづけていればクレジットスコアは上あがっていくんですね。みなさんのおかげです。これからも頑張がんばります。

    Hello. This is episode 2 of Season 3 of my podcast. I received my gold credit card last week. In Japan, the social standing of freelancers is generally low, but I’ve noticed that if you keep at it, your credit score will go up. It’s all thanks to you, my students and listeners. Rest assured, I’m going to keep providing content for you.

    前回ぜんかいはパソコンを買かい替かえる話はなしをしました。今日きょう、新あたらしいパソコンを注文ちゅうもんしました。私わたしが注文ちゅうもんしたのはM1チップのMacBook Airです。M1モデルを選えらんだ理由りゆうは2つあります。一ひとつ目めの理由りゆうはノッチです。M2モデルには画面がめんにノッチがついています。ノッチとはカメラの周まわりの黒くろい部分ぶぶんのことです。私わたしはよくメニューバーの真まん中なかを使つかうので、ノッチが邪魔じゃまに感かんじました。二ふたつ目めの理由りゆうは、今年ことしの3月がつにM3モデルが発売はつばいするという噂うわさがあったからです。M3モデルが発売はつばいしたら、M1モデルはなくなってしまうかもしれません。また3月がつに私わたしが今使いまつかっている2017年製ねんせいのMacBookのサポートが終了しゅうりょうします。サポートが終了しゅうりょうしたら、売うる時ときの値段ねだんが安やすくなってしまうかもしれません。

    Last time I talked about replacing my computer. Today I actually ordered a new computer. I ordered the MacBook Air with the M1 chip. I chose the M1 model for two reasons. The first reason is the notch. The notch is the black area around the camera. I often use the middle of the menu bar, so I found the notch annoying. The second reason is that there was a rumour that the M3 model would be released in March of this year. If the M3 model is released, the M1 model may disappear. In addition, support for my current 2017 MacBook is due to end in March. Once this happens, the resale value might fall.

    しかし、M1モデルは2020年発売ねんはつばいなので、スペックが充分じゅうぶんかどうか不安ふあんでした。そこでパソコンに詳くわしい生徒せいとさんたちからアドバイスをもらって、ユニファイドメモリを16GBにアップグレードしました。私わたしは今大学生いまだいがくせいなので学割がくわりが使つかえるし、キャンペーンのギフトカードがもらえたので、合計ごうけいで41800円安えんやすくなりました。今使いまつかっている2017年製ねんせいのMacBookの下取したどりを合わせると、あと1万円まんえんぐらい安やすくなるかもしれません。下取したどりとは、新あたらしい物ものを買かうときに、同時どうじに古ふるい物ものを同おなじ店みせに売うって、割引わりびきを受うけることです。とてもいい買かい物ものでした。届とどくのが楽たのしみです。

    However, since the M1 model was released in 2020, I was not sure if the specs would be sufficient. So I took advice from some of my students who know about computers and upgraded the unified memory to 16GB. I am a college student at the moment, so I get a student discount, and I also got a gift card as part of an Apple marketing campaign, so the total discount was 41800 yen. If we add in the Shitadori of my current 2017 MacBook, the price could fall by another 10,000 yen. Shitadori (trade-in) is when you buy something new and at the same time trade in the old product to the same store to get a discount. It was a very good buy. I am looking forward to receiving it.

    Apple製品せいひんは高たかすぎますが、最新さいしんモデルを毎回買まいかいかう人ひとがたくさんいます。こういう熱心ねっしんなファンは日本にほんのスラングでApple信者しんじゃといいます。はい、じゃあ今日きょうはこんな感かんじで終おわりたいと思おもいます。また次回じかいお会あいしましょう。どうもありがとうございました。

    Apple products are too expensive, but there are many people who buy the latest models every time. These dedicated fans are called Appuru Shinjya (Shinjya means followers of religions) in Japanese slang. Well, I think that’s it for today. See you next time and thanks for listening!