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にほんごをよくべんきょうしないと、わすれる！
Nihongo o yoku benkyou shinai to, wasureru!
If you do not study Japanese often, you will forget it!
Can and cannot
In another lesson, we learned how to express our skills, how to say 'I am able to...' In this lesson, we will learn how to say 'I can/cannot' do.
There is no special construction for this. The verbs will instead take an ending. They are often called 'potential verbs'.
Ichidan verbs
For ichidan verbs, remove the final 〜る and add 〜られる (ら is often omitted in oral Japanese).
I can wake up by myself.
じぶんでおきられます。
Jibun de okiraremasu.
I can eat with chopsticks.
はしでたべられます。
Hashi de taberaremasu.
Godan verbs
For godan verbs, change the final vowel sound with 〜える.
あう 〜 あえる (can meet)
たつ 〜 たてる (can stand up)
はなす 〜 はなせる (can talk)
つくる 〜 つくれる (can make)
かく 〜 かける (can write)
およぐ 〜 およげる (can swim)
しぬ 〜 しねる (can die)
えらぶ 〜 えらべる (can choose)
よむ 〜 よめる (can read)
いく 〜 いける (can go)
Here are the two irregular verbs:
する 〜 できる
くる 〜 こられる/これる
For the case of the verb 'to hear' きく, you will see this form often to say 'I can hear' きこえる.
Since I am feeling better, I can go to work today.
からだがよくなりましたから、きょうおしごとにいけます。
Karada ga yoku narimashita kara, kyou oshigoto ni ikemasu.
I can't read kanji.
かんじをよめない。
Kanji o yomenai.
This construction can be used for both describing your ability to do something and possibilities.
You can read a lot of manga at the Manga shop.
まんがのみせではまんがをたくさんよめますよ。
Manga no mise de wa manga o takusan yomemasu yo.
You can drink alcohol in parks in Japan.
にほんにはこうえんでおさけをのめます。
Nihon ni wa kouen de osake o nomemasu.
It can also be used for the ability of something.
This eraser is edible.
このけしゴムはたべられる。
Kono keshigomu wa taberareru.
This bowl is usable as a hat.
ボウルはぼうしとしてつかえる。
Bouru wa boushi toshite tsukaeru.
You can also use this form to ask if someone can do something, such as:
Can you come at 5 o'clock?
ごじにこれますか？
Go ji ni koremasu ka?
In this sentence, you are asking someone if they can come, if they are able to come at this hour. To ask something as a favour, we will use another construction.
*Note that this construction is not used to ask permission. We will see how to do this in another lesson. Thus, you cannot say トイレにいけますか？to ask 'can I go to the bathroom?'
Think of it as the difference between 'may' and 'can' in English. Technically speaking, to ask permission in English, you should use 'may I...' and not 'can I...' Can I go to the bathroom? Sure, you can, but you may not!
To learn more about how to form permissions, here is the article about it Asking permission 〜てもいいです (〜te mo ii desu) + To seem, sound, look like みたい, 〜らしい, 〜っぽい, 〜そうです (mitai, 〜rashii, 〜ppoi, 〜sou desu) + Instead かわりに (kawari ni).
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Need to, have to or must
This construction is used when you have to do something, like 'must'. This construction, however, is a bit complicated, so be sure to study it carefully.
To express the need or that you have/must do something, we use these constructions:
VERB (casual negative) + なければなりません (polite)
VERB (casual negative) + なければならない (casual)
VERB (casual negative) + なきゃ（いけません）(polite)
VERB (casual negative) + なきゃ（いけない）(casual)
Let's see some examples:
ほんをよむ
To read a book
I have to read this book.
このほんをよまなければなりません。
Kono hon o yomanakereba narimasen.
このほんをよまなきゃいけません。
Kono hon o yomanakya ikemasen.
These are rather long and to be really honest, you won't really hear them most of the time. You will hear 〜なきゃ more often in anime. But in standard Japanese, they might come up.
Here are some other constructions you might see more often.
Negative te-form + は + だめ / いけない / ならない
Negative verb + と + だめ / いけない / ならない
Neggative verb + ば + だめ / いけない / ならない
I must go to work everyday.
まいにちおしごとにいかなくてはなりません。
Mainichi oshigoto ni ikanakute wa narimasen.
I must do homework.
しゅくだいをしなくてはいけない。
Shukudai wo shinakute wa ikenai.
I must go to work everyday.
まいにちおしごとにいかないとだめです。
Mainichi oshigoto ni ikanai to dame desu.
In this sentence, you are saying 'it isn't good if I don't go to work everyday', thus meaning you have to go to work everyday.
I must do homework.
しゅくだいをしないといけない。
Shukudai o shinai to ikenai.
I must go to work everyday.
まいにちおしごとにいかなければいけません。
Mainichi oshigoto ni ikanakereba ikemasen.
I had to do homework.
しゅくだいをしなければだめだった。
Shukudai o shinakereba dame datta.
In casual speech, people might shorter even more these constructions.
The abbreviation for なくては is なくちゃ and for なければ is なきゃ.
I have to study.
べんきょうしなくちゃ。
Benkyou shinakucha.
べんきょうしなきゃ。
Benkyou shinakya.
*Note that if you want to say 'do not do something' or 'don't need to do something', we will use another construction.
I know, these are long and a bit complicated. As mentioned, we shorten these a lot in conversations. But I still prefer to show you the full extend of these as you might see or hear them sometimes.
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Conditional 'if'
If you thought how to express 'must' was a mouthful, buckle up with the conditional 'if'!
In English, there is only one way to express the conditional with 'if'. In Japanese, there are four ways and you should not mix them up (if you do however we will still understand you, but it is always good to have good grammar).
The first we will see is the natural consequence conditional. This means that if X happens, Y will happen as a natural consequence.
VERB (infinitive) + と
VERB (negative) + と
NOUN + だと
If I drop the ball, it will fall.
ボールをおとすと、おちる。
Booru o otosu to, ochiru.
The natural consequence of dropping the ball is that it will fall.
If you go to school, you will meet your friends.
がっこうにいくと、ともだちにあいますよ。
Gakkou ni iku to, tomodachi ni aimasu yo.
The natural consequence of going to school is that I will see my friends.
If you don't wear your coat, you will catch a cold.
コートをきてないと、かぜをひくよ。
Kooto o kitenai to, kaze o hiku yo.
'Kaze' is 'cold', but it can also mean 'wind'. 'Hiku' can mean 'to catch' as in 'to catch a cold' or 'play' as in 'to play an instrument'.
The natural consequence of not wearing my coat is that I will catch a cold.
If he is a teacher, he is surely older, right?
せんせいだと、きっととしうえなんじゃないですか？
Sensei da to, kitto toshiue nan janai desu ka?
These sentences all have a natural consequence. If I drop the ball, it will fall. If I go to school, I will meet my friends. If I don't wear my coat, I will catch a cold. If he is a teacher, then he is older.
The second example is the contextual conditional. You can express what will happen given a certain context. For instance, 'if everybody is going, I'm going too'.
VERB (infinitive) + なら（ば）
NOUN + なら （ば）
If everybody is going, I am going too.
みんながいくならば、わたしもいく。
Minna ga iku naraba, watashi mo iku.
If Alice says so, it is fine.
アリスさんがいうなら、だいじょうぶです。
Arisu-san ga iu nara, daijoubu desu.
It can also be used to specify something.
Where is the library?
としょかんはどこですか？
Toshokan wa doko desu ka?
If it is the Tokyo library you are talking about, it is over there.
とうきょうとしょかんなら、あそこですよ。
Toukyou toshokan nara, asoko desu yo.
In these sentences, we couldn't use と as there is no natural consequence.
Thus, みんながいくと、わたしもいく sounds really weird.
The third conditional is the general conditional without any assumption or embedded meanings.
For verbs: change the last 'u' sound to the equivalent 'e' vowel sound and attach ば.
たべる 〜 たべれ 〜 たべれば (eat)
まつ 〜 まて 〜 まてば (wait)
よむ 〜 よめ 〜 よめば (read)
This goes also for verbs showing the potential.
あえる - あえれ - あえれば (can meet)
If I can meet with my friends, I will go shopping.
ともだちにあえれば、かいものにいきます。
Tomodachi ni aereba, kaimono ni ikimasu.
This means that if and only if I meet with my friends, I will go shopping.
If I had money, it would be good, eh?
おかねがあればいいね？
Okane ga areba ii ne?
For い-adjectives or negatives ending in 〜ない: drop the last い and plug in ければ.
たのしい 〜 たのしければ
たのしくない 〜 たのしくなければ
If it is fun, I'll go too.
たのしければ、わたしもいく。
Tanoshikereba, watashi mo iku.
If it isn't fun, I won't go.
たのしくなければ、わたしいかない。
Tanoshikunakereba, watashi ikanai.
If you don't eat, you will get sick.
たべなければ、びょうきになるよ。
Tabenakereba, byouki ni naru yo.
For な-adjectives and nouns: attach であれば.
がくせいであれば - if it is a student
ねこであれば - if it is a cat
If it is a cat, it is okay.
ねこであればいいですよ。
Neko deareba ii desu yo.
The last conditional we will see is the past conditional using 〜たら（ば）.
This is a past conditional by using verbs in the past and adding 〜ら. It is called 〜たら because all verbs in casual past tense end in た / だ.
First, change the noun, adjective or verb to its past tense and add ら.
でんしゃ(train) 〜 でんしゃだった 〜 でんしゃだったら
まつ (to wait) 〜 まった 〜 まったら
よむ (to read) 〜 よんだ 〜 よんだら
いそがしい(busy) 〜 いそがしかった 〜 いそがしかったら
If I am (was) free, I will (would go play).
ひまだったら、あそびにいく。
Hima dattara, asobi ni iku.
If you read this book, please give it back.
このほんをよんだら、かえしてください。
Kono hon o yondara, kaeshite kudasai.
Sometimes, you will see some conditionals with the word もし at the beginning. もし is a supplement to add a sense of uncertainty on whether the condition is true. You may use it when you want to make an invitation and you don't want to suppose that this is going to happen.
If it is alright with you, would you go watch a movie?
もしよかったら、えいがをみにいきますか？
Moshi yokattara, eiga o mini ikimasu ka?
In this case, it might or might not happen.
Potential responses:
Of course, let's go for sure!
もちろん、ぜひいきましょうね！
Mochiron, zehi ikimashou ne!
Sorry, I have a maths lesson...
ごめんね、さんすうのれんしゅうがあって。。。
Gomen ne, sansuu no renshuu ga atte...
That's okay, let's go another time!
だいじょうぶよ、こんどいきましょう！
Daijoubu yo, kondo ikimashou!
Be sure to study them well, as most of the time, they are not interchangeable!
In some instances, depending on the context, you could use different conditionals.
Like in the example:
If you don't eat, you will get sick.
たべなければ、びょうきになるよ。
Tabenakereba, byouki ni naru yo.
You could say
If you don't eat, you will get sick.
たべないと、びょうきになるよ。
Tabenai to, byouki ni naru yo.
Although, the first example sound better, it might depend on the situation. You might or might not get sick if you don't eat. It is not as certain as in this example.
If you don't take your medicine, you won't get better.
くすりをのまないと、げんきになれないよ。
Kusuri o nomanai to, genki ni narenai yo.
With practise, you will be able to differentiate the different situations.
And yes, in Japanese, we say 'drink medicine' and not 'take medicine'.
Same with soup, we drink it, we don't eat it.
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Chain of actions
In English, listing a chain of actions is rather easy. We just need the connector 'and', such as 'I can sing and dance'. In Japanese, we connect verbs with the 〜て form.
For sequential actions or states, we will use the 〜て form of verbs. All verbs, but the last, will be conjugated this way.
I bought fish and made sushi.
さかなをかって、すしをつくりました。
Sakana o katte, sushi o tsukurimashita.
I will eat a meal when I get home.
うちにかえって、ごはんをたべます。
Uchi ni kaette, gohan o tabemasu.
I am happy that you lent me a hand.
てつだってくれて、うれしいです。
Tetsudatte kurete, ureshii desu.
For い-adjectives (we saw this in the lesson on adjectives, but a bit of a refresher), you take off the い and replace it with くて.
It is a spicy and delicious curry.
からくておいしいカレーです。
Karakute oishii karee desu.
The rain is strong, so I cannot go outside.
あめがつよくて、そとにでられない。
Ame ga tsuyokute, soto ni derarenai.
For な-adjectives and nouns, we will use で.
It is a practical and pretty car.
べんりできれいなくるまです。
Benri de kireina kuruma desu.
I will study Japanese and my little sister will study English.
わたしはにほんごをべんきょうして、いもうとはえいごをべんきょうします。
Watashi wa nihongo o benkyou shite, imouto wa eigo o benkyou shimasu.
For a chain of actions that is not exhaustive, we will use the form 〜たり.
Do you remember the particles や.... など that we use with nouns to say a list of things (among other things)? Well, 〜たり is its counterpart that we use with verbs. It implies there remains some other things that are not listed.
Babies tend to cry and get angry (among other things)
あかちゃんはないたり、おこったりする。
Akachan wa naitari, okottari suru.
In cases like this, 〜たり is followed by する.
What did you do today?
きょうはなにをしたの？
Kyou wa nani o shita no?
I read books and I drew pictures (among other things).
ほんをよんだり、えをかいたりした。
Hon o yondari, e o kaitari shita.
My mother is scary and tender.
わたしのはははこわかったり、やさしかったりする。
Watashi no haha wa kowakattari, yasashikattari suru.
You can use 〜たり with a single verb or adjective. This usage often appears when you imply something.
I often forget my homework (among other things).
よくしゅくだいをわすれたりしている。
Yoku shukudai o wasuretari shiteiru.
Studying is sometimes fun, sometimes not.
べんきょうはたのしかったり、たのしくなかったりする。
Benkyou wa tanoshikattari, tanoshikunakattari suru.
To state multiple reasons (non-exhaustive list), you attach し to any parts of any conjugation.
Tanaka-sensei is smart (among other things), so he is suitable to be a teacher.
たなかさんはあたまがいいだし、せんせいにむいています。
Tanaka-sensei wa atama ga ii da shi, sensei ni muiteimasu.
I'm tired and sleepy (among other things), let's go home.
つかれているし、ねむいし、かえりましょう。
Tsukareteiru shi, nemui shi, kaerimashou.
し is also used to say 'not only this, but that'.
I not only don't have money, but I also don't have time.
おかねもないし、じかんもない。
Okane mo nai shi, jikan mo nai.
し can also express contrast with the word かもしれない, which means 'maybe'. We will see this word in detail later.
I may or may not go to work.
おしごとにいくかもしれないし、いかないかもしれない。
Oshigoto ni iku kamoshirenai shi, ikanai kamoshirenai.
There are so many ways to say things in Japanese, but it also makes understanding the meaning a little bit easier. All the different ways will be nuanced in some way, so be careful as to which form you are choosing.
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You have completed lesson 13!
レッシュン13ができました！
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