JLPT N5 grammar · The TE-Form Core
Polite style [Verb]: meaning, usage and examples
Polite style [Verb] means: (Conjugation for verbs, polite form).
How to form it
〜ます / 〜ません / 〜ました / 〜ませんでした
Examples
行きます、行きません、行きました、行きませんでした
go, don't go, went, didn't go
食べます、食べません、食べました、食べませんでした
eat, don't eat, ate, didn't eat
毎晩お風呂に入ります。
I take a bath every night.
昨日は早く寝ました。
I went to bed early yesterday.
先週、新しい靴を買いました。
I bought new shoes last week.
When to use it
Polite style for all formal, professional, and stranger-directed speech.
Nuance
Politeness in Japanese is a social necessity. Even casual speakers use polite form at work.
Compare
Plain: 行く / 行かない / 行った / 行かなかった.
Tip: JLPT writing tasks expect polite style. In reading, expect plain form in passages.
More on this in Japanese verb conjugation.
More in The TE-Form Core
- Verb Group [dictionary-form] Version: Verb groups by dictionary form: Group 1 (-u verbs, including some -iru/-eru verbs such as 帰る and 走る), Group 2 (-iru/-eru verbs such as 食べる and 見る), Group 3 (irregular: する and 来る)
- Verb Group [masu-form] Version: Masu form: Group 1 verbs change the final -u to -i + ます (飲む → 飲みます); Group 2 verbs drop る + ます (食べる → 食べます, 見る → 見ます); する → します, 来る → 来ます
- Plain style [Verb]: (Conjugation for verbs, plain form)
- Verb て形 (Te form): Verb te-form (used for requests, joining actions, etc.)
- ~て: (used to join two or more sentences/actions together)
- ~てください / 〜ないでください: please do... / please don't do...
- ~ています: (1. an action in progress) (2. a resulting condition/state)
- ~てはいけません: must not... (strong prohibition)
- ~てもいいですか: may I [Verb]? (asking for permission)
Frequently asked questions
What does Polite style [Verb] mean?
(Conjugation for verbs, polite form). Example: 行きます、行きません、行きました、行きませんでした (go, don't go, went, didn't go)
How do you form Polite style [Verb]?
〜ます / 〜ません / 〜ました / 〜ませんでした. JLPT writing tasks expect polite style. In reading, expect plain form in passages.