Japanese Verb Conjugation Lecture Notes
Introduction
- Focus on Japanese verb conjugation.
- Five vowels in Japanese: A, I, U, E, O.
- All verbs end with U row kana.
- Main purpose of conjugation: attach helper verbs/adjectives, unlike English which changes verb meaning.
Japanese Verb Conjugations
Basic Concept
- Shifting the U to different rows alters conjugation.
- Examples: 飲む becomes 飲み, 飲ませる, etc.
Types of Verbs
- 五段 (Godan) Verbs: Regular pattern, e.g., 飲む (to drink), 使う (to use), 話す (to speak).
- 一段 (Ichidan) Verbs: Simpler changes, e.g., 食べる (to eat).
Verb Stems and Their Uses
E-Stem (電用形 - Connective Form)
- Most versatile; attaches to many words.
- Used for helper adjectives/verbs like たい.
- Examples: 飲みたい (want to drink), 話し合う (discuss).
- Can nominalize a verb: 休む (rest) to 休み (a rest), 夏休み (summer vacation).
A-Stem
- Simple, mainly for negative forms.
- Negative helper verbs/adjectives: ない, ず, ぬ.
- Example: 知る (to know) becomes 知らない (do not know).
- Exception: Verbs ending in う change to は.
- Receptive verbs: れる/られる (receiving action).
O-Stem
- Takes helper verb う to form volitional "let's".
- Examples: 飲もう (let's drink), 使おう (let's use).
Imperative and Hypothetical Forms
- Imperative: Commanding form, e.g., 飲め (drink!), 死ね (die!).
- Hypothetical: Uses particle ば or helper verb る to indicate condition or potential.
- Examples: 飲めば (if drink), 行ける (can go).
Advanced Concepts
Combination of Forms
- Complex sentences by combining different forms: causative, receptive, negative, past.
- Example: 飲ませられなかった (was not made to drink).
Sentence Structure
- A does B: Verb-ending sentence structure.
- A is B: Adjective-ending sentence structure using helper adjectives like たい.
Common Misconceptions
- Traditional charts sometimes combine O-Stem and A-Stem as 未然形.
- Understanding the separation of conjugations and helper verbs avoids errors.
Resources
- Recommended tools: Migaku for learning, Anki cards.
- Practice tools: Don's Japanese Conjugation Drill.
- Additional videos for related concepts.
These notes provide an overview of the conjugation system in Japanese, emphasizing its logical structure and utility for combining helper verbs and adjectives. They include a comparison between verb types and examples of various conjugations and their practical applications.