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Verb Groups: U-Verbs vs Ru-Verbs

Japanese verbs fall into three groups. Knowing which group a verb belongs to lets you conjugate it correctly every time.

Group 1 — U-Verbs (五段動詞)

Verbs whose dictionary form ends in a consonant + u sound (く、ぐ、す、つ、ぬ、ぶ、む、る*). To make ます-form, change the final u-sound to i-sound, then add ます.

ます Form	ない Form	Meaning
書きます	書かない	write
泳ぎます	泳がない	swim
話します	話さない	speak
飲みます	飲まない	drink
買います	買わない	buy
待ちます	待たない	wait

Verbs ending in -iru or -eru. To make ます-form, simply remove る and add ます.

ます Form	ない Form	Meaning
食べます	食べない	eat
見ます	見ない	see / watch
起きます	起きない	wake up
寝ます	寝ない	sleep
着ます	着ない	wear

Only two irregular verbs exist in Japanese. They must be memorized.

Dictionary Form	ます Form	ない Form	Meaning
	します	しない	do
	来ます (kimasu)	来ない (konai)	come

Mainichi, Nihongo wo benkyou shimasu.

I study Japanese every day.

Asagohan wo tabemasu ka?

Do you eat breakfast?

Tomodachi to eiga wo mimasu.

I watch movies with my friend.

Gakkou ni kimasu ka?

Are you coming to school?

Nanji ni okimasu ka?

What time do you wake up?

Shuumatsu ni nani wo shimasu ka?

What do you do on weekends?

Convert each verb to its ます form

Question 1 of 10

飲む (nomu) → ます形