These notes have not had a separate native-speaker editorial review.
Stage 1 · s1-u01-intro · review_required
です marks a polite predicate. It often corresponds to “is/am/are”, but it is not identical to English “to be” in every sentence.
Noun / adjective + です
わたしはがくせいです。
watashi wa gakusei desu
I am a student.
コーヒーです。
koohii desu
It is coffee.
Why: Treating です as a verb that conjugates like English “be” in every context.
Stage 1 · s1-u01-intro · review_required
だ is the plain (casual) copula after nouns and な-adjectives. Beginners should recognize it; production stays with です until later.
Noun + だ (casual)
がくせいだ。
gakusei da
I’m a student. (casual)
そうだ。
sou da
That’s right. (casual)
Why: Using だ in polite customer or first-meeting speech.
Stage 1 · s1-u02-particles · review_required
は (pronounced wa as a particle) marks the topic: what the sentence is about. It is not the same job as English subject marking in every sentence.
X は Y です
わたしはケンです。
watashi wa ken desu
As for me, I am Ken.
きょうはあついです。
kyou wa atsui desu
As for today, it is hot.
Why: Reading the particle は as ha.
Stage 1 · s1-u02-particles · review_required
が often marks the grammatical subject or introduces new information. は and が are not interchangeable labels for “subject”.
X が Y です / X があります
だれがきますか。
dare ga kimasu ka
Who is coming?
ねこがいます。
neko ga imasu
There is a cat.
Why: Replacing every は with が because a textbook called both “subject”.
Stage 1 · s1-u02-particles · review_required
を (pronounced o) marks the direct object of many verbs. It is written を, not お, in standard orthography for this particle.
Noun を Verb
コーヒーをのみます。
koohii o nomimasu
I drink coffee.
ほんをよみます。
hon o yomimasu
I read a book.
Why: Writing the particle as お.
Stage 1 · s1-u02-particles · review_required
に marks destinations with motion verbs (いきます) and the location of existence with あります / います. Other に uses appear later.
Place に いきます / Place に あります
がっこうにいきます。
gakkou ni ikimasu
I go to school.
つくえにほんがあります。
tsukue ni hon ga arimasu
There is a book on the desk.
Why: Using で for destinations of いきます.
Stage 1 · s1-u02-particles · review_required
で marks where an action happens. Contrast with に for destination/existence.
Place で Verb
カフェでコーヒーをのみます。
kafe de koohii o nomimasu
I drink coffee at a café.
がっこうでべんきょうします。
gakkou de benkyou shimasu
I study at school.
Why: Using に for the place of an action like studying or eating.
Stage 1 · s1-u06-places · review_required
へ (pronounced e as a particle) marks direction toward a place. に is more common for concrete destinations in beginner speech; recognize へ in signs and set phrases.
Place へ いきます
とうきょうへいきます。
toukyou e ikimasu
I go to Tokyo. (direction nuance)
ようこそ日本へ。
youkoso nihon e
Welcome to Japan.
Why: Reading particle へ as he.
Stage 1 · s1-u04-family · review_required
の links nouns (possession, attribution): A の B ≈ B of A / A’s B.
A の B
わたしのうちです。
watashi no uchi desu
It is my house.
にほんのごはんがすきです。
nihon no gohan ga suki desu
I like Japanese food.
Why: Stacking many の phrases without clear meaning.
Stage 1 · s1-u02-particles · review_required
も marks “also / too”. It often replaces は or を when adding another item to a set.
X も Y です
わたしもがくせいです。
watashi mo gakusei desu
I am a student too.
コーヒーものみます。
koohii mo nomimasu
I drink coffee too.
Why: Keeping both は and も on the same noun.
Stage 1 · s1-u03-numbers · review_required
か turns a polite statement into a yes/no question. Rising intonation also helps; か is the clear written marker.
…ですか。 / …ますか。
がくせいですか。
gakusei desu ka
Are you a student?
なんじですか。
nanji desu ka
What time is it?
Why: Adding English do-support or a question mark alone without か in careful writing practice.
Stage 1 · s1-u06-places · review_required
これ = near the speaker, それ = near the listener, あれ = away from both. These are pronouns, not the この/その/あの prenominal forms.
これ / それ / あれ は Noun です
これはペンです。
kore wa pen desu
This is a pen.
それはなんですか。
sore wa nan desu ka
What is that (by you)?
Why: Using これ for something far from both people.
Stage 1 · s1-u06-places · review_required
Place counterparts of これ/それ/あれ: here / there (by you) / over there.
ここ / そこ / あそこ に いきます
ここにください。
koko ni kudasai
Here, please. (placing something)
あそこにえきがあります。
asoko ni eki ga arimasu
There is a station over there.
Why: Mixing そこ and あそこ without noticing distance.
Stage 1 · s1-u06-places · review_required
あります is used for inanimate existence; います for animate existence. Location often takes に.
Place に Noun が あります / います
つくえにほんがあります。
tsukue ni hon ga arimasu
There is a book on the desk.
こうえんにいぬがいます。
kouen ni inu ga imasu
There is a dog in the park.
Why: Using あります for people or pets.
Stage 1 · s1-u07-routines · review_required
ます is the polite non-past ending for verbs. Beginner lessons teach common ます forms as chunks before full conjugation tables.
Verb stem + ます
まいにちごはんをたべます。
mainichi gohan o tabemasu
I eat a meal every day.
テレビをみます。
terebi o mimasu
I watch TV.
Why: Calling ます “present tense only” — it also covers habitual and future plans.
Stage 1 · s1-u10-past · review_required
ました marks polite past / completed actions for verbs that use the ます paradigm.
Verb stem + ました
きのうがっこうにいきました。
kinou gakkou ni ikimashita
I went to school yesterday.
コーヒーをのみました。
koohii o nomimashita
I drank coffee.
Why: Mixing ました with です past でした on verbs.
Stage 1 · s1-u10-past · review_required
ません is the polite negative non-past. Past negative ませんでした appears in the same unit.
Verb stem + ません / ませんでした
肉をたべません。
niku o tabemasen
I do not eat meat.
きのういきませんでした。
kinou ikimasen deshita
I did not go yesterday.
Why: Using English “don’t” word order instead of the Japanese verb ending.
Stage 1 · s1-u08-adjectives · review_required
い-adjectives end in い (as a class) and can predicate with or without です for politeness. Do not add な before a noun.
い-adj (+ です) / い-adj + Noun
きょうはあついです。
kyou wa atsui desu
It is hot today.
おおきいえです。
ookii ie desu
It is a big house.
Why: Saying あついなひと for an い-adjective.
Stage 1 · s1-u08-adjectives · review_required
な-adjectives need な before a noun and often take です when predicating politely. They are not “nouns + です” in every textbook framing, but they pattern differently from い-adjectives.
な-adj + な + Noun / な-adj + です
しずかなへやです。
shizuka na heya desu
It is a quiet room.
げんきです。
genki desu
I am well / energetic.
Why: Dropping な before a noun (しずかへや).
Stage 1 · s1-u05-food · review_required
Noun をください is a common shop request. Verb て-form + ください is introduced lightly later; beginner ordering uses the noun pattern first.
Noun をください
コーヒーをください。
koohii o kudasai
Coffee, please.
みずをください。
mizu o kudasai
Water, please.
Why: Using ください without を on the object noun.
Stage 1 · s1-u09-shopping · review_required
好き and 嫌い are な-adjective-like. The liked thing is often marked with が: X がすきです.
X が すき / きらい です
ねこがすきです。
neko ga suki desu
I like cats.
あついおちゃがきらいです。
atsui ocha ga kirai desu
I dislike hot tea.
Why: Using を instead of が with すきです.
Stage 1 · s1-u11-requests · review_required
Verb ませんか invites (“Won’t you …?” / “Shall we …?”). It is not a neutral information question.
Verb stem + ませんか
コーヒーをのみませんか。
koohii o nomimasen ka
Would you like to drink coffee?
いっしょにいきませんか。
issho ni ikimasen ka
Shall we go together?
Why: Answering as if it were only a yes/no fact question about ability.
Stage 1 · s1-u11-requests · review_required
A few high-frequency てください requests are taught as chunks (待ってください). Full て-form conjugation is continued later; do not claim full mastery here.
て-form + ください
ちょっとまってください。
chotto matte kudasai
Please wait a moment.
もういちどいってください。
mou ichido itte kudasai
Please say it again.
Why: Inventing て-forms for unfamiliar verbs without a table or check.
Stage 1 · s1-u07-routines · review_required
Japanese verbs are often grouped (godan / ichidan / irregular). Stage 1 focuses on polite ます forms; group labels prepare later conjugation study.
ます-forms first; groups later
たべます (いちだん)
tabemasu
eat (ichidan pattern later)
のむ → のみます (ごだん)
nomu → nomimasu
drink (godan pattern later)
Why: Memorizing group labels before knowing the polite forms you need to speak.