JLPT N5 Lesson 6: Daily Activities and Verbs
Learn everyday Japanese verbs, understand u-verb and ru-verb conjugation, and express present, past, and negative actions using the polite ます form.
Overview
Verbs are the engine of Japanese sentences. Unlike English verbs, Japanese verbs always come at the end of the sentence, and they conjugate in predictable patterns. The great news for learners is that Japanese has only two truly irregular verbs (する and 来る), and all other verbs follow one of two consistent patterns called u-verbs (Group 1) and ru-verbs (Group 2). Once you identify which group a verb belongs to, you can conjugate it into all necessary forms with confidence.
In this lesson you will learn the polite ます form — the standard form used in everyday conversation, in JLPT listening tasks, and with anyone you do not know extremely well. You will practice four essential conjugation forms: present/future affirmative (〜ます), present/future negative (〜ません), past affirmative (〜ました), and past negative (〜ませんでした). You will also learn the crucial を particle that marks the direct object of action verbs, giving you the tools to build complete, natural sentences like "I ate sushi yesterday" or "I do not study on Sundays."
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson you can:
- Identify whether a verb is a u-verb or a ru-verb and explain the distinction.
- Conjugate verbs into all four polite ます forms (affirmative/negative × present/past).
- Use the を particle correctly to mark the direct object of action verbs.
- Construct complete sentences describing daily activities with time and frequency expressions.
New Vocabulary
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English | POS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 食べる | たべる | taberu | to eat | ru-verb |
| 飲む | のむ | nomu | to drink | u-verb |
| 見る | みる | miru | to see / watch | ru-verb |
| 聞く | きく | kiku | to listen / hear | u-verb |
| 読む | よむ | yomu | to read | u-verb |
| 書く | かく | kaku | to write | u-verb |
| 話す | はなす | hanasu | to speak | u-verb |
| 行く | いく | iku | to go | u-verb |
| 来る | くる | kuru | to come | irregular |
| 帰る | かえる | kaeru | to return / go home | u-verb |
| 起きる | おきる | okiru | to wake up | ru-verb |
| 寝る | ねる | neru | to sleep / go to bed | ru-verb |
| 勉強する | べんきょうする | benkyou suru | to study | suru verb |
| 仕事する | しごとする | shigoto suru | to work | suru verb |
| 買い物する | かいものする | kaimono suru | to go shopping | suru verb |
| 散歩する | さんぽする | sanpo suru | to take a walk | suru verb |
| 起きる | おきる | okiru | to wake up | ru-verb |
| 朝ご飯 | あさごはん | asagohan | breakfast | noun |
| 昼ご飯 | ひるごはん | hirugohan | lunch | noun |
| 晩ご飯 | ばんごはん | bangohan | dinner | noun |
| 毎日 | まいにち | mainichi | every day | adverb |
| 毎朝 | まいあさ | maiasa | every morning | adverb |
| 毎晩 | まいばん | maiban | every night | adverb |
| 時々 | ときどき | tokidoki | sometimes | adverb |
| よく | よく | yoku | often / well | adverb |
Grammar Points
Grammar Point 1: U-Verbs and Ru-Verbs — Identifying the Two Groups
U-verbs (Group 1): dictionary form ends in a non-る syllable, OR ends in る but the preceding syllable contains an /a/, /u/, or /o/ sound
Ru-verbs (Group 2): dictionary form ends in る, and the preceding vowel is /i/ or /e/
Irregular: する (to do), 来る (くる, to come)
The difference matters because the two groups conjugate differently. To form the ます stem: u-verbs change the final u-row sound to i-row (e.g., 書く → 書き, 飲む → 飲み, 話す → 話し, 行く → 行き); ru-verbs simply drop る (e.g., 食べる → 食べ, 見る → 見, 起きる → 起き). Then all verbs attach the same endings: ます / ません / ました / ませんでした.
The tricky cases are verbs that end in る but are actually u-verbs: 帰る (かえる, to return), 走る (はしる, to run), 切る (きる, to cut). These look like ru-verbs but conjugate as u-verbs: 帰ります, 走ります. Context and memorization are needed for these. A reliable tip: if the sound before る is NOT /i/ or /e/ (i.e., it is /a/, /u/, or /o/), it is definitely a u-verb.
| Verb type | Example | ます stem | ます form |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-verb | 飲む (nomu) | 飲み (nomi) | 飲みます |
| U-verb | 書く (kaku) | 書き (kaki) | 書きます |
| U-verb | 話す (hanasu) | 話し (hanashi) | 話します |
| Ru-verb | 食べる (taberu) | 食べ (tabe) | 食べます |
| Ru-verb | 見る (miru) | 見 (mi) | 見ます |
| Irregular | する (suru) | し (shi) | します |
| Irregular | 来る (kuru) | き (ki) | きます |
Common Mistake:
❌ 帰ります → stem 帰れ (treating it as ru-verb)
✓ 帰ります → stem 帰り (u-verb despite ending in る)
Grammar Point 2: Polite Verb Conjugation — Four Core Forms
Structure:
- Present/Future affirmative: [ます stem] + ます
- Present/Future negative: [ます stem] + ません
- Past affirmative: [ます stem] + ました
- Past negative: [ます stem] + ませんでした
The を particle marks the direct object — the thing the action is done to. In English we just put the object before the verb; in Japanese, を (pronounced "o") comes after the object: ご飯を食べます (I eat rice). を is only used with action verbs, not with あります/います.
Sentences typically follow the order: Time + Subject は + Object を + Verb. Everything except the verb can be rearranged or omitted based on context, but the verb must stay at the end. Time expressions like 毎日 (every day), 昨日 (yesterday), 毎朝 (every morning) usually come at the very beginning of the sentence or right after the subject.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 毎朝、朝ご飯を食べます。 | まいあさ、あさごはんをたべます。 | Maiasa, asagohan wo tabemasu. | I eat breakfast every morning. |
| 昨日、日本語を勉強しました。 | きのう、にほんごをべんきょうしました。 | Kinou, nihongo wo benkyou shimashita. | I studied Japanese yesterday. |
| 今日はテレビを見ません。 | きょうはテレビをみません。 | Kyou wa terebi wo mimasen. | I won't watch TV today. |
| 先週、映画を見ませんでした。 | せんしゅう、えいがをみませんでした。 | Senshuu, eiga wo mimasen deshita. | I did not watch a movie last week. |
| 何時に起きますか。 | なんじにおきますか。 | Nanji ni okimasu ka. | What time do you wake up? |
| 毎晩、十一時に寝ます。 | まいばん、じゅういちじにねます。 | Maiban, juuichi-ji ni nemasu. | I go to bed at 11 PM every night. |
Full conjugation table for 食べる and 飲む:
| Form | 食べる (taberu, ru-verb) | 飲む (nomu, u-verb) |
|---|---|---|
| Present affirmative | 食べます | 飲みます |
| Present negative | 食べません | 飲みません |
| Past affirmative | 食べました | 飲みました |
| Past negative | 食べませんでした | 飲みませんでした |
Common Mistake:
❌ 私は本をあります — を cannot be used with あります/います
✓ 私は本があります (existence) or 私は本を読みます (action with を)
Dialogues
Dialogue 1: Morning Routine
| Japanese | Romaji | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 田中さん、毎朝、何時に起きますか。 | Tanaka-san, maiasa, nanji ni okimasu ka. | Tanaka-san, what time do you wake up every morning? |
| B | だいたい六時に起きます。 | Daitai roku-ji ni okimasu. | I wake up at about 6 o'clock. |
| A | 早いですね。朝ご飯を食べますか。 | Hayai desu ne. Asagohan wo tabemasu ka. | That's early. Do you eat breakfast? |
| B | はい、毎朝食べます。パンとコーヒーを飲みます。 | Hai, maiasa tabemasu. Pan to koohii wo nomimasu. | Yes, I eat every morning. I have bread and drink coffee. |
| A | 何時に学校に行きますか。 | Nanji ni gakkou ni ikimasu ka. | What time do you go to school? |
| B | 八時に行きます。電車で行きます。 | Hachi-ji ni ikimasu. Densha de ikimasu. | I go at 8 o'clock. I go by train. |
| A | 昨日も電車で行きましたか。 | Kinou mo densha de ikimashita ka. | Did you go by train yesterday too? |
| B | いいえ、昨日は自転車で行きました。 | Iie, kinou wa jitensha de ikimashita. | No, yesterday I went by bicycle. |
Dialogue 2: Weekend Activities
| Japanese | Romaji | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 週末は何をしますか。 | Shuumatsu wa nani wo shimasu ka. | What do you do on weekends? |
| B | 土曜日はよく本を読みます。日曜日は散歩します。 | Doyoubi wa yoku hon wo yomimasu. Nichiyoubi wa sanpo shimasu. | On Saturdays I often read books. On Sundays I take a walk. |
| A | 先週末は何をしましたか。 | Senshuu no shuumatsu wa nani wo shimashita ka. | What did you do last weekend? |
| B | 友達と映画を見ました。とても面白かったです。 | Tomodachi to eiga wo mimashita. Totemo omoshirokatta desu. | I watched a movie with a friend. It was very interesting. |
| A | 映画の後で、食事もしましたか。 | Eiga no ato de, shokuji mo shimashita ka. | Did you also have a meal after the movie? |
| B | はい、イタリア料理を食べました。 | Hai, Itaria ryouri wo tabemashita. | Yes, we ate Italian food. |
| A | 今週末は何かしますか。 | Konshuumatsu wa nani ka shimasu ka. | Are you doing anything this weekend? |
| B | 特に予定はありません。家で勉強します。 | Toku ni yotei wa arimasen. Ie de benkyou shimasu. | No particular plans. I'll study at home. |
Grammar Drills
Conjugate the verb in brackets into the correct ます form.
- 毎日、牛乳を___。(飲む, present affirmative) (answer: 飲みます)
- 昨日、宿題を___。(書く, past affirmative) (answer: 書きました)
- 先週の土曜日、学校に___。(行く, past negative) (answer: 行きませんでした)
- 今日はテレビを___。(見る, present negative) (answer: 見ません)
- 毎朝、七時に___。(起きる, present affirmative) (answer: 起きます)
- 昨日、日本語を___。(勉強する, past affirmative) (answer: 勉強しました)
- 先週、友達が___。(来る, past affirmative) (answer: 来ました)
- 今日、どこにも___。(行く, present negative) (answer: 行きません)
- 昨晩、何も___。(食べる, past negative) (answer: 食べませんでした)
- 毎週、図書館で本を___。(読む, present affirmative) (answer: 読みます)
Translation Practice
English → Japanese
- "I drink coffee every morning." → 毎朝、コーヒーを飲みます。
- "Yesterday I did not go to school." → 昨日、学校に行きませんでした。
- "What time do you go to bed?" → 何時に寝ますか。
- "I studied Japanese for three hours." → 三時間、日本語を勉強しました。
- "She does not eat meat." → 彼女は肉を食べません。
Japanese → English
- 毎日、電車で学校に行きます。→ "I go to school by train every day."
- 昨日、友達と映画を見ました。→ "Yesterday I watched a movie with my friend."
- 今日は何もしませんでした。→ "I did not do anything today."
- 何時に起きますか。→ "What time do you wake up?"
- 先週、日本語を勉強しませんでした。→ "I did not study Japanese last week."
Cultural Note
Japanese daily life (日常生活, nichijou seikatsu) has a distinct rhythm shaped by long work and school hours. Many Japanese students follow a routine of early morning club activities (部活, bukatsu) before school, attending class until late afternoon, then participating in after-school club activities again. The concept of gambaru (頑張る) — doing one's best, persevering with effort — is central to daily life and is often said as encouragement: 頑張ってください (Please do your best). You will hear and use this phrase constantly in Japan.
The Japanese take great pride in their setsuyaku (節約) — frugality and not wasting things. This shows up in daily habits: finishing all food on your plate (残さないで食べる, nokosenaide taberu), turning off lights when leaving a room, and carefully separating garbage for recycling. When you eat, saying いただきます (itadakimasu) before the meal and ごちそうさまでした (gochisousama deshita) after finishing is not optional politeness — it is an essential social and cultural practice that children learn before starting school.
Self-Check
- What is the ます form of 書く (kaku)? Is it a u-verb or ru-verb?
- What particle marks the direct object of an action verb?
- Conjugate 食べる into all four polite forms (present/negative/past/past-negative).
- What makes 帰る a tricky verb to classify? What group does it belong to?
- How do you say "I did not watch TV last night" in Japanese?