Plain and polite speech
Two styles, and when to use each.
Every Japanese sentence ends in one of two styles. The polite style ends in です or a ます form. The plain style ends in the dictionary form, another plain form such as ない or た, or だ. The meaning is the same; the style shows your relationship with the listener.
When to use each
- Polite: with people you don't know well, people older or senior to you, at work and in shops. As a learner, use it whenever you're unsure.
- Plain: with family, close friends and children, and in writing such as diaries, news articles, essays and novels.
- More polite still: in business and service, polite language adds special respectful and humble verbs.
The forms side by side
| Form | 書く (godan) | 食べる (ichidan) | する | 来る |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present, plain | 書く | 食べる | する | 来る (くる) |
| Present, polite | 書きます | 食べます | します | 来ます (きます) |
| Negative, plain | 書かない | 食べない | しない | 来ない (こない) |
| Negative, polite | 書きません | 食べません | しません | 来ません (きません) |
| Past, plain | 書いた | 食べた | した | 来た (きた) |
| Past, polite | 書きました | 食べました | しました | 来ました (きました) |
| Past negative, plain | 書かなかった | 食べなかった | しなかった | 来なかった (こなかった) |
| Past negative, polite | 書きませんでした | 食べませんでした | しませんでした | 来ませんでした (きませんでした) |
For nouns and な-adjectives the plain form of です is だ (see です and だ). い-adjectives simply drop です: 高いです becomes 高い.
- Ashita, kuru?Are you coming tomorrow?Plain
- Ashita, kimasu ka.Are you coming tomorrow?Polite
Plain forms inside sentences
Politeness shows at the end of a sentence. Inside it, plain forms are normal even in polite speech, and they are the rule before a noun and before と思う.
- Kinō katta hon o yonde imasu.I'm reading the book I bought yesterday.
- Ashita wa ame ga furu to omoimasu.I think it will rain tomorrow.
Cards from this guide
6 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Verbs cards.
What do sentences in the polite style end in?
です or a ます form.
Who do you normally use the plain style with?
Family, close friends and children.
What's the plain form of 食べました (tabemashita, ate)?
食べた
What's the plain form of 来ませんでした (kimasen deshita, didn't come)?
来なかった (konakatta)
What's the plain form of です after a noun, as in 学生です (gakusei desu)?
だ: 学生だ.
In a polite sentence, which form does a verb take before a noun or before と思う (to omou)?
The plain form.