〜です

です sits at the end of the sentence to state something politely, like "là" (to be) in Vietnamese. The most basic sentence pattern is A は B です — "A is B." This is the first pattern you need to master, since nearly every introduction sentence uses it.

です doesn't change for person or number: 私は…です and 田中さんは…です both use the same form, so there's no conjugating the way English or French verbs require. When context makes things clear, Japanese speakers often drop the subject entirely — just saying 学生です is enough to mean "(I) am a student."

This is the polite form, safe to use in most situations. The negative form is じゃありません; the past form is でした.

Examples

• 私(わたし)は学生(がくせい)です。

  I am a student.

• これは本(ほん)です。

  This is a book.

• 田中(たなか)さんは先生(せんせい)です。

  Mr. Tanaka is a teacher.

Related patterns

• 〜じゃありません
• 〜でした・〜じゃありませんでした
• は
• 〜か