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Gogaku

All N5 grammar

N5

Nhóm động từ & thể từ điển

The three Japanese verb groups and the dictionary formmachine translation

FormationDictionary form = the verb's base form, ending in an う-row sound

The dictionary form is the verb's base form — the form listed in dictionaries, always ending in an う-row sound (読む, 食べる, する). It is also the plain present form, and it appears in many patterns such as 〜つもりです, 〜まえに, and 〜のが好きです.

Verbs fall into three groups. Group I (五段): ending in う・く・ぐ・す・つ・ぬ・ぶ・む・る, e.g. 読む, 書く, 行く — when conjugated, the final sound shifts along its row. Group II (一段): ending in る with the preceding sound in the い or え row, e.g. 見る, 食べる, 起きる — to conjugate, just drop る. Group III has only two irregular verbs: する and 来る.

Be careful: some る-ending verbs look like group II but actually belong to group I, such as 帰る (かえる) and 入る (はいる) — you have to memorize these individually.

Examples

Related patterns

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