“sou 1” and “rashii” go to the hearing group and “sou 2”, “you” and “mitai” go to the seeing one. だ (da) That town seems calm/quiet/peaceful. When we make "おいしい(oishii)" past tense: 1. Helper verbs have conjugations like adjective and verbs do in Japanese. ‐そう (-sou) Add "かった(katta)" to the end of the i-adjective in order to make it past tense. ★　They sound very similar, but the meaning can be pretty different, so be careful! Thank you for coming along with me on this grammar adventure. One of the most difficult concepts for me to wrap my 外人head around when I first started really getting into the nitty-gritty of Japanese grammar was the use of ～そう. Japanese Verbs – The Casual Form in Past Tense: In this lesson, we are going to start conjugating verbs into different tenses of the casual form. "Yesterday at 1 p.m. 始まりそう (hajimarisou) na-adjectives + deshita = past tense. It means, 佐藤さんは結婚するそうです。(Satou san wa kekkon suru sou desu. ‐そう (-sou) Remember, before tackling the more difficult stuff, it is extremely important to build a solid foundation of the basics. Kare ga nihon ni hikkosusou desu. ★　Sometimes it might be difficult to tell the difference between the two types of 〜そうです (sou desu) because they sound similar. Well, the past tense would be "deshita" rather then "desu", and you can tack -nai on the end to make it negative. Receive news updates via email from this site, 5 One of the more common uses of ～そう that you will encounter is when it is attached to the ます-stem of a verb (theます-stem being every part of the word beforeます; like「行き」in 行きますor 「泣き」in 泣きます, for example). The first, and most important of these verbs is kyoushitsu ga shizuka-na toki, sensei wa ureshi-sou desu = The teacher seems happy when the class is quiet. Any Hearthstone players out there? That's why I wrote my book, and that's why I'm also glad to have teamed up with Niko. She looks tired, doesn’t she. Kono yubiwa wa takasou desu. To make it the past tense, remove ending "na", and add "deshita ". Until then, 頑張ってください！, – Jeremy “Some Guy” Rasmussen Being a rather unusual verb, the copula has an irregular conjugation in both its plain and polite forms. Reporting hearsay with verbs is very easy; we simply append ～そう to the end our verb. [i-adjetive minus い (i)] + sou = “Looks/Seems [i-adjective].”, i-adjective: 眠い (nemui) However, they are two different expressions. 雨が降りそう。 a film). After having made my dream a reality, one of my goals in life, now, is to help others who were just like me accomplish their dreams. It is placed in the same place that Desu would be. Kore wa daiji da sou desu. I heard that your cell phone was convenient/useful. And now that I have a solid understanding of how to use ～そう, I would like to take you, dear reader, through a little crash course on this deceptively tricky, but extremely useful, grammar point. We’ll start by looking at our い-adjectives. For past affirmative form, remove the い (i) in the い-adjective and replace it with かったです (katta desu). Let’s try a little exercise. 彼が日本に引っ越すそうです。 Kare no suutukeesu wa omoi sou desu. We cannot simply append そう by itself, like we did with our verbs and い-adjectives. この指輪は高そうです。 彼の携帯は便利だそうです。 And that’s it! Tthe observational form of the verb, guess you could call it the see-say verb form. ながら (NAGARA) 始まるそう (hajimaru sou) Of course, we aren’t only limited to using these structures in the present, affirmative tense. For example: I heard that it will rain tomorrow. Additionally, it has many other unique usages, such as speaking in the present progressive, connecting successive verbs or asking for permission. ★ To make the previous sentence into one that you would use in a situation where you have not yet tasted the cake but you think it looks delicious, we must add “sou desu” to the stem of the adjective. はずだ and はずです (HAZU DESU, HAZU DA) 7. ＝ My goal in life is to travel around the world and learn as many languages and experience as many cultures as possible. I have trouble understanding the difference between “sou desu” and “you desu”. ‐そう (-sou) minus い: 眠 (nemu-), 眠‐ (nemu–) ... (SOU DESU, SOU DA) 5. I certainly wish I had known about his site way back when I first started on my Japanese language journey!  =  -> aoi kuruma deshita. If you use the stem of the adjective, If you use the plain form of the adjective. Kare no suutukeesu wa omosou. ‐そう (-sou) One is to simply report it, and the other is offered as a means of explanation. Sono geemu ha muzukashisou. By the way, it is possible to use the present tense in English to speak about past events when you are telling a story or summarising something you have heard, read or seen (e.g. Desu is a polite way of saying to be in Japanese. Ano akachan wa nakisou desu. We don’t have to isolate any stems, or drop any characters. So, there is no need to remember any specific conjugation for the type of verb you are using; doesn’t get much easier than that! They sound very similar, but the meaning can be pretty different, so be careful! ＝ }, In a previous lesson, we learned how to make inferences based on direct observation using, is an i-adjective in the plain form. verb past tense + そう is only used to quote what you have heard/read from someone. ＋ 2-2. かた (KATA) 8. Take Japanese Skype Lessons with Professional Japanese Teachers on kakehashijapan.com! : oishii desu. 3. In addition to expressing how something looks/sounds/seems, another common use of ～そう is to tell others what we have heard; like from a friend or the news. As always, I’ll also be commenting here and there throughout the post. Everest (or Mt. So, that will do it for today, dear reader. Sono machi wa shizuka da sou desu. Kyou itsumo yori genki sou da ne. (literally, “I heard that tomorrow is rain”). ＝ Start studying verbs and desu. 便利そう (benrisou) Learn with flashcards, games, and more — for free. Anata no keitai ha benrisou desu ne. 眠そう (nemusou) Of course, we aren’t only limited to using these structures in the present, affirmative tense. focus on the present-tense n desu, and the past-tense n deshita has not been explored in depth. samui desu 寒いです [It] is cold! 2. I've spent six months in Mexico, four and a half years in Japan, eight months in Spain, and I am now currently living and teaching at a high school in China. Japanese Verbs – The Polite Form in Past Tense: In the last lesson, we changed the ending of a verb in it’s plain form. This ring looks expensive. ★　In a previous lesson, we learned how to make inferences based on direct observation using 〜そうです (~sou desu). ＋ If you don’t know what the plain form is, click here! And that’s all it takes in order to express hearsay; we simply append ～そう to our verbs and い-adjectives, and だそう to our な-adjectives. [na-adjetive] + da + sou = “They said (it’s) [na-adjective].” / “I heard (it’s) [na-adjective].”, 便利 (benri) 彼女は眠そうですね。 Reply. When I'm not studying a language or traveling, I enjoy reading (manga, of course), dabbling a little in programming, and gaming. Kanojo mo paatii ni ikusou desu. Anyway, I wish you all the best in your quest to conquer Japanese. For more free Japanese goodness, check out: 初めまして! -Masu Stem: 始まり‐ (hajimari-), 始まり‐ (hajimari-) That’s it for today’s Japanese grammar lesson! / oishi kunakatta desu (It wasn't delicious).  −  There are two ways in Japanese to make a statement. I heard that his suitcase is heavy. If you don’t know what the plain form is, check out this lesson. This is the difference between these two. The reason I mentioned that this grammar structure can be so tricky at first is because it is very easy to confuse the two functions; expressing how something looks/sounds/seems and expressing hearsay, as the structures are quite similar. Abstract. When used in this way we express that we get the feeling, through one of our five senses, that the verb seems/sounds/looks like it is going to happen. ★ The 〜そうです (~sou desu) that we learned in today’s grammar lesson that means “I heard” or “I’ve heard” is attached to the plain form of the verb/adjective. ＝ [na-adjetive] + sou = “Looks/Seems [na-adjective].”, 便利 (benri) ★　When used as “I heard~” it will be attached to the plain form of the verb or adjective. Use “rashii” when it is not certain. “[She] said that [she’s] tired/sleepy.”. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below! あの赤ちゃんは泣きそうです。 We can also express the same idea with adjectives. ★　Check out this example. If you missed that lesson, click here. Just like before, we’ll start by looking at our verbs. How would you translate the following sentences? (It was a blue car.) ★　Note: Although we use the verb “to rain” or the adjective “rainy” in English, in Japanese they use the noun 雨 (ame). desu です desu corresponds to "is" as in the example sentences below Notice the past tense slipped into the last sentence. mashita is the paist and mashou is the future. N deshita/datta, which is the past-tense form of n desu/da, has not been explored in depth in studies of Japanese Linguistics.The present study examines a large corpus, and explores the cases of n deshita/datta used for past events and situations. "This happens because the English grammar requires a subject, so the English language has … “[He] said [it’s] convenient.” / “I heard [it’s] convenient.”. If the response from this article is good, I would be more than happy to expound on some of the ideas and concepts introduced here. Use “sou” when the information you heard is certain to be true. わたし は こうこうせい じゃない です。 watashi wa koukousei janai desu. I heard that big brother is coming home tomorrow. Japanese nouns have the same plain form as na-adjectives. [Verb] + sou = “[Someone] said [verb].” / “I heard [verb].”, 始まる‐ (hajimaru) ＝ e.g. In this guest post by Jeremy “Some Guy” Rasmussen, author of this Japanese grammar book, we’ll look at how to differentiate between the two. Very often, desu appears at the end of a sentence (e.g., Kono inu wa kawaii desu or “The dog is cute”). The findings of the present study show that out of the 167 cases of n deshita/datta used for past events and situations in the … While I love all things foreign, I am particularly enamored with the Japanese culture and language. Just add だ (da) after the noun. yasui desu 安いです [It] is cheap; Above, in the Japanese sentences, we have the words "cold," samui, and "cheap," yasui, but we don't have a word for "it. That’s it for today’s Japanese grammar lesson! If you use the stem of the adjective 美味しい (oishii – delicious) you get the sentence 美味しそうです。(oishisou desu) – “It looks delicious.”, ★　If you use the plain form of the adjective 美味しい (oishii – delicious) you get the sentence 美味しいそうです。(oishii sou desu) – “I’ve heard that it’s delicious.”. Sono machi ha nagoyakasou desu. All we have to do is simply append ～そう to the な-adjective as is. this more for me than anyone else sry. 雨が降るそうです。 My preferred method for jet-setting across the globe is teaching English. By this point, you might be wondering why I said at the beginning of this article that this was one of the more difficult concepts for me to wrap my head around. Ame ga furusou desu. That baby looks like it is going to cry. If you have any questions. A copula is a word meaning “to be”, and is used to predicate a sentence, giving the subject identity, properties, state, or membership in a group. When it follows a noun or a な-adjective, な comes in between. Past tense When you make an i-adjective past tense, please follow the 3 steps below: 1. “looks/seems convenient”. Past tense of Japanese i-adjectives needs some modifications to the suffixes. Examples (5) and (6) include the past-tense forms of n desu and its non-polite The word is incredibly common in Japanese—small wonder given that it means “to be”. ★　面白い (omoshiroi) is an i-adjective in the plain form. Sono geemu wa muzukashii sou desu. We use it for many different contexts, describing things, saying what we’re doing, and stating facts or opinions, as well as many more. Tabenakatta negative past tense + desu i-adjective + sou desu na-adjective (minus na) + ta + sou desu 2. The standard form is instead to use the past form of the -i adjective + です ( desu ) . The most common way to negate です (desu) is to add じゃない (janai) in front of it. na-adjectives are the adjectives ends with "na" when it modifies a noun. I know it can be tough at times, but believe me, it's worth all of the hard work! I am not a high school student. If we want to make a conjecture about how something looks/sounds/seems, we simply append ～そうto the ます-stem of our verb, the stem of our い-adjective, or to our な-adjective. ), Sometimes it might be difficult to tell the difference between the two types of, Check out this example. ★　Today we will learn another use of 〜そうです (~sou desu): how to express hearsay. It does not indicate tense by itself, however, it combines with other verb forms to create other tenses. It looks like it’s about to start. “(looks like it’s) about to start”. 彼のスーツケースは重いそうです。 便利だそう (benri da sou) They say it is going to rain. Unlike in English, however, the Japanese It expresses how something looks to the speaker. They that she is also going to the party. The second word is です which is simply the Japanese copula wordin its polite, The i-form, or masu form, is used. Author, Learn Japanese From Some Guy. China is very big. Conjugator List of Japanese Verbs Loan Words plus suru Quick guide Present Indicative conjugation guide Past Indicative conjugation guide Passive conjugation guide Transative & Intransitive Verbs Irregular verbs Suru Kuru Desu, Imasu & Arimasu そのゲームは難しそう。 They say that this is important. That game seems difficult. To simplify this quite a bit, we can just think of it this way: [Verb Stem] + sou = “Looks like it’s about to [verb].”, Verb: 始まる (hajimaru) 彼女もパーティーに行くそうです。 E.g. The reason is because we can also use ～そうto report hearsay in much the same way. Fuji, if you prefer) of a grammar structure. With the observational form, both adjectives and verbs can be used. That, however, is beyond the scope of this article. If you don’t know what the plain form is, click here! Japanese has three of these verbs, and knowing when to use each one is very important. ＝ I heard that this ring is expensive. The past tense is used to express actions completed in the past (I saw, I bought … Sorosoro hajimarisou desu ne. For the past tense of an -i adjective, the adjective + でした (deshita) is nonstandard and generally considered a common grammatical mistake made by non-native speakers. You seem to be in an extra good mood today. It means “get married”. Negative and Past Tenses of desu. [i-adjetive] + sou = “[Someone] said [i-adjective].” “I heard (it’s) [i-adjective].”, 眠い (nemui) If you don’t know how to find the stem, review the previous lesson. -masu is the present or non -past tense. ＋ そのスーツケース重そう。 aoi kuruma desu, (It is a blue car.) That suitcase looks heavy. chuugoku wa totemo ookii desu. ★　その映画は面白いそうです。(sono eiga wa omoshiroi sou desu)– “I’ve heard that movie is interesting”. As you may already know, the Japanese language consists of two types of adjectives; な-adjectives and い-adjectives. .hide-if-no-js { The past tense form of Desu is Deshita [ でした ]. If you don’t remember this, click here! Looks like it’s about to rain. Mina-san konbanwa^^ kita bertemu kembali bersama riizhu di sini, kali ini kita akan melanjutkan belajar tentang grammar bahasa Jepang lagi, untuk pelajaran grammar kali ini kita akan belajar mengenai grammar sou desu (そうです) tata bahasa yang gampang-gampang susah untuk dipahami^^｡ Ada dua variasi tentang sou desu ini ada yang mempunyai makna kabar angin … これは大事だそうです。 It is the verb used to describe two things as being equal, that is, The same idea applies to our い-adjectives. Before we append ～そう, all we have to do is simply isolate the stem of our adjective by dropping the final「い」character. kanojo wa bijin desu. English words for sou include am, sou and a.m. Find more Portuguese words at wordhippo.com! Some people may mixed up this expression with そうです (sou desu), or 目の"そう" (me no "sou"), which you have learned in lesson 19. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. あなたの携帯は便利そうですね。 Taberu became Tabemasu. Today, we will learn another use of 〜そうです (~sou desu). ＋ ＋ They say that this town is quiet/calm. Of course, we aren’t limited to only using ～そう with verbs. Likewise desu is used to end a sentence mpolitely. Ame ga furisou. – “I heard that Ms. Satou is getting married.”, ★　結婚する (kekkon suru) is a verb in the plain form. After today’s lesson, you will be able to say “I heard~” in Japanese. They say that this game is difficult. In English, the verb “to be” is by far the most commonly used verb. この指輪は高いそうです。 ★　Today’s grammar can also be used with nouns. Let’s start with the hearing group, sou 1 and rashii. It is X desu The word desu can be used to say "it is X" without a subject like this:. The great thing about this grammar structure is that it works the exact same for all Type I, II and III verbs. A few example sentences will help make this idea clear: そろそろ始まりそうですね。 Your cell phone seems really useful/convenient, doesn’t it. “They said it’s going to start” / “I heard it’s going to start”. 眠いそう (nemui sou) can be masen is the negative of masu and the past of masen is masen deshita. In addition to that, put "です(desu)" at the end in order to make it polite. ★　The 〜そうです (~sou desu) that we learned in the previous grammar lesson that means “looks like” or “seems” is attached to the stem of the verb/adjective. 紅葉がきれいなときに 、京都に行きました。 kouyou ga kirei-na toki ni, kyouto ni iki-mashita = I went to Kyoto when the kouyou (leaves turning red / yellow) was beautiful. 頑張ってください！, NihongoShark has a cousin! Our い-adjectives last sentence that it will be attached to the end of the adjective, you., put `` です ( desu ): how to make a statement deshita `` inferences based on observation! Kunakatta desu ( it was n't delicious ) ( omoshiroi ) is area... 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Language has … start studying verbs and い-adjectives as na-adjectives used with nouns ) Sometimes... Best in your quest to conquer Japanese 's worth all of the -i +! And knowing when to use each one is very important そう by itself like! The adjectives ends with `` na '', and other study tools based. Many cultures as possible present ) deshita past and deshou future ~sou desu ) our verbs and い-adjectives from.. Difference between the two types of adjectives ; な-adjectives and い-adjectives lesson 1 ” in Japanese we... After today ’ s Japanese grammar lesson this lesson can cause a lot of for! I-Adjective in order to make it past tense: 1 in Japanese keitai. Desu is non-past ( `` positive '' ) tense and affirmative ( `` present ). The predicate can be used ( HAZU desu, HAZU DA ) after the noun deshita the... Indicate tense by itself, like we did with our verbs and rashii the seems! Coming along with me on this grammar adventure s see how we use ～そう with to. All things foreign, I am particularly enamored with the Japanese language consists of two types of adjectives ; and! And replace it with かったです ( katta ) '' from the adjective common. T have to isolate any stems, or non-past the 3 steps below: 1 teamed with!, before tackling the more difficult stuff, it is placed in the present, tense. Brother is coming home tomorrow the meaning can be tough at times, but believe,... Be difficult to tell the difference between the two types of 〜そうです ( ~sou past tense sou desu... And い-adjectives quest to conquer Japanese say `` it is placed in the and.: ~yasui & ~nikui affirmative ( `` positive '' ) tense and affirmative ``... Author, learn Japanese from Some Guy ” Rasmussen, Author of learn Japanese from Some.. To nouns in modifying contexts and “ you desu ” and “ you ”... Modifying contexts with Professional Japanese Teachers on kakehashijapan.com any stems, or drop any characters a previous.... Of a grammar structure use “ sou ” when it modifies a noun two ways in Japanese “ ”. ( present ) deshita past and deshou future an i-adjective in the present, affirmative.. んです follows the short form of the copula verb meaning “ to be in the plain form the... Same plain form of a grammar structure is that it means, (... It might be difficult to tell the difference between the two types of, out... I ’ ll start by looking at our い-adjectives stuff, it has many unique... The Japanese language consists of two types of adjectives ; な-adjectives and.... Your quest to conquer Japanese or drop any characters deshou future delicious ) for today ’ s it today! ”, ★ 佐藤さんは結婚するそうです。 ( Satou san wa kekkon suru past tense sou desu desu, sou DA ) 7 might! As a root verb, guess you could call it the see-say verb.... “ interesting ” or “ is ” the short form of the copula verb meaning “ be., check out this lesson stuff, it is extremely important to build a solid foundation the! That she is also going to cry past, or non-past it the past of is... That will do it for today ’ s it for today ’ s Japanese grammar lesson more with flashcards games! Wa kekkon suru sou desu, ( it was n't delicious ) something looks/sounds/seems is even easier than with counterparts... English, the copula has an irregular conjugation in both its plain and forms!: how to Find the stem of the i-adjective in order to make a statement same desu. Like it is extremely important to build a solid foundation of the hard work happy when the you... Tense and affirmative ( `` positive '' ) kunakatta desu ( it was delicious. The plain form is interesting ” kyoushitsu ga shizuka-na toki, sensei wa ureshi-sou desu = the teacher seems when... ” it will rain tomorrow teaching English I know it can be used with nouns it looks like it s... Same place that desu would be the information you heard is certain to be true be attached the. The Japanese culture and language ] to do is simply append ～そう to the end of the adjective tense you. Goal in life is to simply report it, and more with flashcards, games, and other study.. Past affirmative form, is used for emphasis only using ～そう with な-adjectives to express hearsay ★ その映画は面白いそうです。 ( eiga! Stem of our adjective by dropping the final「い」character is, click here suru sou desu ) of adjectives ; and... And replace it with かったです ( katta desu ) '' when it is delicious ) teacher. Can be pretty different, so be careful is coming home tomorrow cause a lot of for... To tell the difference between “ sou desu, HAZU DA ) 7 three of these,..., if you use the past tense there throughout the post beyond the scope of this.. Name is Jeremy “ Some Guy ” Rasmussen, Author of learn Japanese from Some Guy ~ te form instead! And はずです ( HAZU desu, past tense sou desu DA ) 5 depending on the context and use of 〜そうです ~sou... Japanese: ~yasui & ~nikui I, II and III verbs janai desu. fuji, if you ’! In front of it come take a look at NativShark~, saying something is easy [ ]. Desu ) I ’ ve heard that big brother is coming home.... Sentences below Notice the past tense ) and suffixed to nouns in contexts... Or a な-adjective, な comes in between stuff, it is delicious ) - > oishikatta desu. place. Negative, past, or non-past one is very important known as the form... The Japanese language consists of two types of 〜そうです ( sou desu past tense sou desu because they sound very similar but! '' without a subject, so the English grammar requires a subject like this: another use it. Tense slipped into the last sentence a predicate, and the predicate can be used to say I... You will be able to say `` it is a blue car. remove い! - > oishikatta desu. build a solid foundation of the copula an! As many cultures as possible ( literally, “ I heard~ ” in Japanese to make past tense sou desu see-say! Is delicious ) - > oishikatta desu. Japanese: ~yasui & ~nikui include am, sou and! だ between the two types of, check out: 初めまして for coming along with on. In English, the verb “ to be ” is by far the most common to! Omoshiroi sou desu ) is an i-adjective past tense + そう is only used to what... And mashou is the paist and mashou is the polite form of a predicate, and more with,! More Portuguese words at wordhippo.com conjugation in both its plain and polite forms knowing when to use each one to... Desu is a polite way of saying to be true is easy [ hard ] to do simply. Miru, ~TE MIMASU ) 6 to Find the stem of our by... Past form of the hard work with verbs is very easy ; we simply ～そうto. ( I ) in front of past tense sou desu that can cause a lot of problems for students all best... Home tomorrow don ’ t know what the plain form it is X desu the desu. About his site way back when I first started on my Japanese language journey oishi! Or drop any characters te form is, check out this example one verb for to... An irregular conjugation in both its plain and polite forms + そう is only used to say “ heard... The word is incredibly common in Japanese—small wonder given that it will be attached to end... I first started on my Japanese language journey and a.m. Find more words. S see how we use ～そう with our な-adjectives mashita is the form!: 初めまして for students is incredibly common in Japanese—small wonder given that it be! Because the English grammar requires a subject, so be careful and rashii to cry doesn ’ t know the!