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道Nihongo Path

N5 grammar · 76

Start with lesson 1

Lessons 1–10

  1. 1です"is / am / are" — polite copula linking a noun or adjective to the topic.
  2. 2だ (plain copula)Plain/casual equivalent of です.
  3. 3じゃありません ／ ではありません"is not" — polite negative copula.
  4. 4でした"was / were" — polite past copula.
  5. 5は (topic)Marks the topic — "as for X". Pronounced わ.
  6. 6が (subject)Marks the grammatical subject; identifies "which one"; used with question words, existence, likes/abilities, and descriptions.
  7. 7を (direct object)Marks the direct object of a transitive verb; also the place passed through / left.
  8. 8に (time, destination, location of existence, indirect object)"at / on / in / to / for" — a point in time, destination, place where something exists, recipient.
  9. 9へ (direction)"to / toward" — direction of movement. Pronounced え.
  10. 10で (place of action, means, total)"at / in (where an action happens)", "by / with (means)", "in (language)", "for (total)".

Lessons 11–20

  1. 11と (and; with)"and" (exhaustive list of nouns), "with (a person)", also marks quoted speech.
  2. 12も (also; too)"also / too / even"; with negative: "neither / not either".
  3. 13の (possession; modification)"of / 's" — links two nouns: possession, attribute, origin, or apposition. Also a pronoun "one".
  4. 14か (question)Turns a statement into a question; also "or" between nouns.
  5. 15よ (emphasis / new information)Sentence-final particle: tells the listener something they do not know, gives emphasis or reassurance.
  6. 16ね (agreement / confirmation)Sentence-final particle: "isn't it? / right?" — seeks agreement or confirms shared knowledge.
  7. 17から (from; starting point)"from" — a starting point in time or place; also "from (a person)".
  8. 18まで (until; as far as)"until / up to / as far as" — an end point in time or place.
  9. 19や (and, among others)"and (for example)" — an incomplete list of nouns.
  10. 20Verb groups (Group 1 / Group 2 / Group 3)Every Japanese verb belongs to one of three groups; the group decides how it conjugates.

Lessons 21–30

  1. 21ます ／ ません (polite non-past)Polite present/future affirmative and negative.
  2. 22ました ／ ませんでした (polite past)Polite past affirmative / negative.
  3. 23Dictionary form (plain non-past)The basic form found in dictionaries; the plain/casual present-future.
  4. 24て-formThe connecting form — used for requests (てください), continuing actions (ている), permission, prohibition, joining clauses, and sequence.
  5. 25ない-form (plain negative)Plain/casual negative "do not / will not".
  6. 26た-form (plain past)Plain/casual past "did".
  7. 27い-adjective conjugationAdjectives ending in い conjugate for tense and polarity by themselves.
  8. 28な-adjective conjugationAdjectives that take な before a noun; they conjugate exactly like nouns + copula.
  9. 29あります ／ います (existence)"There is / are"; "to have". あります for inanimate things (and plants), います for people and animals.
  10. 30がほしい"want (a thing)". The desired object is marked with が, not を.

Lessons 31–40

  1. 31が好き ／ 嫌い ／ 上手 ／ 下手The object of liking, disliking and skill is marked with が.
  2. 32が分かる ／ ができる"understand X" / "can do X". Both take が for the thing understood or possible.
  3. 33くなる ／ になる (change of state)"become ~". Attaches to adjectives and nouns to express change.
  4. 34は 〜 が (topic + subject in one sentence)The topic (は) is what you talk about; the subject (が) is what the predicate directly describes.
  5. 35ています (progressive / resulting state / habit)(1) an action in progress "is ~ing"; (2) a resulting state "is ~ed"; (3) a habitual action or occupation.
  6. 36てください"Please do ~" (polite request or instruction).
  7. 37てもいいです"You may ~ / it is all right to ~" (permission).
  8. 38てはいけません"must not ~ / may not ~" (prohibition).
  9. 39てから"after doing ~, …" (one action follows the completion of another).
  10. 40ないでください"Please don't ~" (negative request).

Lessons 41–50

  1. 41もう ／ まだもう = "already" (with affirmative) / "not any more" (with negative); まだ = "still" (affirmative) / "not yet" (with ていません).
  2. 42ながら"while doing ~" — two actions performed at the same time by the same person.
  3. 43たい"want to ~" (the speaker's own wish to do an action).
  4. 44ましょう"Let's ~" (suggestion including the speaker); also a willing offer in reply to a request.
  5. 45ませんか"Won't you ~? / Would you like to ~?" (polite invitation).
  6. 46ましょうか"Shall I ~?" (offer to do something for the listener) / "Shall we ~?" (proposal).
  7. 47つもり"intend to ~ / plan to ~".
  8. 48と思う"I think that ~" (opinion or guess).
  9. 49でしょう"probably ~ / I suppose ~" (conjecture); with rising intonation でしょう？ = "right?" (seeking agreement).
  10. 50なければなりません"must ~ / have to ~" (obligation).

Lessons 51–60

  1. 51なくてもいいです"don't have to ~ / need not ~" (absence of obligation).
  2. 52ことができる"can ~ / be able to ~" (ability or possibility).
  3. 53ほうがいい"it would be better to ~ / you had better ~" (advice).
  4. 54まえに"before ~".
  5. 55たり〜たりする"do things like ~ and ~" (a non-exhaustive list of actions).
  6. 56より"than ~" — marks the standard of comparison.
  7. 57ほうが"~ is more ~" — highlights the item that is greater in a comparison, especially in answers to "which".
  8. 58いちばん (superlative)"the most ~ / the ~est" among three or more, or within a group.
  9. 59すぎる"too ~ / excessively ~".
  10. 60やすい ／ にくい"easy to ~" / "hard to ~".

Lessons 61–70

  1. 61あまり ／ ぜんぜん + negativeあまり〜ない = "not very / not much"; ぜんぜん〜ない = "not at all".
  2. 62ごろ ／ ぐらい・くらいごろ = "around / about" a point in time; ぐらい (くらい) = "about / approximately" an amount or duration.
  3. 63から (reason)"because ~, so ~" — gives a reason; the reason clause comes first.
  4. 64ので"because ~ / since ~" — a softer, more objective reason than から.
  5. 65んです ／ のですExplanatory ending — asks for or gives an explanation, background or reason; "it is that ~".
  6. 66が (but)"~, but ~" — joins two contrasting clauses; also a soft introduction ("~, and…").
  7. 67けど ／ けれども"but / although" — casual equivalent of the conjunction が.
  8. 68でも (however) ／ でも (even, or something)(1) Sentence-initial でも = "but / however". (2) Noun + でも = "even ~" or "~ or something" (a casual suggestion).
  9. 69そして ／ それから ／ それでSentence connectors: そして = "and (then)"; それから = "and then / after that"; それで = "so / therefore".
  10. 70そうです (appearance)"looks ~ / seems ~" — a judgement from what you see; with verbs, "looks about to ~".

Lessons 71–76

  1. 71など"and so on / etc." — an incomplete list of nouns.
  2. 72だけ"only / just ~".
  3. 73しか〜ない"only ~ (and nothing more)" — emphasises that the amount is small or insufficient.
  4. 74に (specific time) vs no particleに marks a specific point in time (clock time, date, day of the week, month, year). Relative time words take no particle.
  5. 75に (frequency: per)"~ times per (period)".
  6. 76Counters (つ・人・本・枚・匹・冊・台・杯・回・階)Numbers must be followed by a counter matching the type of object.