1. Japanese for Busy People 1
Lesson 14
Grammar Notes of Japanese Adjectives 2
2. Please answer the question below;
Q1: きのう なにを たべましたか。
k i n o u n a n i o t a b e m a s h i t a k a
1. Conjugating Adjectives to Past Tense
A1: すしを たべました。
s u s h i o t a b e m a s h i t a
The question asks What did you eat yesterday? with the question word
なに(nani) . Say if you had sushi yesterday, your answer would be;
I had(ate) sushi.
What did you eat yesterday?
1-1: i-adjectives
3. Then you are asked another question as;
Q2: すしは どうでしたか。
s u s h i w a d o u d e s h i t a k a
How was the sushi?
The question asks How was the sushi? with a question word
どう(dou) . Say if you liked the sushi and you d like to answer it as
It was delicious. ;
A2: (すしは)おいしいです。
s u s h i w a o i s h i i d e s u
It is delicious.
Now you ve noticed what is wrong with the answer in Japanese above.
You definitely have to change おいしいです (oishii desu) to a past tense.
But it will not become おいしいでした (oishii deshita) .
Let s take a look how we conjugate adjectives to the past tense.
4. i-adjectives in the past tense relatively follow the pattern to the present
negative form ;
1-1: i-adjectives
A2: (すしは)おいしかったです。
sushi wa oishi katta desu
It was delicious.=
You remove the final い(i) in each i-adjective then replace it to either かった
(katta) as the past affirmative or くなかった(kunakatta) as the past negative.
おいしいです
おいしくないです
Present Affirmative
Present Negative
o i s h i i d e s u
oishiku naidesu
おいしかったです
Past Affirmative
o i s h i k a t t a d e s u
おいしくなかったです
Past Negative
oishiku nakattadesu
おいしいです
Present Affirmative
o i s h i i d e s u
Thus the answer to the last question on the previous page should be;
5. However, there is one exception which is いいです(iidesu) , just as you ve learned its
affirmative negative form as よくないです(yokunaidesu) , the past tense for both
affirmative and negative forms follow the same pattern;
1-1: i-adjectives
いいです
よくないです
Present Affirmative
Present Negative
i i d e s u
yoku naidesu
よかったです
Past Affirmative
yokatta desu
よくなかったです
Past Negative
yoku nakattadesu
Let s take a look at the chart on the textbook page 133 for other i-adjective
conjugations with audio files for you to review them.
Please note that いいです(iidesu) has an other form as よいです(yoidesu) as the
same term, and よ(yo) out of this other form appears in above three conjugations.
7. Please answer the question below;
Q1: せんしゅう パーティーに いきましたか。
s e n s h u u p a a t i i n i i k i m a s h i t a k a
1. Conjugating Adjectives to Past Tense
A1: はい、いきました。
h a i i k i m a s h i t a
Yes, I did.
Did you go to the party last week?
1-2: na-adjectives
Say if you went to the party last week, your answer would be;
8. 1. Conjugating Adjectives to Past Tense
Q2 : (パーティーは) どう でしたか。
p a a t i i w a d o u d e s h i t a k a
How was the party?
A2 : (パーティーは)にぎやかです。
p a a t i i w a n i g i y a k a d e s u
It is lively.
1-2: na-adjectives
Then you are asked another question as;
The question asks How was the party? with the question word どう(dou) .
Say if you think the party was lively and you d like to answer as It was lively. ;
Again, you ve noticed what is wrong with the answer in Japanese above.
You definitely have to change にぎやかです (nigiyaka desu) to the past tense.
Now it will become にぎやかでした (nigiyaka deshita) . As you see the na-
adjectives have mush simpler conjugations than i-adjectives.
Let s take a look how we conjugate na-adjectives to the past tense.
9. na-adjectives in the past tense relatively follow the pattern to the present negative
form as well ;
1-2: na-adjectives
You just replace です(desu) to either でした(deshita) as the past affirmative or
ではありませんでした(dewa arimasen deshita) as the past negative.
にぎやかです
にぎやかではありません
Present Affirmative
Present Negative
nigiyaka desu
nigiyaka dewa arimasen
にぎやかでした
Past Affirmative
nigiyaka desita
にぎやかではありませんでした
Past Negative
nigiyaka dewa arimasen deshita
にぎやかです
Present Affirmative
nigiyaka desu
Thus the answer to the last question on the previous page should be;
A2: (パーティーは)にぎやかでした。 It was lively.=
p a a t i i w a n i g i y a k a d e s h i t a
10. In many cases, learners attach な(na) when they conjugate na-adjectives as the
previous page. Please note that it is incorrect and な(na) is only added when
na-adjectives modify nouns ;
Let s take a look at the chart on the textbook page 133 for other na-adjective
conjugations with audio files for you to review them.
1-2: na-adjectives
にぎやかな パーティーです
Modifying Noun
n i g i y a k a n a p a a t i i d e s u
にぎやかです
Present Affirmative
nigiyaka desu
にぎやかなではありません
Present Negative
nigiyaka na dewa arimasen
にぎやかなでした
Past Affirmative
nigiyaka na desita
にぎやかなではありませんでした
Past Negative
nigiyaka na dewa arimasen deshita
It s lively. It s a lively party.
These are all incorrect !
11. PRESENT FORM PAST FORM
aff. neg. aff. neg.
pretty
きれいです きれいではありません きれいでした きれいではありませんでした
quiet
しずかです しずかではありません しずかでした しずかではありませんでした
lively
にぎやかです にぎやかではありません にぎやかでした にぎやかではありませんでした
A. Practice conjugating : na-adjectives
kirei desu kiei dewa arimasenn kirei deshita kirei dewa arimasen deshita
shizuka desu shizuka dewa arimasenn shizuka deshita shizuka dewa arimasen deshita
nigiyaka desu nigiyaka dewa arimasenn nigiyaka deshita nigiyaka dewa arimasen deshita
You can practice various conjugations with Drills provided separately.
12. Extent in Japanese
100 %
0 %
とても
まあまあ
あまり
ぜんぜん
Very, Extremely
kind of, so so
not very, not much
not at all
ex. この えいがは とても おもしろいです。 This movie is very interesting.
この えいがは まあまあ おもしろいです。 This movie is kind of interesting.
この えいがは あまり おもしろくないです。 This movie is not very interesting.
この えいがは ぜんぜん おもしろくないです。 This movie is not interesting at all.
あまり(amari) and ぜんぜん(zenzen) anticipate the negative at the end of the sentence.
totemo
maamaa
amari
zenzen
kono eiga wa totemo omoshiroi desu
kono eiga wa maamaa omoshiroi desu
kono eiga wa amari omoshiroku naidesu
kono eiga wa zenzen omoshiroku naidesu