Want to sound polite in Japanese right away? Start with the ます form! In just a few minutes, you’ll learn how to say “I eat,” “I go,” “I didn’t see,” and more—all in friendly, natural Japanese you can use with shop staff, classmates, and new acquaintances.

In this lesson, you’ll learn what ます form means, how to make it, and how to use the negative and past. We’ll practice with super common verbs like 食べます (to eat), 行きます (to go), 見ます (to see), and します (to do).

Ready? いきます！ Let’s go!

What is the ます form?

The ます form is the polite way to say a verb in the present or future. It’s used in most everyday situations with people you don’t know well, at stores, at school, and in formal settings.

• 食べます = I eat / I will eat
• 行きます = I go / I will go
• 見ます = I see / I will watch
• します = I do / I will do

In Japanese, the same ます form covers both present and future. Context tells you which one.

あした わたしは 東京に 。

How to make the ます form (basics)

Japanese verbs change into ます form by using the verb stem + ます. There are three handy patterns:

• る-verbs (食べる, 見る): remove る → add ます
  • 食べる → 食べます
  • 見る → 見ます
• う-verbs (行く, 飲む): change the final sound to its “i” version → add ます
  • 行く (ku) → 行きます (ki + ます)
  • 飲む (mu) → 飲みます (mi + ます)
• Irregular: する → します; 来る → 来ます（読み: きます）

If this feels new, don’t worry—just memorize a few common ones for now.

いくます → いきます For う-verbs, change the last sound to its “i” form before ます: く → き.

Negative and past in ます form

Polite negative is ません. Polite past is ました. Polite past negative is ませんでした.

• 食べません = I don’t eat / I won’t eat
• 見ました = I saw / I watched
• 行きませんでした = I didn’t go

Use time words like きのう (yesterday), あした (tomorrow), いま (now), まいにち (every day) to clarify time.

けさ パンを 。

きょうは 日本語を 。

High-frequency verbs in ます form

Here are everyday verbs you’ll use all the time. Read them out loud and notice the stem + ます pattern.

Mini conversation practice (polite style)

Put the lines in a natural order for a first-time meeting and a quick check about going to the office.

食べますない → 食べません Negative polite is ません, not ますない.

Culture note: Why ます matters

In Japanese, politeness is built into grammar. The ます form is the default in many situations: talking to store staff, teachers, or people you don’t know well. With close friends or family, people often use the plain form (like 食べる, 行く). If you’re unsure, choose ます—it’s friendly and safe.

You’ll also hear set phrases with です (the polite “to be” word), like そうです (That’s right) and だいじょうぶです (It’s okay). Mixing です and ます keeps your speech consistently polite.

Quick review and extra practice

• ます = polite present/future
• ません = polite negative
• ました = polite past
• ませんでした = polite past negative

Try making your own sentences with time words:

• まいにち (every day)
• きのう (yesterday)
• あした (tomorrow)
• いま (now)

Ideas:

• まいにち 日本語を 勉強します。
• きのう 映画を 見ました。
• あした 会社に 行きません。

Keep practicing out loud—rhythm helps!

まいにち 日本語を 。

You’re doing great! With the ます form, you can already share your plans, routines, and polite replies. Next time, we’ll build on this with more verbs and common phrases you can use in shops and classrooms.

がんばってください！