Japanese Verbs Seventeen

In this Japanese Verbs Seventeen, in the learn Japanese series, we will look at how to express things you will do in the future, beliefs or speculations.

For this we can use the construction ...te iku.


Again use the "...tte" form with this constrution.

For example, if you wanted to say, "I will take my umbrella with me."

The literal translation of "to take" would be "to have and go."

To have = motsu.

This becomes: motte.

Now add "iku":

  motte iku.


Plain Form    "te" form       +tte shimau              Kanji/Kana

Suru             shite             shite iku                     していく

Verbs that end in "ru:"

Miru              mite              mite iku                     見ていく

Taberu          tabete           tabete iku                   食べていく

Verbs that end in "u:"

Matsu           matte             matte iku                   待っていく

Yomu           yonde             yonde iku                   読んでいく

Modoru        modotte          modotte iku                戻っていく

After the word list are a few examples:

Every morning = 毎朝 = まいあさ work = 会社 = かいしゃ until = まで 

to walk = 歩く = あるく  jill = ジル key = 鍵 = かぎ to hold= 持つ  = もつ 

a particle that turns a verb into a noun = の  to forget = 忘れる = わすれる 

last year = 去年 = きょねん rent = 家賃  = やちん expensive(adverb form ) = 高く たかく

たかい = adjectival form

I walk to work every morning. 

   毎朝会社まで歩いていきます。

Jill forgot to take her key. (Indicates it happened recently)

    ジルは鍵を持っていくのを忘れました。

Rents got expensive.  

   家賃は高くなっていきました。 (Indicates it happened recently)


The "…te" form, plus kuru gives the idea of coming back from a point to the point that is being talked about.
It's kind of like "I came and …" Or "I have been ...ing," giving the idea of happening only a short time ago.

After the word list are a few examples:

Document(s) = 書類しょるい to check = 調べる = しらべる


 I’m off!

   行ってきます。Usually said when leaving home or office.

                              Literally, “I will go and come back.”

I ate sushi. (before coming over). 

   すしを食べてきました。

I'll check the documents.(then come back). 

   書類を調べてきます。


Practice

Basic Japanese vocabulary for the below exercise.

It's written first in English, then kanji and finally hiragana:

camera = カメラ cheap = 安く = やすく from the adjective やすい 

because of that = そのために TV=  テレビ user = 使用者 = しようしゃ 

to decrease = 経る = へる that(acts like a conjunction) = と to think = 思う = おもう 

Jill = ジル engine's = エンジンの  condition = 調子 = ちょうし 

bad(adverb form) = 悪く = わるく  adjectival form = わるい 

every day = 毎日 = まいにち park = 公園 = こうえん walk= 歩く = あるく   

the next's次の = つぎの word = 単語 = たんご some = ちっと beer = ビール

little by little = 少しずつ = すこしずつ French = フランスご 

to understand = 分かる = わかる bicycle = 自転車 = じてんしゃ

toaster = トースター to clean = 掃除する = そうじする he = 彼 =かれ 

England = イギリス history = 歴史 = れきし 

to study = 勉強する = べんきょうする where = どこ 

Try to translate English to Japanese for the below sentences, using the above list of words.

1. Cameras will most probably get less and less expensive.

2. Because of that, I think the number of people using TVs will decrease. 

3. Jill took the umbrella.

4. The condition of the engine is getting bad.

5. I walk in the park every day.

6. Let's look at the next word. 

7. Let's go get a beer.

8. Little by little Jill came to understand French.

       (from a point of not understanding to understanding)  

9. I’ll go and buy a bicycle. (means soon) 

10. I just cleaned the toaster.

11. He has been studying English history. 

12. Where did you go? (means recently) 


Once you have done it, click here to see how you did.

Now, do it again and again until you are perfect and fast.

The only way to remember all this in Japanese Verbs Seventeen is to practice it on a regular basis.

The best way to do this is:

  1. Come back to this page regularly and check yourself on the above 12 Japanese phrases.
  2. Write an example of each of the tenses in a small note book, so as to practice them when you have nothing to do, like waiting for a bus.
  3. Learn Japanese kanji by also writing the above kanji in a separate notebook and practicing these on a regular basis too.

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