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One base verbs? -
04-23-2010, 02:24 PM
In class, we're learning about one base verbs and five base verbs (at least that's what I hear when I'm not going into a confused state... and that is what's on the sheet I was given).
I don't see any difference between the one base or five base verbs. How can I tell which is which? Also, how am I supposed to tell what endings to put onto the dictionary forms of these verbs? For taberu it goes... tabemasu, tabenai, tabemasen. But how am I supposed to know the others? Is it complete memorization, or..?  
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04-23-2010, 03:06 PM
Quote:
This should be your thought process as you're learning: 1. does it end in /eru/ or /iru/? If not, it's godan ("five base" as you call it) 2. if it does, assume it's one base unless you've memorized otherwise Memorize all five base that end in /iru/ or /eru/. One example is 帰る, which is a five base rather than one base.
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04-28-2010, 04:21 AM
Hi, tandakku. The thing about one-base verbs (Ichidan) and five-base verbs (Godan) is, as KyleGoetz said, Ichidan verbs will always end in "ru," and their second-to-last symbol will always be from the i- or e-row on the Kana chart. It won't always be "-iru" or "-eru;" it can be "-kiru" or "-keru," "-shiru" or "-seru," "-chiru" or "-teru," etc..
Godan verbs, on the other hand, have a much wider variety of endings. They can end in nine different symbols, all of which are from the u-row on the Kana chart. These endings are: u, ku, gu, su, tsu, nu*, bu, mu, or ru. * Only one verb in Japanese ends with "nu," that being "shinu" (to die). In addition, the second-to-last symbol for Godan verbs can be any of the five sounds on the Kana chart, making the possibility with Godan verbs much, much wider. With just one row, for example (let's say the k-row), look at how many more possibilities Godan verb endings have than Ichidan ones: Ichidan: -Kiru, -keru Godan: -Kau, -kiu, -kuu, -keu, -kou -Kaku, -kiku, -kuku, -keku, -koku -Kagu, -kigu, -kugu, -kegu, -kogu -Kasu, -kisu, -kusu, -kesu, -kosu -Katsu, -kitsu, -kutsu, -ketsu, -kotsu -Kabu, -kibu, -kubu, -kebu, -kobu -Kamu, -kimu, -kumu, -kemu, -komu -Karu, -kiru, -kuru, -keru, -koru A LOT more, huh? XD However, as you'll notice, as wide as Godan verbs' selection is, you WILL occasionally see verbs that are Godan verbs, but that look Ichidan because they end in "-iru" or "-eru," and often they can be both and you'll have to look at the kanji to work out which is which. For example, "kaeru" as an Ichidan verb means "to change," but "kaeru" as a Godan verb means "to return." Some other common ones that can be either are "neru," "kiru," and "iru." As for knowing how the dictionary form works, for Ichidan verbs, it's easy: You just ditch the "-masu" or "-nai" or whatever suffix is being used and put add "-ru." So: Tabemasu = taberu Shinjinai = shinjiru Etc.. For Godan verbs, it's a bit harder. Godan verbs are often called "strong verbs" and Ichidan, "weak verbs" because, when Godan verbs conjugate (IE, change from one form (like the "-masu" form) to another (like the dictionary form), they keep their basic sounds, rather than dropping them like Ichidan verbs do. The main trick is that, when Godan verbs conjugate, they jump across the Kana chart and use whichever vowel-row is appropriate. I doubt you'll understand that explanation (I certainly wouldn't have XD), so here's an example: Take the Godan verb "nomimasu" (to drink). Its dictionary form is "nomu." Then look at another Godan verb, "modorimasu" (to return). Its dictionary form is "modoru." Now, what do these two verbs have in common with both their -masu forms and dictionary forms? Nomimasu & nomu Modorimasu & modoru Their ending has not changed form. Its follow-up vowel sound has changed, but not the consonant sound itself. All Godan verbs are the same. Take some more examples: "Hajimarimasu" (to begin) = "hajimaru," "oyogimasu" (to swim) = "oyogu," "shinimasu" (to die) = "shinu," "kakimasu" (to write) = "kaku," "iimasu" (to say) = "iu." If you look at all of these, the last symbol is simply "jumping" across the Kana chart, moving from the u-row to the i-row before adding the "-masu." Godan verbs do this with all tenses, although the row they jump to will not always be the same. For example, when in the plain negative tense (-nai), Godan verbs will jump across to the a-row, so "kakimasu" will become "kakanai." So, in order to turn verbs in their -masu forms into their dictionary forms, you look at the part of the verb right before the "-masu." If it's an Ichidan verb, the syllable before the "-masu" will be from either the i-row or the e-row on the Kana chart ("ki," "ke," "shi," "se," etc.), and it will rarely (not never, but rarely) be "re" or "ri," since few Ichidan verbs end in "reru" or "riru." If it's a Godan verb, the syllable before the "-masu" will be from the i-row on the Kana chart ("ki," "shi," etc.). Because of this, you might get some Ichidan verbs that LOOK like Godan verbs in their -masu forms, but you won't get confused very often because not a lot of Ichidan verbs end in "-iru" sounds (the majority end in "-eru" sounds), and those that do are either too short in their -masu forms to be mistaken for Godan verbs ("miru" and "kiru," for example, become "mimasu" and "kimasu," and, since the verb rules mean that a verb must have at least two other syllables before the "-masu" if it's a Godan verb, those two simply could not be Godan verbs) or their second-to-last syllable is something other than the nine endings that Godan verbs can have. For example, "shinjimasu" and "kanjimasu" cannot be Godan verbs, because Godan verbs cannot end in a "-ju" sound. ...I know that explanation was long. Sorry if I bored you, but I get carried away when speaking about Japanese verbs sometimes. XD I hope I at least cleared up your confusion. ^_^
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