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fluentu.com/blog/japanese/essential-common-japanese-verbs-list/
It can take years for a new language learner to finally achieve something close to fluency.
Learning key Japanese verbs will boost your fluency in a matter of moments.
The best part? These verbs are all based on the basic Japanese vocabulary you already know!
In English, auxiliary verbs are used in conjunction with or preceding other verbs to make distinctions between tense, aspect or mood. “Do you like
cheese?” “I can dance the salsa” “You really shouldn’t dance the salsa after eating cheese.”
Japanese is no stranger to these classical forms of auxiliary verbs either. For example, see the potential form of verbs (the れる / られる conjugation) or
the causative form of verbs (the らせる / させる conjugation)
These two are “classical” auxiliary verbs, and both their conjugations and usages can be tricky. You probably wouldn’t have exposure to them until
intermediate Japanese.
However! Japanese has a unique sub-class of auxiliary verbs called “helper auxiliary verbs,” such as the ones presented at the beginning of this article.
These helper auxiliary verbs are really easy to recognize, use and conjugate, and will greatly increase your expressiveness when speaking Japanese.
They are commonly used in written and conversational Japanese, so you’re bound to come across them eventually – especially if you have integrated
authentic Japanese language material such as films, television shows, songs and newspapers into your language learning routine.
The proof is in the pudding: tune into some of the Japanese language videos provided by FluentU. These videos come from a wide variety of sources
including television shows and commercials, movies, educational programs, interviews on the streets of Tokyo and more.
Through FluentU, you can search through videos to find ones that demonstrate the specific grammar lessons you are actively learning. This will give you
a great sense of how your new vocabulary and grammatical patterns are used in everyday situations. Once you have started practicing Japanese
auxiliary verbs, be sure to listen out for them while exploring FluentU’s video collection.
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Stay tuned until the end of the article and we’ll talk a little bit more about FluentU. For now, let’s get back to the verb lesson at hand.
The only grammatical principle you need to remember is that helper auxiliary verbs always attach to the end of the conjugated verb stem of another verb.
Wait…what? Conjugated verb stem? Why, these of course!
食べる => 食べ
使う => 使い
着く => 着き
Many verbs can be used as helper auxiliary verbs, and depending on the usage can add different nuances to their verb stems. Let’s take a look at some
ways we can play with this! If all the provided kanji piques your interest in learning more Japanese characters, try practicing kanji with these tried and true
methods.
Take a look at how this sample Japanese monologue is transformed by helper auxiliary verbs:
Notice that the bolded verbs above all begin with 食べる.
At the same time, notice that they have a number of different “tails,” 出す, 続ける, 切る, 残す.
As we can clearly see by the translations, the addition of each of these tails has significantly altered the expression of the verb stem 食べる. You may
know that these “tails” are separate verbs in and of themselves. However, here they are acting as auxiliary verbs, an indispensable part of Japanese
grammar.
1. 込む (こむ, komu)
As a verb of its own, 込む means “to be crowded / packed,” and in an abstract sense, it brings this idea of “trying to insert more of something into an
already crowded space” to the words it attaches to.
Example #1:
駆ける (かける, kakeru) – to dash / run hurriedly
駆ける+ 込む = 駆け込む – to wildly rush into something – usually a train – at the last second.
Please don’t rush into the train (at the last second, as the doors are closing).
Example #2:
考える (かんがえる, kangaeru) – to think
Usage: 太郎はみち子が言ったことを考え込んでいるね。(たろうはみちこがいったことをかんがえこんでいるね,
tarou wa michiko ga itta koto wo
kangaekonde iru ne)
Taro is really brooding on what Michiko said.
2. 出す (だす, dasu)
出す may be one of the first few verbs you learn in Japanese, and it should be one of the first few helper auxiliary verbs as well because of its wide usage.
Meaning “to take out,” on its own, when used as a helper auxiliary verb, 出す adds a nuance of “to suddenly start” doing the verb stem.
Example #1:
Example #2
3. 直す (なおす, naosu)
直す is a great verb to know, meaning “to fix or repair,” as well as a great helper auxiliary verb. When attached to a verb stem, it means to “re-do” said
verb, with the intention of doing it better, or “fixing” something done poorly.
Example #1
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書く (かく, kaku) – to write
書く + 直す = 書き直す – to re-write
Example #2
やる- to do
やる + 直す = やり直す – to re-do
Example #1
飲む (のむ, nomu) – to drink
Usage:
A: うぅわぁぁぁ...すっごく飲み過ぎたよぅ...気持ち悪い(うぅわぁぁぁ...すっごくのみすぎたよぅ...きもちわるい,uuwaaa…
suggoku nomisugita yoo…kimochi warui)
B: あら?お酒飲んでた?(あら?おさけのんでた?,ara? osake nondeta?)
A: いや、牛乳だよ。牛乳を飲み過ぎた。(いや、ぎゅうにゅうだよ。ぎゅうにゅうをのみすぎた, iya, gyuunyuu dayo. gyuunyuu wo nimisugita)
Example #2
泣く (なく, naku) – to cry
That child cried too much and now his throat hurts.
Example #1
飲む (のむ, nomu) – to drink
Example #2
言う (いう, iu) – to say
6. 残す (のこす, nokosu)
Another easy one! 残す, meaning “to leave something,” as a helper auxiliary implies that the verb has not been completed, or has been “left” incomplete
(usually intentionally).
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Example #1
食べる (たべる, taberu) + 残す = 食べ残す – to leave food uneaten / to not finish one’s food
Example #2
言う (いう, iu) + 残す = 言い残す – to intentionally leave something unsaid
The politician’s speech was fantastic, but at the same time it felt like he was leaving something unsaid.
7. 切る (きる, kiru)
切る means “to cut,” and it is helpful to keep this in mind when using it as a helper auxiliary verb, as when added to another verb it adds the meaning of
“to finish completely” said verb.
Example #1
食べる (たべる, taberu) + 切る = 食べ切る- to finish eating -> as in “to eat all the food”
Example #2
飲む (のむ, nomu) + 切る = 飲み切る – to drink all of one’s drink
Example #1
話す (はなす, hanasu) – to talk
Usage:
上院議員が話し続けて、話し続けて、話し続けて、議事妨害が成功した。(じょういんぎいんが はなしつづけて、はなしつづけて、はなしつづけて、ぎ
じぼうがい がせいこうした, jouingiin ga hanashitsuzukete, hanashitsuzukete, hanashitsuzukete, gijibougai ga seikou shita)
The senator continued to talk and talk and talk, and his filibuster succeeded.
Example #2
する – to do
Usage:
勤勉なサラリーマンは、次の日まで仕事をし続けた。(きんべんな さらりーまんは、つぎのひまでしごとをしつづけた, kinben na sarariiman wa, tsugi
no hi made shigoto wo shitsuzuketa)
The diligent salaryman continued working until the next day.
These have been eight examples of helper auxiliary verb usage, but there are many more! Hopefully, now that you are aware of them, you’ll start
recognizing them around you more and more! Get comfortable using them, and try to slip some in to your next language exchange!
FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks and turns them into Japanese learning
experiences. It naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You’ll learn real Japanese as it’s spoken in real life.
FluentU has a broad range of contemporary videos—like music videos, dramas, TV shows and TV commercials:
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FluentU makes these native Japanese videos approachable through interactive transcripts. Tap on any word to look it up instantly.
All definitions have multiple examples, and they’re written for Japanese learners like you. Tap to add words you’d like to review to a vocab list.
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And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.
The best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and it suggests content and examples based on your vocabulary.You’ll have a 100%
personalized experience.
The FluentU app is now available for iPhone, and it’s also available as a website that you can use with your computer or tablet. If you’re an Android user,
fear not, for our Android app is in the works!
If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn Japanese with real-world videos.
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