Japanese has two different forms of sentences --- polite and plain. If each sentence ends with a polite form (e.g., あした行きますか, おもしろいですね, 田中さんですよ), the overall conversation is considered polite. If each sentence ends with a plain form (e.g., あした行く？, おもしろいね, 田中さんだよ), the overall conversation is considered plain.
The polite form of speech is used to keep a proper social distance (e.g., strangers, people who just met, colleagues, acquaintances, students talking to teachers, subordinates talking to superiors, etc.). The plain form of speech, in contrast, implies closeness and it is used in informal and casual conversation (e.g., speaking to one's close friends, peers, family members). The plain forms are like talking on the first name basis, while the polite forms are like using "Mr." and "Ms." This distinction is graphically represented below. The vertical direction represents social ranking (high-low, older-younger), and the horizontal direction represents social distance (close-distant, ingroup-outgroup). Depending on whether or not you consider your peers as a member of your ingroup (like a family), you may or may not use the plain forms when speaking with him/her.
It is not easy to decide when to use the plain forms. First of all, the Japanese are often very conscious of seniority and social ranking. If you are younger or older than someone by one year, you may not feel truly "equal" to that person. Secondly, the license to use the plain forms is not mutual. For example, senior colleagues may feel perfectly justified in using the plain forms while expecting their junior colleagues to continue to address them with the polite forms. Third, in reality, the Japanese people sometimes switch between the polite forms and the plain forms when talking to the same person due to physiological and emotive reasons among others. FYI: If you, as a foreign visitor to Japan, fail to use the polite forms when they are expected, you are likely to be tolerated to some degree due to your inexperience in speaking Japanese.
In Lesson 8, we have introduced the plain forms. In casual speech among peers, friends and family members, the plain forms are used. If the context is clear enough, some particles such as the object marker を and the topic marker は can be omitted. The following is the general rule for creating the casual speech pattern. The feminine sentence particle わ may be optionally added to a statement (わ is never added to a question). If the sentence particles よ (assertion) and ね (agreement) are used, わ precedes those particles. In casual speech, women can use both styles --- blunt and gentle, but men normally just use the blunt style. (Note: This copula だ is more likely deleted.)
Statements
Polite
Plain
Blunt
Gentle (Feminine)
polite-V
→plain-V
いきます
いきますよ
いきますね
いく
いくよ
いくね
いくわ
いくわよ
いくわね
い-Adjです →い-Adj
たかいです
たかいですよ
たかいですね
たかい
たかいよ
たかいね
たかいわ
たかいわよ
たかいわね
Noun
→Noun (だ)
(だ is often dropped
if nothing follows.)
先生です
先生ですよ
先生ですね
先生（だ）
先生だよ
先生だね
先生だわ
先生よ
先生ね
な-Adjです →な-Adj (だ)
(だ is often dropped
if nothing follows.)
きれいです
きれいですよ
きれいですね
きれい（だ）
きれいだよ
きれいだね
きれいだわ
きれいよ
きれいね
はい →うん
はい
うん ( )
いいえ →ううん/うううん
いいえ
ううん
( ) or
うううん ( )
Connective が →けど
が
けど
The explanation mode (Review Lesson 8) can be added to the casual pattern as shown below.
Statements
Polite
Plain
Blunt
Gentle (Feminine)
plain-Vんです
→plain-Vんだ/の
いくんです
いくんですよ
いくんですね
いくんだ
いくんだよ
いくんだね
いくの
いくのよ
いくのね
い-Adjんです
→い-Adjんだ/の
たかいんです
たかいんですよ
たかいんですね
たかいんだ
たかいんだよ
たかいんだね
たかいの
たかいのよ
たかいのね
Nounなんです
→Nounなんだ/なの
先生なんです
先生なんですよ
先生なんですね
先生なんだ
先生なんだよ
先生なんだね
先生なの
先生なのよ
先生なのね
な-Adjなんです →な-Adjなんだ/なの
きれいなんです
きれいなんですよ
きれいなんですね
きれいなんだ
きれいなんだよ
きれいなんだね
きれいなの
きれいなのよ
きれいなのね
The question particle か is generally deleted in casual questions. Instead, casual questions are marked by rising intonation and the last vowel of the sentence is pronounced a little longer. If this is written, it is hard to distinguish a plain-form question from a plain-form statement. As a result, a question mark (?) is often used to indicate that it is a question. The blunt-gentle style distinction also mostly disappears in questions. The feminine particle わ are not used in casual questions.
Questions
Polite
Plain (Use "?".)
Polite-V →Plain-V?
いきますか
いく？
い-Adjです →い-Adj?
たかいですか
たかい？
Nounです →Noun?
先生ですか
先生？
な-Adjです →な-Adj?
きれいですか
きれい？
Really! I see.
[I accept it.]
そうですか
そうなんですか
そうでしたか
そうだったんですか
そうor そうか そうなの
そうだったの
Really? Is that so?
[I doubt it.]
そうですか
そうなんですか
そうでしたか
そうだったんですか
そう？
そうなの？
そうだった？
そうだったの？
Plain-Vんです → Plain-Vの?
いくんですか
いくの？
い-Adjんです → い-Adjの?
たかいんですか
たかいの？
Nounなんです → Nounなの?
先生なんですか
先生なの？
な-Adjなんです → な-Adjなの?
きれいなんですか
きれいなの？
Caution: The plain form question with か (e.g., いくか or いくのか) is extremely blunt and offensive in most cases and you should avoid using it. To ask a plain form question, use the gentle style without か (e.g., いく？ or いくの？). ( Exception: そうか can be used as a form of self-address "Oh, I see!") The following are casual endings of negative expressions.
Polite
Plain
Blunt
Gentle (Feminine)
いかないんです
いかないんですか
いかないんですよ
いかないんですね
いかないんだ
いかないの？
いかないんだよ
いかないんだね
いかないの
いかないの？
いかないのよ
いかないのね
よくないんです
よくないんですか
よくないんですよ
よくないんですね
よくないんだ
よくないの？
よくないんだよ
よくないんだね
よくないの
よくないの？
よくないのよ
よくないのね
きれいじゃないんです
きれいじゃないんですか
きれいじゃないんですよ
きれいじゃないんですね
きれいじゃないんだ
きれいじゃないの？
きれいじゃないんだよ
きれいじゃないんだね
きれいじゃないの
きれいじゃないの？
きれいじゃないのよ
きれいじゃないのね
先生じゃないんです
先生じゃないんですか
先生じゃないんですよ
先生じゃないんですね
先生じゃないんだ
先生じゃないの？
先生じゃないんだよ
先生じゃないんだね
先生じゃないの
先生じゃないの？
先生じゃないのよ
先生じゃないのね
The following are common issues (marked by ):
Use of か in questions. (e.g., すき？ →すきか: Too rude)
Use of わ in questions. (e.g., すき？ →すきわか: Ungrammatical)
Use of だ in questions. (e.g., すき？ →すきだか: Ungrammatical)
Forgetting to use ？ in written questions. (e.g., いく → This is ambiguous.)
Use of おれ. This is a blunt person pronoun I. (Unless you can consistently maintain the same level of the blunt casual style throughout your speech, it is awkward to hear someone use おれ. If you are still learning to speak casually, avoid おれ.)
The speaker's intention is expressed by the nonpast-plain-Vつもり（だ）: intend to V.
今日は、少し はやく帰る つもりです。
I intend to go home a little early.
あした、ともだちと うみに行く つもりです。
I intend to go to the beach with my friends tomorrow.
週まつ日本語をべんきょうする つもりです。
I intend to study Japanese during the weekend.
The negative form of つもり(だ) is either ないつもり(だ) or つもりはない. The latter (I have no intention to V whatsoever) expresses a stronger negative conviction of the speaker than the former (I intend not to V).
あの人には会わない つもりです。
I intend not to see him/her.
あの人に会う つもりは ありません。
I have no intention to see him/her.
パーティーには行かない つもりです。
I intend not to go to the party.
パーティーに行く つもりは ありません。
I have no intention to go to the party.
The word つもり can be modified by the demonstrative その.
A:
あした、来ますね。
You are coming tomorrow, right?
B:
ええ、そのつもりです。
Yes, I intend to. (Lit. It's that intention.)
The past tense of つもりだ is つもりでした, and it denotes what the speaker meant to do.
北海道でゆきまつりを見るつもりでした。
I intended to see the Snow Festival in Hokkaido. [Implication: I didn't see it.]
イギリスからフランスへ行くつもりでした。
I intended to go to France from U.K. [Implication: I didn't go there.]
Both sentences refer to the same fact of Amy's losing her cell phone. Sentence (1) refers to the fact that happened in the past without any relevance to the present. All we know is that Amy lost it at some point in the past, and we don't know if she got it back. In Sentence (2), however, we know that Amy lost her cell phone and it is still missing. In Japanese, the same past tense form (Vました) can express both situations.
3.
エイミーさんはきのうハンバーガーを食べました。
Amy ate a hamburger yesterday.
4.
エイミーさんは もう ハンバーガーを食べました。
Amy has eaten a hamburger already.
Sentence (3) describes the simple past event of Amy's eating a hamburger yesterday disconnected from the present. Sentence (4), in contrast, describes Amy's eating hamburger that is still connected to the present (She is probably full now). The adverb もう (already) can be added to distinguish this difference. If you have not done something yet, this is stated in the resultant state form Vて(い)ません (have not V-ed). The simple past form (Vませんでした) cannot be used here. Speaker B below is expressing how she stands now (is still hungry) as the result of not eating. The adverb まだ (still) can be added to make this point clear. The abbreviated response まだです can also be used.
A:
もうハンバーガーを食べましたか。
Have you eaten the hamburger already?
B:
いいえ、まだ食べて(い)ません。 or いいえ、まだです。
( いいえ、まだ食べませんでした。)
No, I still haven't eaten it.
No, not yet.
[ Ungrammatical]
A:
もう田中さんから電話が来ましたか。
Has the phone call come from Mr. Tanaka already?
B:
いいえ、まだ来て(い)ません。 or いいえ、まだです。
( いいえ、まだ来ませんでした。)
No, it still hasn't come.
No, not yet.
[ Ungrammatical]
With the verb あります, the following exception applies:
The question particle か normally occurs at the end of a sentence. This particle can also occur between nouns and functions like the conjunction or --- ＡかＢ (A or B).
1.
あしたかあさって帰ります。
I will go home tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
The particle で marks the means and tools by which one does something. The question word is 何で (By means of what?). Don't confuse this with the particle で that marks the location of activity.
1.
[Means/Toolsで] A: スミスさんは 何で行きますか。 B:くるまで行きます。 (by means of a car)
2.
[Place of activityで] A: 田中さんはどこでべんきょうしますか。 B:としょかんでべんきょうします。(at the library)
To quote what someone said, we use ～と言って(い)ました (They said that...). The particle と is the quotation marker (that...). What's quoted is normally said in the plain form. In informal/casual conversation, the quotation marker と becomes って. Note also that the original tense is preserved in the quoted speech. Compare the underlined phrases in Japanese and English below.
1.
田中さんは あした学校に行かないと言って(い)ました。 Ms. Tanaka said that she would not go to school tomorrow.
2.
そのえいがは おもしろいって言って(い)たよ。 He said that the movie was interesting.
To state the speaker's thoughts, we use ～と思います (I think that...). The quoted thoughts must be in the plain form, and the original tense in quoted thoughts is preserved. The quotation particle と does not change to って in informal/casual conversation.
3.
まだきめていませんが、来年、日本に行くと思います。 I haven't decided yet, but I think I'm going to Japan next year.
4.
きのうは朝８時ごろ起きたと思います。 I think I woke up around eight o'clock in the morning yesterday.
5.
日本りょうりはおいしいと思います。 I think Japanese food is delicious.
6.
カラオケバーでうたをうたうのはたのしいと思うよ。 I think that singing songs at a Karaoke bar is fun.
To say that the speaker doesn't think something is the case, the Japanese use ～ないと思います more often than ～と(は)思いません.
7.
(私は)スミスさんは 田中さんがすきだと思います。 I think that Mr. Smith likes Ms. Tanaka.
8.
(私は)田中さんは スミスさんがすきじゃないと思います。 I don't think that Ms. Tanaka likes Mr. Smith. (Lit. I think that Ms. Tanaka does not like Mr. Smith.)
Caution:
～と思います is an uncertainty expression. By adding と思います, you are implying that you are not 100% sure about something. If you are referring to your own direct experience such as your likes or dislikes, you normally don't use と思います with such expressions. Compare the following:
(私は)日本りょうりがすきだと思います。(I think I like Japanese food.) [This is strange if you have already tasted Japanese food.]
This is more commonly said without 思います: 私は日本りょうりがすきです。
(私は)スミスさんは日本りょうりがすきだと思います。(I think Mr. Smith likes Japanese food.) [Acceptable because the speaker cannot have the direct experience of other people's likes and dislikes.]
The Vても pattern means even if V. When this pattern is combined with the adjective いい, it refers to an activity that is permitted: Even if ...., it is okay.
Vても
いい
その本を
読んでも
いいです。
It is okay even if you read that book.
(= You may read that book.)
To ask for permission, we can use the question form ～てもいいですか (Is it okay to...? or May I...?).
A: これ、食べてもいいですか。 (Is it okay even if I eat this? = May I eat this?) B: ええ、どうぞ。 (Yes, go ahead.)
or ええ、
食べてもいいですよ。 (Yes, it is okay even if you eat it. = Yes, you may eat it.)
To deny the request for permission politely, use the following replies. こまる means to be inconvenienced.
A: これ、見てもいいですか。 B: すみませんが、ちょっと… or すみません。それはちょっとこまるんですが。
(I'm sorry. I would be a little inconvenienced [by that].)
To deny the request directly, use the ～ては いけません (You may not...):
A: これ、見てもいいですか。 B: いいえ、見てはいけません。 (No, you may not.)
This permission pattern works for adjectives and nouns
as well.
Plain Form
い-Adjくても
たかい
たかくても
even if it is expensive
な-Adjでも
だめだ
だめでも
even if it is no good
Nでも
あしただ
あしたでも
even if it is tomorrow
A: かばんは小さくてもいいですか。 (Is it okay even if the bag is small?) B: ええ、いいですよ。(Yes, that's okay.)
A: ペンがないんですけど、えんぴつでもいいですか。
(I don't have a pen, but is it okay even if it's a pencil?) B: えんぴつはだめですよ。 (Pencils are no good.)
)
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