Language Trip

Conjugation › Japanese › Yomu

Japanese · Verb Tables · Intermediate

Yomu Conjugation

読む (yomu) means "to read" in Japanese. Non-past, affirmative: (no subject pronoun required — see the Pronouns list in Vocabulary) 読む (yomu) — polite: 読みます (yomimasu). Below: all 27 tenses we teach, with examples.

Non-past, affirmative 非過去・肯定

The dictionary (plain) form doubles as present and future; add ます to the stem for polite speech.

Non-past, negative 非過去・否定

Godan verbs change the final -u to -a and add ない; ichidan verbs drop る and add ない. Polite negative replaces ます with ません.

Past, affirmative 過去・肯定

Plain past follows the same sound changes as the te-form (て→た, で→だ); polite past replaces ます with ました.

Past, negative 過去・否定

Plain negative past drops the い of the non-past negative and adds かった; polite negative past adds でした after ません.

Present continuous, affirmative 現在進行・肯定

Te-form + いる. Describes an action happening now, or a habitual/ongoing state.

Present continuous, negative 現在進行・否定

Negate いる like any ichidan verb: いない (plain), いません (polite).

Past continuous 過去進行

Past tense of いる: いた (plain), いました (polite). Describes what was happening, or an ongoing state, in the past.

Potential non-past, affirmative 可能・非過去・肯定

Godan: change -u to -e, add る (飲む→飲める). Ichidan: drop る, add られる.

Potential non-past, negative 可能・非過去・否定

Conjugate the potential form like any ichidan verb: negative drops る, adds ない/ません.

Potential past 可能・過去

Past tense of the potential form, conjugated like an ichidan verb.

Passive non-past, affirmative 受け身・非過去・肯定

Godan: change -u to -a, add れる (飲む→飲まれる). Ichidan: drop る, add られる (identical in shape to the ichidan potential; context tells them apart).

Passive non-past, negative 受け身・非過去・否定

Negate like an ichidan verb.

Passive past 受け身・過去

Past tense, conjugated like an ichidan verb.

Causative non-past, affirmative 使役・非過去・肯定

Godan: -u→-a + せる. Ichidan: drop る, add させる.

Causative non-past, negative 使役・非過去・否定

Negate like an ichidan verb.

Volitional (plain and polite) 意向形

Godan: -u→-o + う. Ichidan: drop る, add よう. Polite volitional: stem + ましょう.

-tai, non-past affirmative たい形・非過去・肯定

Stem + たい, conjugated exactly like an い-adjective; add です for polite speech.

-tai, negative たい形・否定

Negate like an い-adjective: drop い, add くない.

-tai, past たい形・過去

Past like an い-adjective: drop い, add かった.

-sou (appearance/imminence) 様態のそうだ

Attach そう to the verb stem to say something looks about to happen, based on visual evidence.

-rashii (hearsay) 伝聞のらしい

Attach らしい after the plain non-past (or past) form to report what you've heard or inferred, without vouching for it.

-ba conditional ば形

Godan: change the final -u to -e, add ば (飲む→飲めば). Ichidan: drop る, add れば.

-tara conditional たら形

Plain past form + ら. Describes a specific, one-off condition; the main clause is often something the speaker discovers or a resulting action.

-nara conditional なら形

Plain non-past form + なら. Comments on a condition or topic already raised in the conversation.

-to conditional と形

Plain non-past form + と. States an automatic or habitual result; can't be followed by a command, request or invitation.

Imperative, affirmative 命令形・肯定

Godan: change the final -u to -e. Ichidan: drop る, add ろ (spoken) or よ (formal/written).

Imperative, negative 禁止形

Plain non-past form + な, attaches to any verb type including irregulars.

Examples

Learn Japanese Free

Practice Yomu and every other verb with flashcards and verb drills in the Language Trip app and website. Free, no account needed, no ads.

All Japanese verb tables · Basic Japanese phrases