Present and Past Polite Forms

This article describes the polite verb form, often called the -masu form.

The polite form of Japanese verbs is used in normal polite language. It is often used when talking with colleagues, teachers, doctors, people older than you, or people you do not know well.

Only the main verb of a sentence (the one at the end of the sentence) occurs in polite form.*

The polite endings are added to the stem of ichidan (ru-dropping) verbs, and to the stem ending in the "i" vowel sound of godan (u-dropping) verbs (see Verbs). They are as follows:

Polite present

ときどき映画を見ます。
Tokidoki eiga o mimasu.
I sometimes watch movies.

Polite negative

たかはしさんは魚を食べません。
Takahashi san wa sakana o tabemasen.
Ms. Takahashi doesn't eat fish.

Polite past

毎日漢字の勉強をしましたが、すぐ忘れました。
Mainichi kanji no benkyou o shimashita ga, sugu wasuremashita.
I studied kanji every day, but I soon forgot them.

Polite negative past

一時間待ましたが、友達は来ませんでした。
Ichi-jikan machimashita ga, tomodachi wa kimasen deshita.
I waited an hour, but my friend didn't come.

If a sentence ends in the word "desu" or one of its forms, it is also a normal polite sentence. The other forms of "desu" are:

*When two sentences are connected by a conjunction, such as ga (but), both may end in a polite form verb.
**In kana, this "wa" is written は.