Lesson 4 — Verbs in Depth

Japanese Verbs — Core Concepts

Verbs Do Not Change for Person

This is one of the most learner-friendly features of Japanese. Unlike English (I eat / she eats) or Italian, Japanese verbs do not change based on who is performing the action.

Japanese	Romaji	English
わたしはすしをたべる。	Watashi wa sushi wo taberu.	I eat sushi.
あなたはすしをたべる。	Anata wa sushi wo taberu.	You eat sushi.
かれ/かのじょはすしをたべる。	Kare/kanojo wa sushi wo taberu.	He/She eats sushi.

The verb たべる is identical in all three sentences. Only the topic (わたし, あなた, かれ/かのじょ) changes.

What Verbs Do Change For

Japanese verbs change based on three things:

Variable	Options
Polarity	Positive / Negative
Tense	Present・Future / Past
Register	Polite (formal) / Casual (informal)

The Three Verb Groups

Group	Common Name	Characteristic	Examples
Group 1	Ichidan / る-verbs	End in -iru or -eru	たべる, みる, ねる, きる
Group 2	Godan / う-verbs	End in any う-row sound	はなす, かく, よむ, なぐる
Group 3	Irregular	Do not follow patterns	する, くる

💡 Why “Group 1” and “Group 2”? Group 1 verbs only ever change one ending (る), hence ichidan — “one level.” Group 2 verbs cycle through multiple vowel sounds (a, i, u, e, o), hence godan — “five levels.”