巻末 - Grammar Index
Welcome to the Grammar Index! Here you can quickly find and review the grammar points taught in Genki. Use the quick navigation to jump to a lesson's grammar or use the quick search to find the grammar point you want to read up on.
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Grammar Notes Usage
Grammar Key Meanings
| Key | Meaning |
| 本文 | Passage (from the dialogue) |
| 説明 | Explanation |
| 英訳 | English translation/equivalent |
| 文型 | Grammar patterns |
| 例文 | Example sentences |
| 練習 | Practice exercises |
Abbreviations used in the Grammar Notes
| Abbreviation | Meaning | Examples |
| S | Sentence | 学生が来る |
| N | Noun | 学生; 日本; バス |
| NP | Noun Phrase | 日本語の勉強 |
| VN | Noun which forms a suru-verb by affixing する | 勉強; 買い物; サイン |
| V | Verb | 話す; 食べる; 来る |
| V-stem | Stem of verb's masu form (=masu form minus masu) | 話し; 食べ; 来 |
| V-nai | Stem of verb's nai form (=nai form minus nai) | 話さ; 食べ; 来 |
| V-vol | Verb's volitional form | 話そう; 食べよう; 来よう |
| A | i-adjective | 大きい; おもしろい |
| A-stem | Stem of i-adjective | 大き; おもしろ |
| A-nai | Stem of i-adjective's nai form (=nai form minus nai) | 大きく; おもしろく |
| ANa | Stem of na-adjective | 静か; 便利 |
| ANo | Stem of no-adjective | 普通; 最高 |
| An | Non-conjugational adjective | すぐ; ゆっくり; 大きく; 静かに |
| DemP | Demonstrative pronoun | これ; それ; あれ |
| DemA | Demonstative adjective | この; その; こんな; あんな |
| Conj | Conjunction | が; から; しかし |
| Prt | Particle | が; を; に; よ; ね |
| QW | Question word | 何; だれ; いつ; どの; いくら |
| Da | だ and its conjugations | だ; だった; です; でした |
| te | te-form | 話して; 高くて; 静かで |
| plain | plain form | 話す; 話した; 高い; 静かだった |
| non-past | non-past form | 話す; 高い; 静かだ |
| past | past form | 話した; 高った; 静かだった |
| aff | affirmative form | 話す; 高い; 静かだ |
| neg | negative form | 話さない; 高くない; 静かじゃない |
| cond | conditional form (=ba-form) | 話せば; 高ければ; 静かなら(ば); 静かであれば |
Symbols used in the Grammar Notes
| Symbol | Meaning | Examples |
| A/B; {A/B} | Either A or B | Vteくる/いく; N{では／じゃ}なくて |
| {A/B}{C/D} | AC, AD, BC or BD | N{で／から}{できる／できている} |
| (A) | A is optional. | N(Prt)も |
| A+B | A is followed by B. | Adj+N |
| × | The following word/phrase/sentence is ungrammatical/unacceptable | 本を{読む(の)なら/×読んだら}、電気をつけなさい。 |
| ?? | The following word/phrase/sentence is quite unnatural. | トムは急に{怒り出した／??怒り始めた}。 |
Lesson 1: New Friends Genki I: p.41-43
Introduce ourselves
Ask and tell people names, majors at school, time, etc.
1. XはYです Genki I: p.41-42
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| 説明 | です is a copula used for connecting additional information to the subject. Often times when the subject is known, the subject + は (pronounced wa when used as a particle) is dropped in Japanese. If it's not clear what's being talked about, however, the subject can be stated by marking it as a topic with は as in examples 4-7. |
| 英訳 |
～です = It is...; to be... XはYです = X is Y. As for X, it is Y. |
| 文型 |
a. ～です b. ～は～です |
| 例文 |
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| 練習 |
2. Question Sentences (～か) Genki I: p.42-43
| 本文 |
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| 説明 |
か turns a statement into a question when added at the end of a sentence.
りゅうがくせいです。
(I am) an international student. りゅうがくせいですか。
(Are you) an international student? The question sentence above is a "yes/no" question. Question sentences may also contain a "question word" like なん or 何 (what). なん is typically used before です or counters (as seen in the examples below), whereas 何 is used before a particle such as が、を、etc., as in 何をしていますか (What are you doing?). |
| 英訳 | yes?; no?; isn't it?; is it? |
| 文型 | ～か |
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3. NounのNoun Genki I: p.43
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| 説明 |
の is a particle that connects two nouns. The second noun provides the main idea and the first noun makes it more specific. It can be used like the possessive (Takeshi's) in English, as in the example below.
たけしさんのでんわばんごう
Takeshi's phone number
NounのNoun acts more or less like one big noun and can be put wherever you can put a noun, as in the following example. たけしさんのおかあさんはこうこうのせんせいです。
Takeshi's mother is a high school teacher.
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| 英訳 | 's; of; indicates possessiveness |
| 文型 | N1のN2 |
| 例文 |
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Lesson 2: Shopping Genki I: p.60-64
Ask and answer how much things cost
Do shopping
Order food in a restaurant
1. これ／それ／あれ／どれ Genki I: p.60
| 本文 |
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| 説明 |
これ, それ, and あれ are words used to refer to things relative to the speaker's position. これ refers to something close to the speaker ("this thing here"). それ refers to something far from the speaker, but close to the listener ("that thing in front of you"). あれ refers to something far from both the speaker and the listener ("that thing over there").
これはわたしのペンです。
(speaker is holding the pen) This is my pen.
それはわたしのペンです。
(speaker is pointing to the pen in the listener's hand) That is my pen.
あれはわたしのペンです。
(speaker is pointing to the pen far from both him and the listener.) That over there is my pen.
When asking about two or more things, you can use どれ for "which." どれですか。
Which one is it (that you are talking about)?
It is considered impolite to directly use these words in reference to people, such as when introducing them. ×これはともだちのメアリーさんです。
This thing is my friend Mary.
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| 英訳 |
これ = this それ = that あれ = that (over there) どれ = which |
| 文型 |
a. {これ／それ／あれ}(は)～ b. どれ(が)～ |
| 練習 |
2. この／その／あの／どの+Noun Genki I: p.61
| 本文 |
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| 説明 |
この／その／あの are similar to これ／それ／あれ in regards to their usage based on the speaker's position. The key difference is that the れ versions of these words can be used alone, whereas the の versions must be used with a noun. You can use these words in reference to people as well, unlike これ／それ／あれ which can be considered impolite when used in reference to others.
このとけいはいくらですか。
How much is this watch?
そのとけいはさんぜんえんです。
That watch (in your hand) is 3,000 yen.
あのがくせいはりゅうがくせいです。
That student over there is an international student.
If you already know that one of several students is Japanese, but do not know which, you can say the following. どのがくせいがにほんじんですか。
Which student is Japanese?
To summarize:
これ(は～) このnoun(は～) close to the person speaking
それ(は～) そのnoun(は～) close to the person listening あれ(は～) あのnoun(は～) far from both people どれ(が～) どのnoun(が～) unknown |
| 英訳 |
この = this その = that あの = that (over there) どの = which |
| 文型 |
a. {この／その／あの}N(は)～ b. どのN(が)～ |
| 練習 |
3. ここ／そこ／あそこ／どこ Genki I: p.62
| 本文 |
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| 説明 |
ここ, そこ, あそこ, and どこ are words for places and work the same as これ／それ／あれ in regards to the speaker's position. You can use these words to ask for directions:
すみません。ゆうびんきょくはどこですか。
Excuse me. Where is the post office?
In response, you can point toward the post office and say: (ゆうびんきょくは)あそこです。
(The post office is) right over there.
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| 英訳 |
ここ = here (near me) そこ = there (near you) あそこ = over there どこ = where |
| 文型 |
a. Placeはどこですか b. (Placeは){ここ／そこ／あそこ}です |
| 例文 |
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| 練習 |
4. だれのNoun Genki I: p.62
| 本文 |
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| 説明 | だれの can be used to ask who something belongs to. It is a combination of だれ (who) + の (possessive particle), which gives it the meaning of "whose." |
| 英訳 |
だれ = who だれの = whose |
| 文型 | だれのN |
| 例文 |
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5. Nounも Genki I: p.62-63
| 本文 |
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| 説明 |
も is a particle that means "too/also" and is used to mention that someone/something has the same property as someone/something else.
たけしさんはにほんじんです。
ゆいさんもにほんじんです。
Takeshi is Japanese.
Yui is Japanese, too.
A は X です。 A is X.
Since も can only be used for properties that were mentioned by another, it cannot be used to say something like "I'm Japanese. I'm American, too." since it implies that someone else is American in addition to you. You have to use でもある if you want to list out multiple properties that someone/something possesses.
B も X です。 B too is X. |
| 英訳 | too; also; as well |
| 文型 | Nも(Xです) |
| 例文 |
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6. Nounじゃないです Genki I: p.63-64
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| 説明 |
じゃない is used for negating Nouns, and Adjectives that end with な (commonly called な-adjectives). The addition of です simply makes the statement more polite.
やまださんはがくせいじゃないです。
Mr. Yamada is not a student.
There are many different levels of formality for negative sentences, with じゃないです being polite, but not super formal. The more formal version of じゃない is じゃありません、with じゃ being a contraction of では(dewa), which is the most formal and also most appropriate for written language. The level of formality for these forms, from most casual to most formal, are as follows:
がくせいじゃない。(casual) がくせいじゃないです。(polite) がくせいじゃありません。(more conservative) がくせいではありません。(formal, appropriate for writing) です and じゃない must always be accompanied by a noun when answering a question; they do not stand alone.
Ａ：にほんじんですか。
Ｂ：いいえ、にほんじんじゃないです。 ×いいえ、じゃないです。
Ａ：Are you Japanese.
Ｂ：No, I am not Japanese. ×No, am not. To summarize:
affirmative: (Xは)Yです = X is Y.
negative: (Xは)Y{じゃない(です)／じゃありません／ではありません} = X is not Y. |
| 英訳 | is/am/are not |
| 文型 | N/ANaじゃない(です) |
| 例文 |
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7. ～ね／～よ Genki I: p.64
| 本文 |
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| 説明 |
ね and よ are sentence-ending particles that are used often in Japanese to convey additional information or emotion. If you're seeking agreement or confirmation, you would add the ね particle ("right?") to the end of your sentence.
リーさんのせんこうはぶんがくですね。
Ms. Lee, your major is literature, right?
これはにくじゃないですね。
This is not meat, is it?
If you're fully confident of what you're saying and want the listener to believe it, add よ ("I tell you") to the end of your sentence. とんかつはさかなじゃないですよ。
Let me assure you. "Tonkatsu" is not fish.
スミスさんはイギリスじんですよ。
(In case you're wondering.) Mr. Smith is British.
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| 英訳 |
ね = right?; isn't it?; sentence-ending particle for seeking agreement/confirmation よ = I tell you; you know; sentence-ending particle for conveying emphasis/new information |
| 文型 |
a. ～ね b. ～よ |
| 例文 |
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Lesson 3: Making a Date Genki I: p.86-92
Talk about daily activities
Extend, accept, and refuse invitations
1. Verb Conjugation (Long form: ～ます・～ません) Genki I: p.86-88
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| 説明 |
Japanese has three groups of verbs based on their conjugation: ru-verbs (also called ichidan verbs), u-verbs (godan verbs), and irregular verbs. (1) Ru-verbs The base of Ru-verbs (食べる --> 食べ; tabe, remove る) ends with either e or i plus the suffix る. All ru-verbs, therefore, end with eru or iru. There are a few exceptions, however, such as 帰る, which is an u-verb.
食べる (tabe + ru) 寝る (ne + ru) 起きる (oki + ru) 見る (mi + ru)
(2) U-verbs U-verbs have a consonant-final base plus u (e.g., 飲む nom + u). As mentioned above, 帰る is an exception to this rule. The る in this verb is not considered a suffix like with ru-verbs.
飲む (nom + u) 読む (yom + u) 話す (hanas + u) 聞く (kik + u) 行く (ik + u) 帰る (kaer + u) (3) Irregular Verbs There are two "irregular verbs," する and くる. する can be combined with certain nouns called "Verbal Nouns" or "Suru-verbs" to create a verb out of a noun, such as 勉強 (study) + する (to do) = 勉強する (to study).
する 勉強する くる
Present Tense Conjugation (Long form) The long form of verbs, ます (affirmative) and ません (negative), makes them more polite compared to their dictionary forms or "plain forms" (not conjugated). To conjugate ru-verbs into the long form, simply replace the final る with ます or ません.
Ru-verbs
To conjugate u-verbs into the long form, you replace u with imasu or imasen. For example, the final む changes to み, く changes to き and so on.
U-verbs
帰る is an u-verb, so it is not conjugated like a ru-verb: ×帰ます. Instead, you take the final る and change it to り, like so:
The conjugation for irregular verbs looks like the following.
Irregular verbs
To recap, if a verb ends with
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| 文型 |
a. V-stemます b. V-stemません |
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2. Verb Types and the "Present Tense" Genki I: p.88
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| 説明 |
Among the many verbs in Japanese are those that describe human actions. These are often called "action verbs," and the "present tense" of these verbs either means (1) that a person habitually or regularly engages in these activities, or (2) that a person will, or is planning to, perform these activities in the future. Habitual actions: 私はよくテレビを見ます。
I often watch TV.
メアリーさんはときどき朝ご飯を食べません。
Mary sometimes doesn't eat breakfast.
Future actions: 私はあした京都に行きます。
I will go to Kyoto tomorrow.
ソラさんは今日うちに帰りません。
Sora will not return home today.
It is usually easy to tell which action is implied by the usage of frequency adverbs, time references, and so on. You may need to rely on context in other cases. |
3. Particles (を, で, に, and へ) Genki I: p.88-89
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| 説明 |
Nouns used in sentences are usually followed by particles. These particles work together with nouns and verbs to help tell us how they interact with each other. In spoken and casual language, particles are often dropped, however. We'll go over four particles here: を, で, に, and へ below. を (Direct object) The particle を, pronounced "o," marks "direct objects," which are things that are directly involved in, or affected by, the verb. コーヒーを飲みます。
I drinkcoffee.
音楽を聞きます。
I listen to music.
テレビを見ます。
I watchTV.
で (Place of action) The particle で indicates where the event described by the verb takes place. 図書館で本を読みます。
I will read books in the library.
うちで昼ご飯を食べます。
I will eat lunch at home.
に The particle に has many meanings, but we'll go over two here: (1) the goal toward which things move, and (2) the time at which an event takes place. (1) Goal of movement (for verbs like 行く、来る、and 帰る) 今日学校に行きません。
I will not go to school today.
うちに帰ります。
I will returnhome.
(2) Time (This will be discussed more in Time References) 日曜日に京都に行きます。
I will go to Kyoto on Sunday.
十一時に寝ます。
I will go to bed at eleven.
十一時ごろ(に)寝ます。
I will go to bed at about eleven.
へ (Goal of movement) Wherever に is used for the goal of movement, へ (pronounced "e") can be used as well. Please note, however, that this particle cannot be used for time references. 今日学校へ行きません。
I will not go to school today.
うちへ帰ります。
I will returnhome.
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| 英訳 |
を = indicates direct object of action で = at; in に = at (place, time); to (direction, state) へ = to; towards |
| 文型 |
a. NをV b. LocationでV c. Location/TimeにV d. LocationへV |
| 練習 |
4. Time References (に) Genki I: p.90
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| 説明 |
The particle に is used with (1) the days of the week like "on Sunday," and (2) numerical time expressions, like "at 10:45," and "in September."
日曜日に行きます。
I will go on Sunday.
十時四十五分に起きます。
I get up at 10:45.
九月に帰ります。
I will go back in September.
あした来ます。
I will come tomorrow.
毎晩テレビを見ます。
I watch TV every evening.
いつ行きますか。
When will you go?
朝(に)本を読みます。
I will read a book in the morning.
週末(に)何をしますか。
What will you do on the weekend?
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5. ～ませんか Genki I: p.90
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| 説明 | ませんか (= present tense negative verb + question particle) is used to extend invitations. The affirmative counterpart, ますか, cannot be used in this way. So a sentence like 昼ご飯を食べますか (Will you eat lunch?) would only be taken as a question, not an invitation. |
| 英訳 | won't you?; would you like to...? |
| 文型 | V-stemませんか |
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6. Frequency Adverbs Genki I: p.91
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| 説明 |
Frequency adverbs, such as 毎日 (every day), よく (often), and 時々 (sometimes) can be added to a sentence to describe how often one does something.
私は時々図書館に行きます。
I sometimes go to the library.
There are also adverbs for describing how infrequent an activity or event is: 全然 (never; not at all) and あまり (not often; not very much). These adverbs must be used with the negative form of a verb when describing infrequency. That is, the sentence must end with ません (or an equivalent negative form). 私は全然テレビを見ません。
I do not watch TV at all.
たけしさんはあまり勉強しません。
Takeshi does not study very much.
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| 英訳 |
Frequency 毎日 = every day よく = often たいてい = usually 時々 = sometimes Infrequency 全然 = never; not at all あまり = not often; not very much |
| 文型 |
a. Adverb～V-stemます (Frequency) b. Adverb～V-stemません (Infrequency) |
| 例文 |
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7. Word Order Genki I: p.91
| 説明 |
Japanese sentences are fairly flexible in the arrangement of elements that appear in them. Generally, sentences are made up of several noun-particle squences followed by a verb or an adjective. A typical sentence, therefore, looks like the following, but several other arrangements of noun-particle sequences are also possible.
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8. The Topic Particle は Genki I: p.91-92
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| 説明 |
The particle は (pronounced wa) is used to mark the topic of a sentence or conversation. It basically puts forward what you want to talk about. You may have noticed that the topic phrases in sentences such as メアリーさんは二年生です (Mary is a sophomore), and 私の専攻は日本語です (My major is Japanese), are the subjects of those sentences. A topic phrase doesn't need to be the subject of a sentence, however. There were three sentences in Lessons 3's dialogue where nonsubject phrases are made topics with the help of the particle は.
メアリーさん、週末はたいてい何をしますか。
Mary, what do you usually do on the weekend.
今日は京都に行きます。
I'm going to Kyoto today.
Ａ：晩ご飯は？
Ｂ：食べません。
Ａ：How about dinner?
Ｂ：I will not eat. |
| 文型 | Topicは～ |
Lesson 4: The First Date Genki I: p.107-113
Ask and describe where things/people are
Talk about things that happened in the past
Talk about habitual actions in the past
1. Xがあります／います Genki I: p.107-108
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| 説明 |
The verbs ある (for non-living things) and いる (for living things) can be used to say "there is/are X."
あそこにマクドナルドがあります。
There's a McDonald's over there.
You can also use ある to say that you have or own something. テレビがありません。
I don't have a TV.
Something you should note is テレビじゃありません which may look similar, but is actually the more conservative version of テレビじゃないです which means "It isn't a TV." 時間がありますか。
Do you have time?
ある is also used to say that an event will take place. 火曜日にテストがあります。
There will be an exam on Tuesday.
あしたは日本語のクラスがありません。
There will not be Japanese class tomorrow.
あした京都でお祭りがあります。
There will be a festival in Kyoto tomorrow.
When you want to say there is a person or living thing, you need to use the verb いる. あそこに留学生がいます。
There's an international student over there.
日本人の友達がいます。
I have a Japanese friend.
Note that the same verb "is" in English comes out differently in Japanese: あそこに留学生がいます。
There is an international student over there.
メアリーさんは留学生です。
Mary is an international student.
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| 英訳 |
ある (for inanimate objects) = to be; to have; there will be; there is/are... いる (for animate objects) = to be; there is/are... |
| 文型 |
a. (placeに)thingがあります b. (placeに)personがいます |
| 練習 |
2. Describing Where Things Are Genki I: p.108-109
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| 説明 |
In Lesson 2 we learned how to ask for, and give, the location of item X.
Ａ：マクドナルドはどこですか。
Ｂ：マクドナルドは{ここ／そこ／あそこ}です。
Ａ：Where's McDonald's?
Ｂ：McDonald's is {right here/right there near you/over there}. (マクドナルドは)あのホテルの前です。
It's in front of that hotel.
Other useful words for describing locations are as follows:
XはYとZのあいだです。
X is between Y and Z。
私はモスバーガーの前でメアリーさんを待ちました。
I waited for Mary in front of the Mos Burger place.
※ となり is used to describe two people or two buildings/places that are found side by side. よこ on the other hand can be used for a much wider range of things.
○かばんはつくえのよこです。
×かばんはつくえのとなりです。
The bag is by the desk.
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| 文型 | XはYのlocation wordです | ||||||
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3. Past Tense of です (でした・じゃなかったです) Genki I: p.110
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| 説明 |
The past tense affirmative form of です is でした and the past tense negative form of じゃないです is じゃなかったです.
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| 英訳 |
でした = was じゃなかったです = was not |
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| 文型 |
a. ～でした b. N/ANaじゃなかった(です) |
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4. Past Tense of Verbs (～ました・～ませんでした) Genki I: p.110
| 本文 |
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| 説明 |
The past tense forms of verbs end with ました in the affirmative and ませんでした in the negative.
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| 文型 |
a. V-stemました b. V-stemませんでした |
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| 例文 |
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5. も Genki I: p.111
| 本文 |
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| 説明 |
In Lesson 2 we learned to use the particle も with nouns that share the same properties. も can also be used with verbs when two or more people perform the same action.
私はきのう京都に行きました。
山下先生もきのう京都に行きました。
I went to Kyoto yesterday.
Professor Yamashita went to Kyoto yesterday, too.
メアリーさんは靴を買いました。
メアリーさんはかばんも買いました。
Mary bought shoes.
Mary bought a bag, too. In the examples above, you may have noticed that も replaces both は and を. が is also replaced in this manner. Other particles, such as に and で, on the other hand are not replaced by も but are instead accompanied by it.
私は先週京都に行きました。
大阪にも行きました。
I went to Kyoto last week.
I went to Osaka, too.
ソラさんは土曜日に学校に来ました。
日曜日にも学校に来ました。
Sora came to school on Saturday.
Sora came to school on Sunday, too.
けんさんはうちで本を読みました。
カフェでも本を読みました。
Ken read a book at home.
He read book at a cafe, too.
は／が／を も
に／で／etc. にも／でも／etc. |
| 英訳 | too; also; as well |
| 文型 |
a. NもV b. N{に／へ／で}もV |
| 練習 |