Different conjugations of the verb in both plain form and keigo (polite)
Verb conjugations
| Form | Term | Used for |
|---|
| Present | 現在形（げんざいけい） | Describing a current action |
| Present negative | 現在否定形（げんざいひていけい） | Describing a current action, negated |
| Past | 過去形（かこけい） | Describing a past action |
| Past negative | 過去否定形（かこひていけい） | Describing a past action, negated |
| Te form | て形（てけい） | Connecting verbs, or making requests |
| Tai form | たい形（たいけい） | Expressing a desire to do something |
| Volitional | 意向形（いこうけい） | Expressing intention or determination |
| Imperative | 命令形（めいれいけい） | Giving commands |
| Passive | 受身形（うけみけい） | Describing an action done to the subject |
| Conditional | 条件形（じょうけんけい） | Describing a hypothetical situation |
| Provisional conditional | 仮定形（かていけい） | Describing a tentative or uncertain situation |
| Causative | 使役形（しえきけい） | Describing causing someone to do something |
| Potential | 可能形（かのうけい） | Describing ability to do something |
Each form has a small speaker icon next to it — click it to hear the pronunciation read aloud.
Plain form vs keigo
Plain form is the basic form of a verb or adjective in Japanese. It's called "plain" because it's the simplest and most straightforward form, without any added politeness or formality. Plain form is used in informal situations, such as talking to friends, family, or people of lower status.
Keigo, on the other hand, is a set of honorific language expressions used to show respect, politeness, and formality in Japanese.
In general, plain form is used in informal situations and keigo is used in formal situations. However, it's important to note that there are different levels of keigo depending on the level of formality and the relationship between the speaker and listener. For example, the keigo used with a superior in a workplace setting might be different from the keigo used with a customer or client.
It's also worth noting that keigo can be difficult to master, even for native Japanese speakers. There are many different honorific expressions and rules for using them correctly, so it's important to study and practice them carefully in order to use them effectively.
Not every form above has a distinct keigo equivalent: the conditional, provisional conditional, causative, and potential forms aren't typically expressed differently in polite speech, so only forms with their own recognized keigo pattern are shown in the Keigo column.
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