Grammar

Question 1

Verb conjugation

Answer 1

Verb base: なべ
Dictionary form: る
present affirmative tense: ます
Present negative tense: ません
Stem: たべ

Verb base: ik
Dictionary form: いく
Present affirmative: いきます
Present negative: いきません
Stem: いき

Question 2

Irregular verb conjugation

Answer 2

Dictionary form: する
Present affirmative tense: します
Present negative tense: しません
Stem:し

Dictionary form: くる
Present affirmative: きます
Present negative: きません
Stem: き

Question 3

How to spot an u-verb

Answer 3

If the vowel right before the る is an あお or う, it is an u-verb

Question 4

Adverb placement

Answer 4

Adverb goes before noun
Subject - adverb - noun - verb

Question 5

Particle で

Answer 5

Indicates where the event described will take place.
図書館で本を読みます
I will read books at the library.
うちでテレビ見ます
I will watch TV at home

Question 6

Particle に

Answer 6

Two of several goals:
1) the goal towards which things move
私は学校に行きません
I will not go to school today
私はうちに帰ります
I will return home

Time at which an event takes place
日曜日に京都行きます
十一時に寝ます
I will go to bed at eleven

Question 7

Use of ごろ

Answer 7

Can be used to replace the に particle, or used as ごろに to mean “about X time”
十一時ごろに寝ます
I will go to bed at about eleven

Question 8

Particle へ

Answer 8

Particle へ can be used to replace に in use of indicating a goal of movement, but not time. It is pronounced え
私は今日学校へ行きません
Today i will not go to school
私はうちへ帰ります
I will return home

Question 9

Particle を

Answer 9

Indicates direct objects. Object that are being acted on or affected by the event.
コー匕ーを飲みます
I drink coffee
テープを聞きます
I listen to tapes
テレビを見ます
I watch TV.

Question 10

Particle に continued

Answer 10

に is used with days of the week and time expressions.
日曜日に行きます
I will go on Sunday
十じ五十五分起きます
I will get up at 10:55
九月に帰ります
I will return in September

に is not used for words relative to the present moment like today/tomorrow, or for terms like every day/night
あした来きます
I will come tomorrow
毎晩テレビを見ます
I watch TV every night
いつ行きますか
When will you go?

に is sometimes used for parts of the day like morning/evening
朝に新聞を読みます
I read the paper in the morning.
週末になにをしますか
What will you do on the weekend

Question 11

ませんか

Answer 11

You can use ませんか to extend an invitation to someone.
昼御飯を食べませんか
Will you have lunch with me?
いいですね
Sounds good.
テニスをしませんか
Will you play tennis with me?
うーん、ちょっと
Um, it’s slightly (inconvenient for me at this moment).

Question 12

Word order

Answer 12

Japanese word order is flexible. A sentence is typically comprised of noun-particles followed by a verb or an adjective, and sometimes with a sentence-final particle like か、ね、or よ
Topic - time - place - object u-verb
Topic -frequency - time - goal - verb

Question 13

Frequency adverbs

Answer 13

These are used to describe how often the topic performs the verb.
私は時々図書館に行きます
Sometimes, i go to the library.

Adverbs used to describe how infrequent an activity is are used in negative statements. Sentences that have words like ぜんぜん or あまり will end in ません。
私は全然テレビを見ません
I don’t want tv at all.
私はあまり勉強しません

Question 14

Particle は

Answer 14

Used to mark the topic of the sentence. It does not need to be the subject of the sentence.
マエーリさん、週末は大抵何をしますか
Mary, what do you usually do on the weekends?
今日は京都を行きます
Today, i will go to Kyoto.
は promotes time expressions as the topic.
晩御飯は？
How about dinner?
は is directing listeners attention and inviting comment or contemplation of a sentence. The broached topic, 晩御飯、is not subject relation, but acts as it direct object.

Question 15

いく　vs　くる

Answer 15

いく is a movement away from the speaker.
くる is a movement towards where the speaker is.

Question 16

ちょっと

Answer 16

Literally means “a little”, “a bit”, “a small amount”
ちょっとください
Please give me a little.
ちょっとまってください
Please wait a moment.
It is commonly used for a polite refusal. いいえ is considered too direct and is not usually used.
土曜日に映画を見ませんか
Do you want to see a movie with me on Saturday?
土曜日はちょっと
Saturday is a little inconvenient for me