Learn Japanese

The particles は (wa) and が (ga) are two of the most frequent words in Japanese, and understanding their difference is essential for natural speech. は marks the topic of a sentence — the thing you are talking about — while が marks the grammatical subject, often introducing new information or answering 'who/what' questions. For example, 「私は学生です」(I am a student) sets 'I' as the topic, whereas 「誰が来ましたか？」→「田中さんが来ました」(Who came? → Tanaka came) uses が because Tanaka is the new, focused piece of information.

A practical trick is to think of は as 'as for…' and が as a spotlight that says 'this one, specifically.' When you encounter sentences in the app, notice which particle is used and ask yourself whether the speaker is setting a scene (は) or pointing something out (が). Internalising this contrast will let you follow the flow of real conversations, understand why native speakers switch particles mid-conversation, and avoid the robotic, topic-less sentences that mark early learner speech.

• Basic Sentence Structure in Japanese · Kaname Naito
• If You Are Struggling with Japanese Sentences, Watch This! Japanese Sentence Structures · Harupaka Japanese
• Japanese は and が Particles in 2 Minutes | (WA) vs (GA) · ToKini Andy

The て-form (te-form) is a conjugated verb base that acts as a grammatical Swiss Army knife. It connects sequential actions ('I ate and then left': 食べて出かけた), forms polite requests with ください (食べてください — please eat), creates the in-progress ~ている construction (食べている — is eating), and combines with dozens of other grammar patterns. Almost every intermediate sentence uses the て-form in some way, so recognising it instantly unlocks a huge portion of natural Japanese.

The key to mastering て-form is learning the conjugation rules by verb group: Group 1 verbs (う-verbs) follow sound-change patterns (く→いて, ぐ→いで, む/ぬ/ぶ→んで, etc.), Group 2 verbs (る-verbs) simply drop る and add て, and the two irregular verbs する→して and くる→きて must be memorised. Practice by chunking common verbs into their て-form immediately when you learn them in the app. Once this clicks, you will be able to string actions together naturally, make polite requests, describe ongoing situations, and unlock a cascade of connected grammar patterns.

• 【GENKI L6】What is TE Form? – How to use Japanese TE Form · Yuko Sensei
• 【GENKI L6】Japanese TE Form – Connect Multiple Actions (Verbs)! · Yuko Sensei
• The ULTIMATE Japanese Te-Form CHEAT SHEET 【て Form】 · Jouzu Juls (上手 ジューズ)

Japanese has distinct speech registers, and the です/ます style is the default polite register used in most everyday situations — at shops, with acquaintances, in service interactions, and in the app's phrases. Verbs end in ます (食べます, 行きます) and noun/adjective sentences end in です (学生です, きれいです). Negatives become ません and ではありません, and past tense adds ました or でした. This single stylistic layer covers the vast majority of conversations a learner will have in Japan.

A practical approach is to treat the polite endings as fixed slots to fill: [verb stem] + ます is your go-to sentence closer. When reading app phrases, always identify the ます or です ending first — it anchors the sentence's tense and mood. Once you internalise this style, you will be able to speak confidently and respectfully in virtually any public or semi-formal situation, from ordering coffee to asking for directions, without worrying about being rude or overly stiff.

• Are You a Beginner to Japanese? Watch This! What are です (desu) and ます(masu)? · Harupaka Japanese
• What is ます MASU Form? – How to Use Japanese Verb · Yuko Sensei
• 「です」- The Polite Copula 'To Be' – JLPT N5 Grammar ┃ Genki Lesson 1 · Game Gengo ゲーム言語

Three particles — に, で, and を — handle most of the spatial and directional work in Japanese. に marks a destination or specific location of existence (東京に行く — go to Tokyo; 家にいる — be at home). で marks the location where an action takes place (図書館で勉強する — study at the library) or the means/tool used. を marks the direct object of a verb but also the space through which movement passes (公園を歩く — walk through the park). Mixing these up is one of the most common early learner errors.

A memorable shortcut: に is about being or arriving somewhere (think of a pin dropped on a map), で is about doing something somewhere (think of an action scene on a stage), and を is about what gets acted upon or passed through. When you encounter movement verbs in the app — 行く, 来る, 帰る — check which particle follows and ask what role the location is playing. Mastering these three particles means you can correctly describe where things happen, where you are going, and what you are doing with precision that makes your Japanese sound genuinely natural.

• How to Use Japanese Particles で and に for Places | Beginner Grammar Lesson · Japanese Language School – MLC Meguro Language Center, Tokyo
• NEVER confuse the Japanese に, へ and で PARTICLES again! · ToKini Andy

〜ている is formed by attaching いる to a verb's て-form and is one of the most frequent constructions in spoken Japanese. It covers two main meanings: an action currently in progress (食べている — is eating, is in the middle of eating) and a state that results from a completed action (結婚している — is married, i.e. married and remains so; 窓が開いている — the window is open). Which reading applies depends on the type of verb — action verbs tend toward the progressive meaning, while change-of-state verbs tend toward the resultant state.

A useful mental model is to ask: 'Is this verb about an ongoing process or a change that left a lasting result?' Verbs like 'run' or 'eat' describe processes, so ている means mid-action; verbs like 'marry' or 'open' describe instant changes, so ている means the resulting condition persists. Listening for this pattern in app dialogues will sharpen your intuition quickly. Once you own 〜ている, you can describe what people are doing right now, talk about people's life situations (jobs, relationships), and describe the state of objects — all essential for everyday small talk.

• ［Lesson40_Full］Japanese te-iru Explained: Action vs Resulting State · Hiro's Japanese Classroom
• Episode #57: Married?! The hidden meaning of ～ています Final te-form lesson · Moyo Sensei

Japanese adjectives come in two flavours, and each conjugates differently. い-adjectives (like 高い — expensive/tall) are inflected directly: past tense drops い and adds かった (高かった), negative drops い and adds くない (高くない). な-adjectives (like 便利な — convenient) behave more like nouns: they need な before a noun (便利な電車) and use です for their predicate forms (便利です, 便利でした, 便利ではありません). The irregular adjective いい (good) changes to よ- in all conjugations (よかった, よくない), so it needs special attention.

The fastest way to sort them is to check the dictionary form: if it ends in い (and that い is part of the word, not a spelling quirk), it's almost certainly an い-adjective; otherwise assume な. Practice by conjugating the five most common adjectives of each type every time you learn new vocabulary in the app. Mastering both classes lets you describe people, places, food, and experiences fluently — agreeing, disagreeing, comparing, and expressing past impressions — which is the backbone of descriptive conversation.

• 【SUPER GUIDE】Everything about い and な Adjective! Plain, Polite, Negative and Past · Mochi Real Japanese
• Japanese Adjectives EXPLAINED | I-Adjectives and Na-Adjectives (形容詞） · Game Gengo ゲーム言語
• The Truth About Japanese Adjectives (Even Beginners Can Get It!!) · Tetsu Sensei

Japanese has four main conditional forms, and choosing among them is one of the first real grammatical decisions intermediate learners face. と expresses automatic or inevitable consequences (春になると桜が咲く — when spring comes, the cherry blossoms bloom — always). ば/えば focuses on a hypothetical condition (もっと練習すれば上手になる — if you practice more, you'll improve). たら is the most versatile and conversational; it covers 'when/if X happened or happens' and is the safe default in casual speech (雨が降ったら、家にいる — if it rains, I'll stay home). なら responds to something already mentioned or assumed (行くなら、傘を持って — if you're going, take an umbrella).

A practical priority: learn たら first and use it broadly — native speakers use it constantly and it rarely sounds wrong. Then notice と in habitual or factual statements, and treat ば as slightly more formal/written. Listening for these endings in app dialogues will help you absorb when each one sounds natural. With conditionals in hand, you can make suggestions, give advice, talk about plans that depend on circumstances, and navigate the kinds of 'what if' exchanges that fill everyday conversation.

• Mastering Japanese Conditionals: と, たら, ば, なら · Learn Japanese with Moon-chan
• How to say "IF" in Japanese | A CONCISE guide to the たら、と、 ば and なら conditionals · Norman Vargas
• How to say "IF" (conditional たら vs なら) differences · Miku Real Japanese

The potential form expresses what someone can do or what is possible. For Group 1 (う-verbs), change the final う-row sound to the え-row and add る (書く→書ける, 飲む→飲める). Group 2 (る-verbs) replace る with られる (食べる→食べられる), though in casual speech this is often shortened to 食べれる. The two irregular verbs are する→できる and くる→こられる. Crucially, the thing that becomes possible is often marked with が rather than を (日本語が話せる — I can speak Japanese), though を is also heard in casual speech.

The shortcut for Group 1 is to think of shifting the vowel 'up' to the え sound before adding る — it becomes almost rhythmic with practice. Notice できる (can do / is possible) separately, because it is by far the most frequently used potential expression and appears in countless set phrases. Once potential forms feel natural, you can talk about your skills and limitations, ask what others are capable of, discuss whether venues or situations allow certain actions, and navigate ability-based questions in job interviews, travel, and daily life.

• How to Use Japanese Potential Verbs – Avoid Common Mistakes! 食べれる/飲める【GENKI L13】 · Yuko Sensei
• How to say I can /I can't / I could / I couldn't (Japanese potential form) · Miku Real Japanese
• Learn Japanese verb conjugation: Potential form (know how to, be able to) · KANJI – Link

Japanese has three distinct verbs for the single English concept of 'give/receive,' and the choice among them encodes who is at the centre of the exchange relative to the speaker. あげる means the speaker (or someone not the listener) gives outward to another (私が友達にあげた — I gave it to my friend). くれる means someone gives inward toward the speaker or their in-group (友達が私にくれた — my friend gave it to me). もらう means the receiver gets something from someone (私が友達にもらった — I received it from my friend). These verbs also attach to the て-form to mean doing a favour: やってあげる (do it for someone), やってくれる (do it for me), やってもらう (have someone do it for me).

The key mental model is to draw an arrow: あげる points away from you, くれる points toward you, and もらう focuses on the receiver's perspective. When you hear these in app dialogues, trace the arrow mentally before moving on — this trains the instinct quickly. Mastering these three verbs dramatically improves your ability to talk about gifts, favours, and social obligations, and it also unlocks the nuanced art of making and declining requests politely, which is central to Japanese social interaction.

• Learn to give and receive in Japanese in just 8 minutes – ageru kureru morau「あげる、もらう、くれる」を8分で完璧にする · Onomappu
• To give and to receive in Japanese: learn ageru/kureru/morau (あげる・くれる・もらう) [JLPT N5] · KANJI – Link
• How to use あげる and くれる · Kaname Naito