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Intermediate

Verb Groups & Dictionary Form

The two groups and two irregulars

Two main groups plus two irregulars

Group 1 (u-verbs), Group 2 (ru-verbs), plus する and 来る.

📊 Verb groups
Group Dictionary form -ます form
Group 1 (u-verb) 飲む nomu 飲みます
Group 2 (ru-verb) 食べる taberu 食べます
irregular する suru します
irregular 来る kuru 来ます
💬 Examples
飲む
nomu
to drink
📝 Group 1 (u-verb)
食べる
taberu
to eat
📝 Group 2 (ru-verb)
The dictionary form is the plain non-past

The form listed in dictionaries; used in casual speech.

💬 Examples
毎日コーヒーを飲む。
Mainichi kōhī o nomu.
(I) drink coffee every day.
📝 Plain (dictionary) form
テレビを見る。
Terebi o miru.
(I) watch TV.
📝 Group 2 dictionary form
The group determines the conjugation

You must know the group to conjugate.

💬 Examples
書く → 書きます
kaku → kakimasu
to write → write
📝 Group 1: change the final -u
見る → 見ます
miru → mimasu
to see → see
📝 Group 2: drop -る, add -ます