Grammar Expansion • Negative Verbs

⛔ Negatives with ます Form

Verb Types Formality and Conjugation Negatives Practice

Master the art of negation in Japanese! Learn how to convert any verb in the polite ます form to its negative equivalent ません. This essential skill allows you to express what you don't do, won't do, or can't do with proper politeness.

Why Learn the ません Form?

🗣️ Daily Communication

Essential for declining offers, expressing dislikes, and describing what you don't do.

🎯 Politeness

Shows respect in formal situations while clearly expressing negative actions.

📚 Grammar Foundation

Builds understanding for more complex negative forms you'll learn later.

✨ Simple Pattern

Unlike other conjugations, this follows one universal rule for all verbs!

Step-by-Step Conjugation Process

Good News!

Unlike converting dictionary form to ます form, this conjugation is incredibly simple and follows the same pattern for ALL verbs!

Step 1

Take any verb in ます form

たべます

Start with the polite present form

Step 2

Remove the ます ending

たべ

This leaves you with the verb stem

Step 3

Add ません to the stem

たべません

The negative polite form is complete

📝 Universal Rule: ます → ません

This simple substitution works for all verbs regardless of type (ichidan, godan, or irregular). No special rules to memorize!

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Examples Across All Verb Types

See how the ます → ません pattern works consistently across different verb types:

Positive (ます)	Negative (ません)	English	Verb Type
たべます	たべません	eat → don't eat	Ru Verb (ichidan)
のみます	のみません	drink → don't drink	U Verb (godan)
みます	みません	see → don't see	Ru Verb (ichidan)
かきます	かきません	write → don't write	U Verb (godan)
よみます	よみません	read → don't read	U Verb (godan)
いきます	いきません	go → don't go	U Verb (godan)
きます	きません	come → don't come	irregular
します	しません	do → don't do	irregular

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Real-World Usage Examples

Learn how ません is used in different contexts and situations:

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Adding ません to dictionary form

Wrong:

たべるません ❌

Correct:

たべません ✅

Always use the ます stem, not the dictionary form

❌ Forgetting the stem change for irregular verbs

Wrong:

くるません ❌

Correct:

きません ✅

くる becomes き before ます/ません

Essential Grammar Points

Universal Pattern:
The ます → ません transformation works for ALL verbs without exception.
Politeness Level:
ません is the polite negative form, suitable for formal and casual conversations.
Present/Future:
ません expresses both "don't do" (habitual) and "won't do" (future intention).
Sentence Position:
Always comes at the end of the sentence, just like ます form.

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Practice Quiz

Test your understanding of converting ます form to ません form:

Formality and Conjugation Practice