Grammar › Plain Forms
Plain form (casual speech) — 食べる, 行く
The dictionary form used with friends and to build advanced grammar
The plain form (also called dictionary or casual form) is how Japanese is really spoken among friends and family — 食べる instead of 食べます, 行く instead of 行きます. Beyond casual chat, it's the base that dozens of N4+ patterns attach to (〜と思う, 〜つもり, 〜たら…), so learning it doubles as unlocking everything that follows.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| る-verbs = dictionary form | 食べます → 食べる — eat |
| う-verbs = dictionary form | 行きます → 行く / 飲みます → 飲む |
| Irregulars | します → する / 来ます → 来る(くる) |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 明日、映画を見る。 | あした、えいがをみる。 ashita、eigawomiru。 | I'll watch a movie tomorrow. (casual) |
| 何を食べる? | なにをたべる? naniwotaberu? | What are you going to eat? (casual) |
| 毎日日本語を勉強する。 | まいにちにほんごをべんきょうする。 mainichinihongowobenkyousuru。 | I study Japanese every day. (casual) |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
Casual form isn't “broken” Japanese — it's the correct register for close relationships, but using it with strangers or superiors sounds rude. When in doubt with someone new, stay in 〜ます. Grammar books call this the “dictionary form” because it's how verbs are listed.