Lesson 4 Grammar Item #3-a (p. 79)
l Mary returns home about nine.
à
メアリーさんは ９じごろ うちに かえります
mearii-san-wa kuji-goro uchi-ni kaer-imas-u[1]
return-Polite-Present
[verb base]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
the PAST
affirmative in the polite style
à
iました /imas-ita/
/POLITE-PAST/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
N.B. Tense or the base of the polite form takes a verb base immediately before it.
1) メアリーさんは ９じごろ うちに かえりました。
mearii-san-wa kuji-goro uchi-ni kaer-imas-ita
return-Polite-Past
[verb base]
1) Mary looked at a movie on Tuesday.
2) Mary spoke Japanese.
3) Mary waited for Robert in front of the post office.
4) Mary met/saw Robert at the coffee shop.
l I do not study Japanese much.
à
わたしは にほんごを あまり べんきょうしません
watashi-wa nihongo-o amari benkyoos-imas-en
much study-Polite-Negative
[verb base]
l yesterday à きのう
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
the PAST NEGATIVE
in the polite style
à
iませんでした /imas-en-des-ita/
/POLITE-NEGATIVE-be-PAST/
Linking Verb be
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
N.B. There is no replacing PRESENT NEGATIVE /en/ with any form of PAST NEGATIVE for a past negative. The form /en/ is a form of Classical Japanese.
1) わたしは にほんごを あまり べんきょうしませんでした。
watashi-wa nihongo-o amari benkyoos-imas-en-des-ita
study-Polite-Negative-be-PAST
[verb base]
5) Mary did not look at a movie on Tuesday.
6) Mary did not spoke Japanese.
7) Mary did not waited for Robert in front of the post office.
8) Mary did not meet/did not see Robert at the coffee shop.
[1] The underlying form of the present affirmative in the polite style /imas-ru/, or the base of the polite form /imas/ plus PRESENT /ru/, realizes as the actual sound sequence /imas-u/.