Plain and polite forms can express the same fact while signalling a different relationship or setting.
The idea
行きます and 食べます are polite non-past forms; 行く and 食べる are their plain counterparts. After a noun, です is polite and だ is a plain statement. Polite speech is a good starting point with a teacher or stranger.
| Polite | Plain |
|---|---|
| 行きます | 行く |
| 食べます | 食べる |
| 先生です | 先生だ |
Examples
- 明日、学校へ行きます。I am going to school tomorrow.
- 明日、学校へ行く。I am going to school tomorrow.
- 朝、パンを食べます。I eat bread in the morning.
- 朝、パンを食べる。I eat bread in the morning.
- 田中さんは先生です。Tanaka is a teacher.
- 田中さんは先生だ。Tanaka is a teacher.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
Plain is not automatically rude: friends often use it. It also appears inside grammar patterns. With an い-adjective, the plain ending is the adjective itself, not だ.
Try it yourself
「行きます」をふつうの形にします。（行く／行きます）
Show answer or example answer
行く
行く is the plain non-past form of 行きます.
「食べる」を丁寧な形にします。（食べます／食べる）
Show answer or example answer
食べます
食べます is the polite non-past form of 食べる.
「先生です」をふつうの形にします。（先生だ／先生ます）
Show answer or example answer
先生だ
After the noun 先生, だ makes a plain statement; です is polite.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
「行きます」をふつうの形にします。（行く／行きます）
「食べる」を丁寧な形にします。（食べます／食べる）
「先生です」をふつうの形にします。（先生だ／先生ます）
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Read each pair with the same meaning. Address a teacher using the polite form, then say the same idea to a close friend in plain style.