Japanese のむ (nomu): drink

The idea

This is a godan verb: final む changes to みます in the polite form and to んで in the て form. The polite negative ends in ません, the past in ました. Use を for a drink and also for medicine taken by mouth. The object can be omitted when it is clear. Here ています describes an action in progress, while ませんか makes a polite invitation.

Examples

• 毎朝まいあさ、水みずを飲のみます。I drink water every morning.
• 今日きょうはコーヒーを飲のみません。I am not drinking coffee today.
• 昨日きのう、友達ともだちとお茶ちゃを飲のみました。Yesterday I had tea with a friend.
• どうぞ、水みずを飲のんでください。Please drink some water.
• 今いま、父ちちは薬くすりを飲のんでいます。My father is taking medicine now.
• 明日あした、いっしょにお茶ちゃを飲のみませんか。Would you like to have tea together tomorrow?

Watch out

Do not form the て form as のみて: む changes to んで. Medicine can be the object even when it is a pill.

Try it yourself

1. 水みずを＿。（飲のむ→ます）

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   飲みます

   飲のみます is the polite non-past of 飲のむ; context tells whether it refers to a habit or the future.

2. 水みずを＿ください。（飲のむ→て）

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   飲んで

   飲のんで is the て form of 飲のむ. Before ください it forms a polite request.

3. お茶ちゃ＿飲のみます。（を／に）

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   を

   を marks the direct object: the thing affected by or involved in the action.

Use it today

Say what you drink in the morning, what you drank yesterday, and offer someone a drink. Check the particles and verb forms against the examples.