〜です
to be (polite copula)
N / な-adj + です
Marks a polite statement of identity or state. The neutral, polite way to say that something is something.
私は学生です。
I am a student.
8 forms, grouped and explained. Free, no account needed to read.
Politeness in Japanese is a set of forms rather than a tone of voice. This covers the polite baseline everyone starts with, and then keigo proper.
to be (polite copula)
N / な-adj + です
Marks a polite statement of identity or state. The neutral, polite way to say that something is something.
私は学生です。
I am a student.
is not (polite negative copula)
N / な-adj + じゃありません
The polite negative of です. じゃ is a contraction of では; ではありません is slightly more formal.
彼は先生じゃありません。
He is not a teacher.
was (polite past copula)
N / な-adj + でした
The polite past form of です. The negative past is じゃありませんでした.
昨日は雨でした。
It was rainy yesterday.
polite non-past verb (do / don't)
V(stem) + ます／ません
The polite present and future verb form, with ません as its negative.
毎日日本語を勉強します。
I study Japanese every day.
honorific — raising the other person
お + V-masu stem + になる · special verbs: いらっしゃる, おっしゃる, なさる, 召し上がる
Used about *someone else's* actions to show respect. Never about your own.
The passive form doubles as a light honorific (先生が来られました), which is why passive and honorific look identical — context tells them apart.
先生はもうお帰りになりました。
The teacher has already gone home.
Confused with 尊敬語 vs 謙譲語
humble — lowering yourself
お + V-masu stem + する · special verbs: 参る, 申す, いただく, 拝見する
The mirror of 尊敬語: used about *your own* actions, to raise the listener by lowering yourself. お持ちします — "I'll carry it (for you)."
The classic exam trap is using a humble form about the listener, which insults them. Ask yourself whose action it is before choosing.
荷物をお持ちします。
Let me carry your bags.
Confused with
probably; right?
plain form + でしょう
Expresses probability or conjecture; with rising intonation it asks for agreement.
明日は晴れるでしょう。
It will probably be sunny tomorrow.
probably, I expect
V-plain / い-adj / な-adj / N + だろう
A confident prediction — stronger than かもしれない, weaker than はず. でしょう is the polite form and is what weather forecasts use all day long.
With rising intonation it becomes a check: 明日でしょう？ — "it's tomorrow, right?"
午後は晴れるでしょう。
It will probably clear up in the afternoon.
Confused with かもしれない vs だろう vs はず
Spaced repetition brings each form back right before you’d forget it, inside real sentences. Free, forever, no paywall.