A2 · Élémentaire Chapitre 15

Essential Verb Patterns: Requests, Desires & Abilities

5 Règles totales
22 exemples
1 min
Règles dans ce chapitre Pratique rapide

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the essential verb patterns to express your daily needs, desires, and obligations in fluent Japanese.

  • Describe ongoing actions and current states.
  • Make polite requests and express personal desires.
  • State your abilities and necessary obligations clearly.
Speak with purpose and clarity every day.

Ce que tu vas apprendre

Expand your Japanese with crucial patterns for making requests, expressing wants, describing abilities, and talking about ongoing actions.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Describe what people are currently doing using the te-iru form.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to: Politely ask for help and state your personal wants and needs.
  3. 3
    By the end you will be able to: Discuss your skills and life obligations in a formal context.

Exemples clés (8)

1

Ima, hon o yonde imasu.

I am reading a book right now.

Ongoing Actions & States: ている (te iru) Form
2

Toukyou ni sunde imasu.

I live in Tokyo.

Ongoing Actions & States: ている (te iru) Form
3

Chotto matte kudasai.

Please wait a moment.

Polite Requests: てください (te kudasai) — "Please do..."
4

Koko ni namae o kaite kudasai.

Please write your name here.

Polite Requests: てください (te kudasai) — "Please do..."
5

Nihon ni ikitai desu.

I want to go to Japan.

Expressing Desire: たい (tai) — "I want to..."
6

Nani o tabetai desu ka.

What do you want to eat?

Expressing Desire: たい (tai) — "I want to..."
7

Nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu.

I can speak Japanese.

Expressing Ability: ことができる (koto ga dekiru) — "Can do..."
8

Koko de oyogu koto ga dekimasu.

You can swim here.

Expressing Ability: ことができる (koto ga dekiru) — "Can do..."

Conseils et astuces (4)

💡

Casual Dropping

In casual speech, you can drop the 'i' in 'iru'. 'Tabeteru' instead of 'tabeteiru'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Ongoing Actions & States: ている (te iru) Form
💡

Practice Te-form

If you know the te-form, you know 50% of Japanese grammar.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Polite Requests: てください (te kudasai) — "Please do..."
💡

Use Ga

Always use 'ga' for the object of desire to sound more natural.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Desire: たい (tai) — "I want to..."
💡

Dictionary Form is Key

Always use the dictionary form. If you use the past tense, it sounds like you are saying 'I can did it'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Ability: ことができる (koto ga dekiru) — "Can do..."

Vocabulaire clé (6)

勉強(べんきょう)する to study 手伝(てつだ)う to help 宿題(しゅくだい) homework 日本語(にほんご) Japanese language 待(ま)つ to wait 行(い)く to go

Real-World Preview

coffee

Planning a Study Session

Review Summary

  • Verb-te + imasu
  • Verb-te + kudasai
  • Verb-stem + tai
  • Verb-dictionary + koto ga dekiru
  • Verb-nai + nakereba naranai

Erreurs courantes

Learners often mix 'tai' (desire) with 'kudasai' (request). 'Tai' is a feeling, not an object you ask for.

Wrong: 食(た)べたいですをください
Correct: 食(た)べたいです

Remember to use the dictionary form before 'koto ga dekiru', not the 'masu' form.

Wrong: 行(い)くことができます
Correct: 行(い)くことができます

While 'matemasu' is the potential form, beginners should stick to 'koto ga dekiru' for clarity at the A2 level.

Wrong: 待(ま)てます
Correct: 待(ま)つことができます

Next Steps

Congratulations on finishing the A2 level! You now have the tools to express almost anything you need in daily life. Keep practicing and stay curious!

Write a diary entry using all five patterns.

Continue to: Mastering Kanji Foundations

Pratique rapide (10)

Choose the correct form.

What is the negative of 'tabetai'?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Negative is takunai.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Desire: たい (tai) — "I want to..."

Choose the correct state.

窓が___。

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 開いている
State of the window.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Ongoing Actions & States: ている (te iru) Form

Choose the correct form.

彼は結婚___。

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: している
Married is a state.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Ongoing Actions & States: ている (te iru) Form

Fill in the blank.

私は今、本を___。

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 読んでいます
Ongoing action requires te-iru.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Ongoing Actions & States: ている (te iru) Form

Fill in the correct form.

私は{勉強|べんきょう} ___ 。

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: しなければならない
Standard form.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Obligation: なければならない (nakereba naranai) — "Must do..."

Fill in the blank.

Sushi ___ tabetai.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Ga is the object marker for desire.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Desire: たい (tai) — "I want to..."

Fill in the blank.

{本|ほん}を ___ {ください|ください}。

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Must be te-form.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Polite Requests: てください (te kudasai) — "Please do..."

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 行かなければならない
Correct conjugation.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Obligation: なければならない (nakereba naranai) — "Must do..."

Fix the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Tanaka-san ga ikitai.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Use tagaru for others.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Expressing Desire: たい (tai) — "I want to..."

Fill in the blank.

雨が___。

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 降っています
Ongoing weather.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Ongoing Actions & States: ている (te iru) Form

Score: /10

Questions fréquentes (6)

No, only for ongoing actions or states.
Use 'te-imasen' or 'te-inai'.
It is polite, but use 'te-itadakemasen ka' for better results.
Yes, in casual speech it is common, but 'ga' is safer.
Use 'hoshii'. 'Kuruma ga hoshii'.
Yes, it works with all verbs in their dictionary form.
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Mastering Social Nuance and Emphasis
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Mastering Kanji Foundations
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