Formal -> Informal

[tanuki]

Hello, folks!

How are you doing? So, I want to learn informal Japanese as well as the formal Japanese that is thought in books, but I'm having some trouble because, well, it isn't thought in books and I haven't found like a website for that. That's why I ask for your help. I'd like to know if what I know is right and if you have additional pointers.

So, in order to...let's put it this way..."transform" formal into informal:


1) Use 僕 instead of 私 (well, at least if you're a man), and 君 instead of あなた.
2) Use the "informal" conjugation of verbs instead of the "formal" (-masu, etc.).

So, use------------ this------------instead of ----------this
------------------- 食べる　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　食べます
　　　　　　　　　　　　食べない　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　食べません
　　　　　　　　　　　　食べた　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　食べました
　　　　　　　　　　　　食べなかった　　　　　　　　　　　　　　食べませんでした

That's what I *think* I already know, but now:

- What about "です"? I've read its informal is "だ", but does that always work? So, anytime I see a です I just change it into だ? And what about でした、じゃありません/ではありません, etc....?

- What about ある/いる? There I have no idea.

- And what about the adjectives' declinations? Do they change?

Thanks a lot in advance for helping me, and please give examples if you can. Bye!
　　　　　　

[richvh]

Present positivve/present negative/past positive/past negative
だ/じゃない/だった/じゃなかった
ある/ない/あった/なかった
いる/いない/いた/いなかった

だ isn't used after い adjectives.

Tae Kim covers informal forms pretty well in his grammar guide

[mandolin]

Males can use either boku (which has humble connotation to it) or ore (which has something of a macho connotation).

Remember, pronouns are frequently left out all together.

Da vs desu...

OK, I always learned that 'da' was plain form of 'desu', and for the most part, that's true. Except when "desu" is just being used as a politeness marker and not as a copula. For instance, you can say "desu ka" at the end of a question, but not "da ka".

"deshita" is past tense of "desu"

If you need past tense of the copula "da" it's "datta".

Aru and iru are already in their plain dictionary forms. Formal are arimasu and imasu.

ja/dewa-arimasen becomes ja nai

Politeness modifiers are ONLY attached to the END of a sentence. In proper japanese, a sentence MUST always end in a verb, the politeness will only apply to the verb (including desu). This means that adjectives are always conjugated in plain form.

You might enjoy Tae Kim's grammar site, for at least the first chapter. He starts with plain forms, and teaches polite form afterward. You may find this more rewarding than this brief gloss over... (link below)

Tae Kim's Site

EDIT: Rich, you beat me to it! :o:o

[Kamaruka]

cool i love this stuff!!!!

[tanuki]

WOW! That website's amazing! Thanks a lot, you guys!

[IkimashoZ]

Also, お前 is a form of 'you' I see in manga quite often.

[mandolin]

Omae is mildly rude outside of very friendly situations. girls will rarely use it, and never toward another girl. It's often used in a condescending tone in mangas, to demonstrate someone's feeling of superiority over another person, such as two people in a swordfight calling each other omae (or kisama, which is even worse, and is ALWAYS rude. )

[sgtkwol]

mandolin wrote:
or kisama, which is even worse, and is ALWAYS rude.

Unless the rare case that you meet a priest named Ki, then you should call that person Ki-sama

[Harisenbon]

Unless the rare case that you meet a priest named Ki, then you should call that person Ki-sama

Interesting story, I went to a restraunt for my birthday. Because they made a cake and everything for me, my wife had told them my name when she made the reservation. My name is Keith. Which in Japanese is キース. When you add sama to the end of that, it sounds remarkably like きさま. I almost spit out my soup when the waiter said to me　きさまの口に合いますか？

[clay]

Ha! Good one キース-san

I was thinking of making a page full of 'Gaijin Bloopers' with such true stories of language or culture blunders or missunderstandings. I know I have a bunch myself and everyone else seems to have their favorite true stories too.

For example, my friend misread しお for さとう. This resulted in him spitting salty coffee all over the 校長先生's (school's prinicpal) ) waiting table.

Clay

[tanuki]

Clay, I don't understand your story. Could you please explain? Thanks!

[richvh]

しお is salt, さとう is sugar. He put salt in his coffee because he misread the containers.