Day 3: Japanese Grammar Masterclass - Learn Japanese in 7 Days | Xoiar.uk

Japanese Grammar Masterclass: Day 3

Master the building blocks of Japanese grammar - particles, verb conjugation, question words, and sentence structure. Build a solid foundation for fluent Japanese.

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Your 7-Day Japanese Journey Day 3 of 7 - Grammar Foundation
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Particles Verb Conjugation Sentence Structure Question Words Practice Exercises

Your Day 3 Learning Path

Welcome to Day 3 of your Japanese mastery journey! Today, we'll dive into the essential grammar concepts that form the foundation of correct Japanese communication.

Japanese Particles

Master は、を、に、で、が with English explanations

Verb Conjugation

Learn present, past, negative forms

Sentence Structure

Master SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) order

Question Words

Form questions using 何、どこ、誰、なぜ、いつ

Grammar Learning Strategy

Learn grammar in context! Instead of memorizing rules, practice them in sentences. Create your own examples using vocabulary you already know. This makes grammar practical and memorable. Pay special attention to particles as they are unique to Japanese.

Japanese Particles Fundamentals

Particles are small words that show the relationship between words in a sentence. They are crucial for correct Japanese grammar and don't exist in English.

は 🔊

Click to flip for function

Topic Marker

Pronunciation: "wa" (but written as は)

"私は学生です。" (I am a student.)

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Essential Japanese Particles
は
wa
Topic marker (indicates the main topic)
私は学生です (watashi wa gakusei desu)
を
o
Object marker (marks the direct object)
本を読みます (hon o yomimasu)
に
ni
Direction/location/time marker
学校に行きます (gakkou ni ikimasu)
で
de
Location of action/instrument marker
家で勉強します (ie de benkyou shimasu)
が
ga
Subject marker (emphasizes the subject)
私が行きます (watashi ga ikimasu)
の
no
Possession marker (like English 's or "of")
私の本 (watashi no hon) - my book
Particle Usage Guide
Particle Function Example Sentence English Meaning
は 🔊 Marks the topic of the sentence 私は学生です。 🔊 I am a student.
を 🔊 Marks the direct object of the verb 本を読みます。 🔊 I read a book.
に 🔊 Indicates direction, location, or time 学校に行きます。 🔊 I go to school.
で 🔊 Indicates location of action or means 家で勉強します。 🔊 I study at home.
が 🔊 Marks the subject (emphasizes it) 桜がきれいです。 🔊 The cherry blossoms are beautiful.
Particles Practice

Identify which particles should be used in these sentences:

"私＿学生です。" 🔊

Which particle? は を に

Answer: は (topic marker)

"本＿読みます。" 🔊

Which particle? は を で

Answer: を (object marker)

Japanese Verb Conjugation

Japanese verbs have different forms for present, past, negative, and polite speech. Mastering these conjugations is essential for proper communication.

Basic Verb Groups and Conjugation
Group 1: U-verbs (食べる - taberu type)
  • 食べる (taberu) - to eat
  • Present: 食べます (tabemasu)
  • Past: 食べました (tabemashita)
  • Negative: 食べません (tabemasen)
Group 2: Ru-verbs (飲む - nomu type)
  • 飲む (nomu) - to drink
  • Present: 飲みます (nomimasu)
  • Past: 飲みました (nomimashita)
  • Negative: 飲みません (nomimasen)
Verb Conjugation Examples
Verb Dictionary Form Polite Present (-ます) Polite Past (-ました) Polite Negative (-ません)
to eat 食べる 🔊 食べます 🔊 食べました 🔊 食べません 🔊
to drink 飲む 🔊 飲みます 🔊 飲みました 🔊 飲みません 🔊
to read 読む 🔊 読みます 🔊 読みました 🔊 読みません 🔊
to write 書く 🔊 書きます 🔊 書きました 🔊 書きません 🔊
to go 行く 🔊 行きます 🔊 行きました 🔊 行きません 🔊
Verb Conjugation Tip

For -ru verbs: Remove -ru, add -ます (食べる → 食べます). For -u verbs: Change -u to -imasu (飲む → 飲みます). For past tense: Change -ます to -ました (食べます → 食べました). For negative: Change -ます to -ません (食べます → 食べません).

Verb Conjugation Practice

Conjugate these verbs to polite form:

1. 食べる (taberu) → Present: __________

2. 飲む (nomu) → Past: __________

3. 行く (iku) → Negative: __________

4. 読む (yomu) → Past Negative: __________

5. 書く (kaku) → Present: __________

Japanese Sentence Structure

Japanese follows Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order, which is different from English's Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order. Understanding this is crucial for forming correct sentences.

Japanese vs English Sentence Structure

English (SVO)

Subject Verb Object

"I eat sushi." 🔊

Subject + Verb + Object

Japanese (SOV)

Subject Object Verb

"私は寿司を食べます。" 🔊

Subject + Object + Verb
Complete Sentence Structure with Particles
Element Japanese Word Particle Function Example
Subject/Topic 私 🔊 は 🔊 Topic marker 私は 🔊
Object 本 🔊 を 🔊 Object marker 本を 🔊
Location 図書館 🔊 で 🔊 Location marker 図書館で 🔊
Time 今日 🔊 に 🔊 Time marker 今日に 🔊
Verb 読みます 🔊 - Action 読みます 🔊
Sentence Structure Practice

Arrange these words in correct Japanese order (SOV):

1. 私 / 寿司 / 食べます → ___________________________________

Hint: Add correct particles between words

2. 彼 / 学校 / 行きます → ___________________________________

3. 私達 / 日本語 / 勉強します → ___________________________________

4. 彼女 / お茶 / 飲みます → ___________________________________

5. 子供達 / 公園 / 遊びます → ___________________________________

Japanese Question Words Mastery

Question words are essential for asking for information in Japanese. Mastering these will help you have meaningful conversations.

Essential Japanese Question Words
何 🔊

Romaji: nani

English: What

"何を食べますか？" 🔊

What will you eat?
どこ 🔊

Romaji: doko

English: Where

"学校はどこですか？" 🔊

Where is the school?
誰 🔊

Romaji: dare

English: Who

"彼女は誰ですか？" 🔊

Who is she?
なぜ 🔊

Romaji: naze

English: Why

"なぜ遅れましたか？" 🔊

Why are you late?
いつ 🔊

Romaji: itsu

English: When

"試験はいつですか？" 🔊

When is the exam?
どう 🔊

Romaji: dou

English: How

"お元気ですか？" 🔊

How are you?
どれ 🔊

Romaji: dore

English: Which

"どれがあなたの本ですか？" 🔊

Which is your book?
いくら 🔊

Romaji: ikura

English: How much

"いくらですか？" 🔊

How much is it?
Question Formation Practice

Create questions using the appropriate question words:

Example 1:

Answer: "私の名前は太郎です。" (My name is Taro.)

Question: "お名前は何ですか？" 🔊

"What is your name?"

Example 2:

Answer: "学校は駅の近くです。" (The school is near the station.)

Question: "学校はどこですか？" 🔊

"Where is the school?"

Now you try:

Answer: "彼女は私の先生です。" (She is my teacher.)

Question: ___________________________________

Answer: "授業は９時に始まります。" (The class starts at 9.)

Question: ___________________________________

Create Your Own Questions in Japanese

Write 10 original questions using the question words we learned today. Try to use different question words and practice saying them aloud. Use Hiragana as much as possible!

Day 3 Practice Exercises

Apply what you've learned with these comprehensive grammar exercises. Test your understanding of today's concepts.

Exercise 1: Particles Identification

Fill in the blanks with the correct particles (は、を、に、で、が):

  1. 私＿学生です。
  2. 本＿読みます。
  3. 学校＿行きます。
  4. 家＿勉強します。
  5. 桜＿きれいです。
  6. 友達＿手紙＿書きます。
  7. 図書館＿本＿借ります。
  8. 明日＿試験があります。
  9. お茶＿飲みますか？
  10. これは私＿本です。
Exercise 2: Verb Conjugation Practice

Conjugate these verbs to the requested forms:

  1. 食べる (present polite) → __________
  2. 飲む (past polite) → __________
  3. 行く (negative polite) → __________
  4. 読む (past negative polite) → __________
  5. 書く (present polite) → __________
  6. する (past polite) → __________
  7. 来る (negative polite) → __________
  8. 見る (present polite) → __________
  9. 買う (past polite) → __________
  10. 話す (negative polite) → __________
Exercise 3: Sentence Structure

Arrange these words in correct Japanese order and add correct particles:

  1. 私 / 寿司 / 食べます → ___________________________________
  2. 彼 / 学校 / 行きます → ___________________________________
  3. 私達 / 日本語 / 勉強します → ___________________________________
  4. 子供達 / 公園 / 遊びます → ___________________________________
  5. 先生 / 教室 / 教えます → ___________________________________
Exercise 4: Question Formation

Create questions for these answers using appropriate question words:

  1. Answer: "私の名前は太郎です。" → Question: _________________________
  2. Answer: "学校は駅の近くです。" → Question: _________________________
  3. Answer: "彼女は私の妹です。" → Question: _________________________
  4. Answer: "電車が遅れたので遅刻しました。" → Question: _________________________
  5. Answer: "授業は10時に始まります。" → Question: _________________________
Review Your Answers

After completing the exercises, go back through the lesson to check your answers. Focus on understanding any mistakes and learning from them. Japanese grammar improves with consistent practice! Remember that particles are especially important in Japanese.

おめでとうございます！ (Congratulations!)

You've completed Day 3 of your Japanese journey. You now have a solid grammar foundation with particles, verb conjugation, sentence structure, and question words.

Tomorrow, we'll build on this knowledge with more complex sentence patterns and conversation practice.

Back to Day 2 Continue to Day 4

Want to review? Go back to Particles or redo exercises