言う

いうiu

say

Godan verb, group 1, ending -u.

Conjugated like 思う, 使う, しまう, 行う, 買う, もらう

Newbie

The polite forms to talk about now, the future, and the past, and the te-form of requests.

  1. Polite present · -masu

    What you do, usually or soon, said politely. Japanese has one form for the present and the future.

    1. affirmative言いますいいますiimasu
    2. negative言いませんいいませんiimasen

  2. Polite past · -mashita

    What you did, or did not do, said politely.

    1. affirmative言いましたいいましたiimashita
    2. negative言いませんでしたいいませんでしたiimasen deshita

  3. Te-form

    Links actions (and then…), and with ください asks politely.

    1. 言っていってitte
    2. request言ってくださいいってくださいitte kudasai

  4. Let’s · -mashō

    To suggest doing something together: let’s…

    1. 言いましょういいましょうiimashō

  5. Wanting to · -tai

    What you want to do. Add です to be polite.

    1. affirmative言いたいいいたいiitai
    2. negative言いたくないいいたくないiitakunai
BeginnerThe plain forms of everyday speech, what is going on, what you can do, conditions, and the passive.Plain present · dictionary form · Plain past · -ta · Ongoing · -te iru · Potential · If, when · -tara · PassiveAlso show the Beginner forms (6)

  1. Plain present · dictionary form

    Between friends and family, and before a noun or many phrases. It also says the future.

    1. affirmative言ういうiu
    2. negative言わないいわないiwanai

  2. Plain past · -ta

    The past between friends and family, and before a noun.

    1. affirmative言ったいったitta
    2. negative言わなかったいわなかったiwanakatta

  3. Ongoing · -te iru

    What is going on now, a habit, or a state that lasts: 結婚している, to be married.

    1. plain言っているいっているitte iru
    2. polite言っていますいっていますitte imasu

  4. Potential

    What you can do. Its object often takes が: 日本語が話せる.

    1. plain言えるいえるieru
    2. polite言えますいえますiemasu

  5. If, when · -tara

    If or once something happens, and what you found when it did.

    1. 言ったらいったらittara

  6. Passive

    What is done to someone, often to their regret: に marks who does it. It is also a respectful way to speak of others.

    1. plain言われるいわれるiwareru
    2. polite言われますいわれますiwaremasu
IntermediateIntentions, orders, conditions, making someone do something, and the verbs of respect and modesty.Volitional · -ō, -yō · Command · Condition · -ba · Causative · Causative passive · Respect and modestyAlso show the Intermediate forms (6)

  1. Volitional · -ō, -yō

    Let’s, between friends; with と思う, what you intend to do.

    1. 言おういおうiō

  2. Command

    A blunt order or ban (〜な), heard in sports, on signs, and between men. Politely, say 〜てください.

    1. order言えいえie
    2. ban言うないうなiu na

  3. Condition · -ba

    If…: the condition for what follows. In the negative, it also says what you must do: 〜なければならない.

    1. affirmative言えばいえばieba
    2. negative言わなければいわなければiwanakereba

  4. Causative

    Making or letting someone do something: に or を marks who does it.

    1. plain言わせるいわせるiwaseru
    2. polite言わせますいわせますiwasemasu

  5. Causative passive

    Being made to do something you did not want to. In speech, godan verbs often shorten -aserareru to -asareru.

    1. plain言わせられるいわせられるiwaserareru
    2. polite言わせられますいわせられますiwaseraremasu

  6. Respect and modesty

    The verbs that replace this one: respect for what others do, modesty for what you do yourself.

    1. respectおっしゃいますosshaimasu
    2. modesty申しますもうしますmōshimasu