In Japanese, the present and the future tense look exactly the same: there are no special endings, it’s just the dictionary form. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t tell if someone is talking about the present or future! Here is a quick summary of when you might want to use the so-called “non-past” or “present” tense in Japanese:
Type of | “Non-past” form refers to… |
|---|---|
action or event (verbs that “happen”) | a future action / event a present habit / truth (with context) |
state (for a situation) | the present situation |
In this post, we’ll discuss how to use the present tense in Japanese to describe different sorts of situations, like habitual actions, future events, and states. We’ll also talk about how to use auxiliary verbs to add some supplemental information about when an action takes place. Let’s have a look!
In Japanese, we often use the term “present tense” to refer to the dictionary form of the verb, because this form can be used to refer to the present situation. However, you’ll also hear it called the “nonpast tense” because this tense is not only used to talk about the present, but also about the future.
The rules for when exactly to use this tense depend on whether you’re using a verb for an action or event (verbs that “happen”) or with a verb for a state (which describe a situation). Let’s look at each group of verbs separately!
This present tense is usually the dictionary form, but you can use the masu form in a formal context or the nai form, for a negative statement. Check out our introduction to the Japanese verb groups to review these forms.
太陽は西に沈みます。
Taiyō wa nishi ni shizumimasu.
The sun sets in the west.
日本の小学生は、土曜日には学校に行かない。
Nihon no shōgakusei wa doyōbi ni wa gakkō ni ikanai.
Japanese school children don’t go to school on Saturdays.
By default, the dictionary form of a verb for an action or event will describe a future action. However, with sufficient context it can also be used to represent a present habit or permanent truth. For example:
私はその本を読む。
Watashi wa sono hon o yomu.
I will read the book.
私は毎朝その本を読む。
Watashi wa maiasa sono hon o yomu.
I read that book every morning.
日本では6月にたくさん雨が降る。
Nihon dewa rokugatsu ni takusan ame ga furu.
In Japan, a lot of rain falls in June.
While the “context” that indicates the verb is intended to be habitual often comes in the form of a phrase, like 毎朝(every day), it can also come from the circumstances around a sentence in conversation. Let’s look at some examples!
Notice how, in the examples below, the question Maki asks determines whether Yuki’s answer refers to a habit or a future action.
Habitual | Future |
|---|---|
dictionary form Maki: ユイは生魚を食べるの？ Yui wa namazakana o taberu no? Do you eat raw fish, Yui? Yui: （私は生魚を）食べるよ。 (Watashi wa, namazakana o) taberu yo. I eat (raw fish). | dictionary form Maki: 今日は昼ごはん食べるの？ Kyō wa hirugohan taberu no? Will you eat lunch today? Yui: （私は昼ごはんを）食べるよ。 (Watashi wa, hirugohan o o) taberu yo. I will eat (lunch). |
Let's look at two more. In this case, the situation outside the conversation helps you decide whether the speaker is talking about a future event or a general truth.
General Truth | Future |
|---|---|
The speaker is looking out the window at the pouring rain. dictionary form 雨が降りますね。 Ame ga furimasu ne. It rains (a lot). | The speaker is looking at dark clouds above. It is not currently raining. dictionary form 雨が降りますね。 Ame ga furimasu ne. It's going to rain. |
Remember, though, that without surrounding context, you should assume that a verb for an action or an event in its dictionary form describes a future action!
タイガースは山本が投げる。
Taigāsu wa Yamamoto ga nageru.
Yamamoto will pitch for the Tigers.
In the following conversation, can you tell if it is raining now or not?
ちょっとコンビニに行きます。
Chotto konbini ni ikimasu.
I’m going to the convenience store.
雨が降りますよ。
Ame ga furimasu yo.
The answer? Without further context, you should assume Yuki is talking about the future: It’s going to rain. Thus, we can see that it is not raining now, but it will rain in the future. The implication of Yuki's sentence would be that Taka should not go or Taka should take an umbrella. A good understanding of tenses is also helpful in understanding the implications and unspoken meanings of Japanese conversations!
So the present tense is used for a future action or a habit. How, then, can you talk about an action-in-progress (e.g. “I am reading”)? We’ll talk about this a bit below. For now, though, let’s look at the dictionary form of stative verbs!
The dictionary form of a verb representing a state, like “believe” or “to be,” generally represents the present situation. Some examples of Japanese include: いる[iru](be), ある[aru](be), 違う[chigau](differ), or 思う[omou](think).
（いま）先生が家にいます。
(Ima) sensei ga ie ni imasu.
(Now) The teacher is at my house.
（いま）財布に1000円ある。
(Ima) saifu ni sen'en aru.
(Now) I have 1000 yen in my wallet.
In some cases, the same verb might be used to describe either an action or a state. For example, 読む[yomu](read) is an action in a sentence with a meaning like “I read the book” but it can be a stative verb as well, with some context. The tense of these verbs must be determined from the context and time-indicating phrases.
彼女はよく雰囲気を読む。
Kanojo wa yoku fun’iki o yomu.
She reads the mood well.
In this sentence, 読む[yomu] is considered a stative verb, because she is not actually reading nor is she going to read. The verb here indicates an attribute the person has. Therefore, this sentence is in the present tense.
In Japanese, “to be” sentences with adjectives and nouns (e.g. “...is yellow” or “...is a teacher”) don’t use a verb. Here’s how to use nouns and adjectives to talk about a present state:
Adjectives → use the dictionary form
（今日は）海が黒い。
(Kyou wa) umi ga kuroi.
(Today) the sea is black.
Nouns → Use the noun + だ[da], which becomes です[desu] in its polite form
彼は会社員です。
Kare wa kaishain desu.
He is an office worker.
Check out our introduction to Japanese adjectives and our post on the state-of-being in Japanese for more examples!
As we saw above, the present tense of a Japanese action or event verb will either represent a present habit or a future action. So how do we describe an action or event that is actively in progress, like “I am writing?”
To describe an action or event that is in progress you can use the -te iru form. The -te iru form is made by attaching a form of the helping verb いる[iru] to the te-form of the verb. For example:
Dictionary form | -te iru form | polite -te iru form |
|---|---|---|
書く kaku to write | 書いている kaiteiru (is) writing | 書いています kaiteimasu writing |
The -te iru form corresponds to the present continuous (“is verbing”) in English. For example:
タイガースは山田が投げている。
Taigāsu wa Yamada ga nageteiru.
Yamada is pitching for the Tigers.
その本を読んでいます。
Sono hon o yondeimasu.
I am reading that book.
沖縄は雨が降っている。
Okinawa wa ame ga futteiru.
It is raining in Okinawa.
Note that, if you’re going to use the -te iru forms of verbs of motion, like 行く[iku](to go), 来る[kuru](to come), or 帰る[kaeru](to return), you’ll want to check out our post on -te iru form, as these have some other layers of meaning to learn!
As you’ve seen, we use the present tense to talk about the future in Japanese. However there are some future markers, like auxiliary verbs, that we often add to a sentence about the future in order to provide some more specificity. Let’s have a look at a few of them.
We use だろう[darō] to indicate that the speaker is making a neutral guess for the future. It is added after the dictionary form of a verb or an adjective. The polite form is でしょう[deshō].
Dictionary form | Neutral future |
|---|---|
読む yomu read | 読むだろう yomudarō will read |
寒い samui (be) cold | 寒いでしょう samuideshō will be cold |
Here are some examples in sentences. Notice that both are fairly neutral, but they represent a speaker’s best guess about what will happen in the future.
明日は雨が降るだろう。
Ashita wa ame ga furu darō.
It will rain tomorrow.
明日は寒いだろう。
Ashita wa samui darō.
It will be cold tomorrow.
To use だろう[darō] to guess that something won't happen in the future, put the verb in its negative form (nai-form) before you add だろう[darō] or でしょう[deshō].
ジャイアンツは優勝しないだろう。
Jaiantsu wa yūshō shinai darō.
The Giants will not win the championship.
You can add つもりだ[tsumorida](intend to) after the dictionary form of a verb to express an intention for the future.
私はその本を読むつもりだ。
Watashi wa sono hon o yomu tsumorida.
I intend to read that book.
To form a negative sentence, you can just add つもりだ[tsumorida](intend to) to the nai-form or you can follow the dictionary form with つもりはない[tsumori wa nai].
私はこの先彼を助けるつもりはない。
Watashi wa konosaki kare o tasukeru tsumori wa nai.
I will not help him in the future.
The polite negative form is ないつもりです[nai tsumoridesu] or つもりはありません[tsumori wa arimasen].
かもしれない[kamoshirenai] represents a speaker’s uncertain prediction for the future. The polite form is かもしれません[kamo shiremasen]. It can also be applied after or the dictionary form of an adjective.
山下さんは遅刻するかもしれない。
Yamashita-san wa chikoku suru kamoshirenai.
Mr. Yamashita might be late.
明日はすこし寒いかもしれないから、上着を持っていくつもりだ。
Ashita wa sukoshi samui kamoshirenai kara uwagi o motteiku tsumorida.
Tomorrow may be a little colder, so I will bring a jacket.
マヤは図書館にいるかもしれない。
Maya wa toshokan ni iru kamoshirenai.
Maya may be in the library.
マヤは明日は図書館にいるかもしれない。
Maya wa ashita wa toshokan ni iru kamoshirenai.
Maya may be in the library tomorrow.
The negative form of かもしれない[kamoshirenai] is ないかもしれない[nai kamoshirenai], and the polite form is ないかもしれません[nai kamoshiremasen].
その台風は日本に来ないかもしれない。
Sono taifū wa nihon ni konai kamoshirenai.
That typhoon may not come to Japan.
In this post, we've introduced you to the "present" or "nonpast" tense in Japanese. Here are the main points to remember:
In Japanese, the dictionary form of action verbs basically indicates the future tense.
To indicate the present tense, you can use an adverb or phrase, such as 毎朝[mai asa](every morning) to suggest the present time, or use the teiru-form to indicate actions that are taking place at present.
The dictionary form with habitual actions, stative verbs, adjectives, and “noun + だ[da]” indicate the present tense.
Auxiliary verbs can indicate the speaker's intention or speculation.
Ready to practice what you've learned? Check out our Japanese present tense activities to test your skills! Happy learning!
