Tense and Aspect

🎬 The Time Machine of Japanese Verbs

Imagine you have a magical remote control that can show what’s happening NOW, what happened BEFORE, and what’s happening RIGHT THIS MOMENT. That’s exactly what Japanese verb tenses do!

🌟 The Big Picture

Think of Japanese verbs like a movie player:

• Present tense = What happens regularly (like the movie’s trailer)
• Past tense = What already happened (like watching a replay)
• Progressive (-te iru) = What’s happening RIGHT NOW (like pressing play)
• Tokoro = The exact moment something is about to happen, happening, or just finished

1️⃣ Present Tense: The “Regular Schedule” Button

What Is It?

The present tense in Japanese tells us about:

• Things that happen regularly
• Things that are always true
• Things that will happen in the future

The Magic Formula

Examples That Make Sense

食べる (taberu) = I eat / I will eat
→ 私は毎日りんごを食べる
→ (I eat an apple every day)

行く (iku) = I go / I will go
→ 明日学校に行く
→ (I will go to school tomorrow)

する (suru) = I do
→ 宿題をする
→ (I do homework)

💡 The Secret

Japanese present tense is like saying “this is my regular thing” or “this will happen.” It’s NOT like English present (“I am eating”).

2️⃣ Past Tense: The “Rewind” Button

What Is It?

Past tense tells us: “This already happened!”

It’s like pressing rewind on your remote and saying “done!”

The Magic Formula

Examples That Make Sense

食べた (tabeta) = I ate
→ さっきピザを食べた
→ (I ate pizza just now)

行った (itta) = I went
→ 昨日公園に行った
→ (I went to the park yesterday)

した (shita) = I did
→ 宿題をした
→ (I did my homework)

⚠️ Watch Out!

The verb 行く (iku) is special! It becomes 行った (itta), not “iita.”

3️⃣ Progressive Form (-te iru): The “Live” Button

What Is It?

This is like watching something happen LIVE on TV!

-te iru shows:

• What’s happening right now
• A state that continues over time
• Something that has been done and the result remains

The Magic Formula

Step 1: Make the -te form Step 2: Add いる (iru)

graph TD
    A["Dictionary Form"] --> B["Te-Form"]
    B --> C["Add いる"]
    C --> D["Progressive!"]
    style A fill:#FFB6C1
    style D fill:#98FB98

How to Make -te Form

Examples That Make Sense

食べている (tabete iru) = I am eating
→ 今ご飯を食べている
→ (I am eating rice now)

読んでいる (yonde iru) = I am reading
→ 本を読んでいる
→ (I am reading a book)

住んでいる (sunde iru) = I am living / I live
→ 東京に住んでいる
→ (I live in Tokyo)

💡 The Three Powers of -te iru

4️⃣ Tokoro: The “Pause” Button at the Perfect Moment

What Is It?

ところ (tokoro) captures the exact moment in time. It’s like pressing pause at the perfect frame!

Think of it as a snapshot of:

• About to do something
• In the middle of doing something
• Just finished doing something

The Three Snapshots

graph TD
    A["ABOUT TO<br>Dictionary + ところ"] --> B["DOING NOW<br>-te iru + ところ"]
    B --> C["JUST FINISHED<br>-ta + ところ"]
    style A fill:#FFEB3B
    style B fill:#4CAF50
    style C fill:#2196F3

Formula Table

Examples That Make Sense

🟡 ABOUT TO (Dictionary + ところ)
今から出かけるところです
→ I'm about to go out now

🟢 DOING RIGHT NOW (-te iru + ところ)
ちょうど食べているところです
→ I'm in the middle of eating right now

🔵 JUST FINISHED (-ta + ところ)
今帰ってきたところです
→ I just got home

💡 The Magic Word: ちょうど (chōdo)

Add ちょうど (just/exactly) to emphasize the perfect timing!

ちょうど寝るところだった
→ I was just about to sleep

ちょうど終わったところ
→ I just finished

🎮 Quick Reference: The Time Remote

🌈 Why This Matters

Japanese verb tenses are like having a time-travel remote for your sentences. Once you master these four buttons, you can:

1. Talk about your daily habits (present)
2. Share stories from your past (past)
3. Describe what’s happening live (progressive)
4. Capture that perfect moment (tokoro)

You’re not just learning grammar. You’re learning to paint pictures with time!

🚀 Remember This!

Present = What I do / will do Past = What I did -te iru = What I’m doing / What continues Tokoro = That exact moment (before, during, or after)

Now you have the remote. Go press some buttons! 🎮✨