Japanese Grammar Basics

Sentence Structure:
- Typically follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order.
- Example: "I (subject) sushi (object) eat (verb)."
Particles:
- Function words that indicate the grammatical relationship between words.
- Common particles:
  - は (wa): Topic marker
  - が (ga): Subject marker
  - を (o): Object marker
  - に (ni): Direction/indirect object marker
  - で (de): Means or location marker
Verbs:
- Two main groups: U-verbs and Ru-verbs.
- Conjugation based on tense (present, past) and form (affirmative, negative).
- Example: 食べる (taberu) - to eat; 食べた (tabeta) - ate.
Politeness Levels:
- Language varies based on formality (plain, polite, honorific).
- Common polite suffix: ます (masu) for verbs.
Tense:
- Present (non-past) and past forms.
- Future is usually indicated through context or added phrases.

Types of Adjectives:
- I-adjectives: End with い (i).
  - Example: 高い (takai) - tall/expensive.
  - Conjugate to indicate tense and politeness.
- Na-adjectives: Require な (na) when modifying nouns.
  - Example: 静かな (shizukana) - quiet.
  - Do not conjugate but can change form with です (desu) for politeness.
Modification:
- I-adjectives directly modify nouns: 高い山 (takai yama) - tall mountain.
- Na-adjectives use な: 静かな部屋 (shizukana heya) - quiet room.
Comparative and Superlative:
- Comparative: Use もっと (motto) or より (yori) before the adjective.
- Superlative: Use 一番 (ichiban) before the adjective.
Negation:
- I-adjectives: Change い (i) to くない (kunai) for negation.
- Na-adjectives: Add じゃない (janai) after the adjective for negation.

Divided into two main categories: U-verbs and Ru-verbs.
Conjugation involves tense (present, past) and form (affirmative, negative).
Example: 食べる (taberu) means "to eat"; 食べた (tabeta) means "ate."
Politeness Levels:
- Language formality varies between plain, polite, and honorific styles.
- Common polite suffix for verbs is ます (masu).
Tense:
- Present (non-past) and past forms exist.
- Future tense often relies on context or additional phrases.

Types of Adjectives:
- I-adjectives: End in い (i), e.g., 高い (takai) means "tall" or "expensive."
  - Can conjugate for tense and politeness.
- Na-adjectives: Use な (na) when modifying nouns, e.g., 静かな (shizukana) means "quiet."
  - Do not conjugate but can adopt forms with です (desu) for politeness.

Sentence Structure:
- Japanese typically follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order.
- Example: "私はリンゴを食べる" translates to "I apple eat."
Particles:
- Key grammatical function words define relationships between words.
- Common particles include:
  - は (wa): Marks the topic of the sentence.
  - が (ga): Marks the subject of the sentence.
  - を (o): Marks the direct object.
  - に (ni): Indicates direction or time.
  - で (de): Indicates the location where an action takes place.
Verb Conjugation:
- Japanese verbs are categorized into two groups: U-verbs and Ru-verbs.
- Verbs conjugate for different tenses: present, past, and negative forms.
- Different politeness levels are used, ranging from casual to formal.
Questions:
- Formed by adding か (ka) at the end of a statement.
- Example: "これは何ですか？" means "What is this?"

Types of Adjectives:
- I-adjectives:
  - End with the character い (i) and can inflect for tense and politeness.
  - Example: 高い (takai) means "high."
- Na-adjectives:
  - Require the copula だ (da) or です (desu) for predication and are less inflective than I-adjectives.
  - Example: 静か (shizuka) means "quiet."
Conjugation:
- I-adjectives inflect for past and negative forms:
  - Past: 高かった (takakatta) means "was high."
  - Negative: 高くない (takakunai) means "not high."
- Na-adjectives negate with じゃない (janai):
  - Example: 静かじゃない (shizuka janai) means "not quiet."
Use in Sentences:
- Adjectives precede nouns, e.g., 高い山 (takai yama) translates to "high mountain."
- They can also act as predicates, as in その山は高い (Sono yama wa takai), meaning "That mountain is high."