Verbal Lesson Eleven

VERBAL LESSON ELEVEN

In this lesson, we will learn several uses of the gerund form of verbals. The first is to use the GERUND + KIMASU to create a verb whose meaning is basically similar to "Go and do something", though literally, it means "having done something, come back."
In the second part, we use GERUND + IMASU to make the verb into "VERBing" form basically. These verbs are ones that:
1) are done but still affect you
2) are being done still
The form GERUND + KUDASAI adds a "please" before the verb.
Finally, a few examples of sentences using the gerund form to connect sentences will be given.

GERUND + KIMASU
Often, a situation will arise where you need to leave to do something. For example, while at work, your lunch break comes, and you need to tell your co-worker that you are going to eat and return.
By saying

, you in one verb say "I am going to eat then return."
Doing this is more proper to say than to say "I will eat. Then I will come back." When it is lunch break where you speak english, you would not say "I will eat. Then I will come back." You would say something closer to "I'm going to eat."
In english, it is assumed that having eaten, you will return when you say "I'm going to eat."
By contrast, in Japanese, it is assumed that you will go to eat when you say TABETEKIMASU.
So long as the verb makes sense, you are able to use the Gerund form followed by KIMASU to say these sentences.
It is also possible, for example, to say

meaning, "having eaten, I returned." Here are a few more examples for you:

Japanese	English
	Having seen, I will come back
	Having drunk, I will come back
	Having taught, I will come back
	Having listened, I will come back Having asked, I will come back
	Having talked, I will come back
	Having called, I will come back

GERUND + IMASU In english, we often use verbs depicting action currently being undertaken. "I am talking." "I am learning." "I was not eating.", "I'm not running." and so on. Sentences such as these are constructed in Japanese in the following manner:
GERUND + IMASU, for example

The

in the IMASU is often dropped for easier speaking, just as we use contractions in english.
In order to change the politeness level of the "VERBing" style verb, only change IMASU. Here are the four polite levels for "I am eating":

politeness level	japanese
Direct Style
Distal Style
Humble Polite
Honorific Polite

In order to change the tense of the verbs, or to make it negative, merely conjugate the IMASU (or other politeness level equivalent).
Here are the four conjugations:

English	Japanese
I am eating
I am not eating
I was eating I had been eating
I was not eating I had not been eating

This GERUND + IMASU form of the verb can also be used to signify something that has happened yet still affects you. Two important examples are:
1)In english, when we know something, we say "I know that." In Japanese, we use the phrase

However, when we would say "I don't know.", in Japanese you need to say:

2)Things such as marriage, divorce, and such are things that have happened yet continue to affect us. Therefore, in Japanese we must use the GERUND + IMASU form to say "I am married." Thus, "I am married." is said this way:

Although, the actual act of getting married is only

GERUND + KUDASAI In order to say add a "please" before a verb, in Japanese, you use the verb's Gerund form, followed by

For example, to say "Please listen." (as a sensee will often have to say to chatting students), in Japanese you would say it:

By adding the KUDASAI to the end, you make your request more polite. To make it even more polite, you would say "Wouldn't you please listen?":

CONNECTING SENTENCES It is often both easier to understand and time-saving to connect sentences. We do this often in english, and it is done as well in Japanese. Say for example you are in a taxi and need to give directions. You would probably say "Go straight through this light, make a right turn, turn left at the next intersection, stop at the second building on the right."
This is often used in spoken english, and is called sentence splicing. It is actually not legal grammar in formal english, but it is understandable and used often enough in spoken english. That previous sentence, however, can be said in Japanese without breaking any grammar rules. A very simple sentence connected, for example, might be:

, .

That sentence is MIGI (right) NI (towards) MAGATTE (turn, gerund form), TOMETE (stop, gerund form) KUDASAI (please)
In english, it would be: "Please turn right, then stop."
One note: Do not try connecting too many sentences together, even if they are short, this makes it easy for the listener to lose track of what you are talking about. Try to connect three or four sentences together at most.

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