Adjective Present Tense

Present Tense Overview

Present tense adjectives describe current states, general truths, and characteristics. Both i-adjectives and na-adjectives have present forms.

I-adjective: 高い - is expensive
Na-adjective: 静かだ - is quiet

I-adjective Present

Plain Form

Dictionary form = Present tense

高い - is expensive
大きい - is big
美味しい - is delicious
難しい - is difficult

Polite Form

Add です

高いです - is expensive (polite)
大きいです - is big (polite)
美味しいです - is delicious (polite)
難しいです - is difficult (polite)

Na-adjective Present

Plain Form

Na-adjective + だ

静かだ - is quiet
便利だ - is convenient
きれいだ - is beautiful
元気だ - is energetic

Polite Form

Na-adjective + です

静かです - is quiet (polite)
便利です - is convenient (polite)
きれいです - is beautiful (polite)
元気です - is energetic (polite)

When to Use Present Tense

1. Current State

今日は暑い
"Today is hot"

この部屋は静かです
"This room is quiet"

私は元気だ
"I am healthy/fine"

2. General Truth

富士山は高い
"Mt. Fuji is tall"

この町は便利です
"This town is convenient"

日本語は難しい
"Japanese is difficult"

3. Permanent Characteristics

彼は背が高い
"He is tall"

この車は速いです
"This car is fast"

彼女はきれいだ
"She is beautiful"

4. Habitual States

私は毎日忙しい
"I am busy every day"

この店はいつも静かです
"This store is always quiet"

Comparison: I-adj vs Na-adj Present

Type	Plain	Polite	Example
I-adj	い	いです	高い / 高いです
Na-adj	だ	です	静かだ / 静かです

Side by Side

I-adjective:
この本は高い "This book is expensive"
この本は高いです "This book is expensive" (polite)

Na-adjective:
この部屋は静かだ "This room is quiet"
この部屋は静かです "This room is quiet" (polite)

Modifying Nouns (Present)

I-adjectives

Modify directly:

高い本 - expensive book
大きい家 - big house
美味しい料理 - delicious food
新しい車 - new car

Na-adjectives

Add な:

静かな部屋 - quiet room
便利な店 - convenient store
きれいな花 - beautiful flower
元気な子供 - energetic child

Common Patterns

Describing Objects

この車は高い
"This car is expensive"

そのカバンは大きいです
"That bag is big"

あの建物はきれいだ
"That building is beautiful"

Describing Places

東京は大きい
"Tokyo is big"

この町は静かです
"This town is quiet"

あの場所は便利だ
"That place is convenient"

Describing People

彼は親切だ
"He is kind"

先生は優しいです
"The teacher is gentle"

田中さんは元気です
"Tanaka is energetic"

Describing Weather

今日は暑い
"Today is hot"

外は寒いです
"Outside is cold"

天気がいい
"The weather is good"

Question Forms

I-adjectives

高いですか？
"Is it expensive?"

美味しいですか？
"Is it delicious?"

難しいですか？
"Is it difficult?"

Na-adjectives

静かですか？
"Is it quiet?"

便利ですか？
"Is it convenient?"

元気ですか？
"Are you well?"

Answering Questions

Affirmative

Q: 高いですか？
   "Is it expensive?"

A: はい、高いです
   "Yes, it is expensive"

Q: 静かですか？
   "Is it quiet?"

A: はい、静かです
   "Yes, it is quiet"

Negative

Q: 難しいですか？
   "Is it difficult?"

A: いいえ、難しくないです
   "No, it is not difficult"

Q: 便利ですか？
   "Is it convenient?"

A: いいえ、便利じゃないです
   "No, it is not convenient"

Conversation Examples

Example 1: Shopping

A: このシャツはどうですか？
   "How is this shirt?"

B: いいですね。でも高いです
   "It's good. But it's expensive"

A: 本当ですね。あれは？
   "That's true. How about that one?"

B: あれは安くていいです
   "That one is cheap and good"

Example 2: Describing a Place

A: この町はどうですか？
   "How is this town?"

B: とても静かです
   "It's very quiet"

A: 便利ですか？
   "Is it convenient?"

B: はい、駅も近くて便利です
   "Yes, the station is also close and it's convenient"

Example 3: Asking About Food

A: この店の料理は美味しいですか？
   "Is the food at this restaurant delicious?"

B: はい、とても美味しいです
   "Yes, it's very delicious"

A: 高くないですか？
   "Isn't it expensive?"

B: 少し高いですが、美味しいです
   "It's a little expensive, but it's delicious"

Multiple Adjectives

Connecting with て-form

この部屋は広くて明るい
"This room is spacious and bright"

彼女はきれいで親切です
"She is beautiful and kind"

この本は面白くて安い
"This book is interesting and cheap"

Degree Expressions

Intensifiers

とても高い
"very expensive"

すごく大きい
"extremely big"

本当に美味しい
"really delicious"

かなり難しい
"quite difficult"

ちょっと高い
"a little expensive"

Reducing Intensity

あまり高くない
"not very expensive"

それほど大きくない
"not that big"

全然難しくない
"not difficult at all"

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Wrong Polite Form

Wrong: 高いはです ❌
Right: 高いです ✓

Wrong: 静かなです ❌
Right: 静かです ✓

Mistake 2: Mixing I-adj and Na-adj Patterns

Wrong: 高いだ ❌
Right: 高い ✓ (i-adjective doesn't need だ)

Wrong: 静か ❌ (as predicate)
Right: 静かだ ✓ (na-adjective needs だ)

Mistake 3: Using だ in Polite Speech

Wrong: 高いだです ❌
Right: 高いです ✓

Wrong: 静かだです ❌
Right: 静かです ✓

Present Tense vs Other Tenses

Tense	I-adjective	Na-adjective	Meaning
Present	高い	静かだ	is expensive / is quiet
Past	高かった	静かだった	was expensive / was quiet
Negative	高くない	静かじゃない	is not expensive / is not quiet

Key Differences: Plain vs Polite

Plain (Casual)

高い - expensive
大きい - big
静かだ - quiet
便利だ - convenient

Use with: friends, family, casual situations

Polite (Formal)

高いです - expensive
大きいです - big
静かです - quiet
便利です - convenient

Use with: strangers, superiors, formal situations

Practice Patterns

Describing Items

この車は速い
"This car is fast"

その時計は高いです
"That watch is expensive"

あのカバンは軽い
"That bag is light"

Describing States

私は今忙しい
"I am busy now"

彼は元気です
"He is well"

この問題は簡単だ
"This problem is simple"

Key Takeaways

✓ I-adjectives: dictionary form = present
✓ Na-adjectives: need だ (plain) or です (polite)
✓ Add です for politeness to i-adjectives
✓ Use for current states and general truths
✓ Modify nouns directly (i-adj) or with な (na-adj)
✓ Can combine multiple adjectives
✓ Questions add か
✓ Present describes now and always

Master present tense - most common adjective form!

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Next: Adjective Past Tense

Related:

• I-adjective Conjugation
• Na-adjective Conjugation
• Adjective Negative