What is Masen Form?
ません (masen) form is the polite negative present/future tense. It means "don't/won't do something" politely.
食べません (tabemasen) - don't eat / won't eat
行きません (ikimasen) - don't go / won't go
しません (shimasen) - don't do / won't do
How to Form Masen
Simple rule: Take the masu form and change ます to ません
食べます → 食べません
行きます → 行きません
します → しません
All Verb Groups
Godan Verbs
書く → 書きます → 書きません (don't write)
飲む → 飲みます → 飲みません (don't drink)
買う → 買います → 買いません (don't buy)
話す → 話します → 話しません (don't speak)
待つ → 待ちます → 待ちません (don't wait)
遊ぶ → 遊びます → 遊びません (don't play)
読む → 読みます → 読みません (don't read)
帰る → 帰ります → 帰りません (don't return)
Ichidan Verbs
食べる → 食べます → 食べません (don't eat)
見る → 見ます → 見ません (don't see)
寝る → 寝ます → 寝ません (don't sleep)
起きる → 起きます → 起きません (don't wake up)
教える → 教えます → 教えません (don't teach)
Irregular Verbs
する → します → しません (don't do)
来る → 来ます → 来ません (don't come)
Conjugation Chart
| Dictionary | Masu | Masen | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べる | 食べます | 食べません | don't eat |
| 行く | 行きます | 行きません | don't go |
| 見る | 見ます | 見ません | don't see |
| する | します | しません | don't do |
| 来る | 来ます | 来ません | don't come |
| 飲む | 飲みます | 飲みません | don't drink |
When to Use Masen
1. Stating You Don't Do Something
私はお酒を飲みません
"I don't drink alcohol"
肉を食べません
"I don't eat meat"
タバコを吸いません
"I don't smoke"
2. Future Negative (Won't Do)
明日は行きません
"I won't go tomorrow"
今日は勉強しません
"I won't study today"
週末は働きません
"I won't work on the weekend"
3. Polite Refusals
すみません、分かりません
"Sorry, I don't understand"
今日は大丈夫じゃありません
"Today is not okay"
4. Negative Habits
朝ご飯を食べません
"I don't eat breakfast"
テレビを見ません
"I don't watch TV"
コーヒーを飲みません
"I don't drink coffee"
Present vs Future Negative
Context determines meaning:
Present Habitual
私は肉を食べません
"I don't eat meat" (habitual)
毎日運動しません
"I don't exercise every day"
Future
明日は行きません
"I won't go tomorrow"
今晩食べません
"I won't eat tonight"
Question Form
Add か at the end:
日本語を話しませんか？
"Don't you speak Japanese?"
明日来ませんか？
"Won't you come tomorrow?"
コーヒーを飲みませんか？
"Won't you drink coffee?" (invitation)
Invitations with Masen ka
ませんか is commonly used for gentle invitations:
一緒に行きませんか？
"Won't you go together?" (= Would you like to go together?)
映画を見ませんか？
"Won't you watch a movie?" (= Would you like to watch a movie?)
お茶を飲みませんか？
"Won't you have tea?" (= Would you like some tea?)
More polite than ますか!
Answering Questions
Positive Answers (Yes, I don't)
Q: お酒を飲みませんか？
"Don't you drink alcohol?"
A: はい、飲みません
"Right, I don't drink"
Negative Answers (No, I do)
Q: 明日行きませんか？
"Won't you go tomorrow?"
A: いいえ、行きます
"No, I will go"
Note: Japanese yes/no can be confusing! はい agrees with the negative statement.
Common Patterns
Preferences
私は朝早く起きません
"I don't wake up early in the morning"
あまり外食しません
"I don't eat out much"
ほとんど運動しません
"I hardly exercise"
Abilities (Cannot)
日本語が分かりません
"I don't understand Japanese"
漢字が読めません
"I can't read kanji"
料理ができません
"I can't cook"
Restrictions
ここで写真を撮りません
"We don't take photos here"
この部屋に入りません
"We don't enter this room"
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Double Negative
Wrong: 食べませんない ❌
Right: 食べません ✓
Mistake 2: Using Nai with Masu Stem
Wrong: 食べまない ❌
Right: 食べません ✓
Mistake 3: Confusing with Plain Negative
Formal context:
Wrong: 行かない ❌
Right: 行きません ✓
Mistake 4: Wrong Masu Stem
Wrong: 帰る → 帰ません ❌
Right: 帰る → 帰りません ✓
Masen vs Nai
Two ways to say negative:
| Polite (Masen) | Plain (Nai) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 食べません | 食べない | don't eat |
| 行きません | 行かない | don't go |
| しません | しない | don't do |
| 来ません | 来ない | don't come |
Use ません in polite situations!
Dietary Restrictions
私はベジタリアンです。肉を食べません
"I'm vegetarian. I don't eat meat"
アレルギーがあります。ナッツを食べません
"I have allergies. I don't eat nuts"
お酒が飲めません
"I can't drink alcohol"
Conversation Examples
Example 1: Invitation
A: 今晩映画を見ませんか？
"Would you like to watch a movie tonight?"
B: すみません、今日は忙しいです。行きません
"Sorry, I'm busy today. I won't go"
A: じゃあ、週末はどうですか？
"Then, how about the weekend?"
B: 週末はいいですよ！
"The weekend is good!"
Example 2: Preferences
A: コーヒーを飲みますか？
"Do you drink coffee?"
B: いいえ、飲みません。お茶を飲みます
"No, I don't. I drink tea"
A: そうですか。紅茶はどうですか？
"I see. How about black tea?"
B: はい、紅茶は飲みます
"Yes, I drink black tea"
Example 3: Daily Habits
A: 毎日運動しますか？
"Do you exercise every day?"
B: いいえ、しません。時々運動します
"No, I don't. I exercise sometimes"
With Frequency Adverbs
ぜんぜん食べません
"I don't eat at all"
あまり飲みません
"I don't drink much"
ほとんど行きません
"I hardly go"
めったに見ません
"I rarely watch"
Polite Expressions
I Don't Know
分かりません
"I don't know / I don't understand"
知りません
"I don't know (factual information)"
I Don't Have
お金がありません
"I don't have money"
時間がありません
"I don't have time"
Can't/Unable to
できません
"I can't do it"
行けません
"I can't go"
Reasons for Not Doing
時間がないので、行きません
"I don't have time, so I won't go"
疲れたから、今日は遊びません
"I'm tired, so I won't play today"
お金がないので、買いません
"I don't have money, so I won't buy it"
Past Negative: ませんでした
食べません → 食べませんでした (didn't eat)
行きません → 行きませんでした (didn't go)
More details in the past negative lesson.
Key Takeaways
✓ ません = polite negative present/future
✓ Form: ます → ません
✓ Express habits and refusals politely
✓ ませんか = gentle invitation
✓ Same for all verb groups
✓ More polite than ない form
✓ Essential for polite conversation
Master ません form - it's crucial for polite negative statements!
Next: Te-form Conjugation
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