8 Japanese Auxiliary Verbs to Increase Your Expressiveness

An Introduction to Japanese Auxiliary Verbs

Initially, we have to talk about what an auxiliary verb is.

In English, auxiliary verbs are used along with or previous different verbs to make distinctions between tense, facet or temper. For instance, “Do you want cheese?” “I can dance the salsa” “You actually shouldn’t dance the salsa after consuming cheese.”

Japanese isn’t any stranger to those classical types of auxiliary verbs both. For instance, see the potential type of verbs (the れる / られる conjugation) or the causative type of verbs (the らせる / させる conjugation).

These two are “classical” auxiliary verbs, and each their conjugations and usages will be tough. You most likely wouldn’t have publicity to them till intermediate Japanese.

あなたはチーズを食べられる？
あなたはちーずをたべられる？
Anata wa chiizu wo taberareru?
Are you able to eat cheese?

私の猫がチーズを食べた後、猫にサルサを踊らせないでください。
わたしのねこが ちーずをたべたあと、ねこに さるさをおどらせないでください。
Watashi no neko ga chiizu wo tabeta ato, neko ni sarusa wo odorase nai de kudasai.
Please don’t make my cat dance the salsa after she’s eaten cheese.

Nevertheless! Japanese has a novel sub-class of auxiliary verbs known as “helper auxiliary verbs.” These helper auxiliary verbs are very easy to acknowledge, use and conjugate, and can enormously improve your expressiveness when talking Japanese.

The Important Checklist of Frequent Japanese Auxiliary Verbs

1. 込む (こむ, komu)

As a verb of its personal, 込む means “to be crowded / packed,” and in an summary sense, it brings this concept of “attempting to insert extra of one thing into an already crowded house” to the phrases it attaches to.

Instance #1:

駆ける (かける, kakeru) — to sprint / run hurriedly

駆ける+ 込む = 駆け込む — to wildly rush into one thing – often a prepare – on the final second.

Utilization: 

電車に駆け込むのはお止めください。
でんしゃにかけこむのはおやめください。
Densha ni kakekomu no wa oyame kudasai.
Please don’t rush into the prepare (because the doorways are closing).

Instance #2:

考える (かんがえる, kangaeru) — to suppose

考える + 込む = 考え込む — to suppose intensely upon one thing, to brood upon one thing

Utilization:

太郎はみち子が言ったことを考え込んでいるね。
たろうはみちこがいったことをかんがえこんでいるね。
Tarou wa michiko ga itta koto wo kangaekonde iru ne.
Taro is actually brooding on what Michiko stated.

2. 出す (だす, dasu)

出す could also be one of many first few verbs you study in Japanese, and it ought to be one of many first few helper auxiliary verbs as nicely due to its extensive utilization.

Which means “to take out,” by itself, when used as a helper auxiliary verb, 出す provides a nuance of “to all of a sudden begin” doing the verb stem.

Instance #1:

走る (はしる, hashiru) — to run

走る+ 出す = 走り出す — to all of a sudden run / to interrupt right into a dash

Utilization: 

馬たちはベルの音を聞いたら、いきなり走り出した。
うまたちは べるのおとをきいたら、いきなりはしりだした。
Umatachi wa beru no oto wo kiitara, ikinari hashiridashita.
When the horses heard the sound of the bell they all of a sudden broke right into a dash.

Instance #2

食べる (たべる, taberu) — to eat

食べる+ 出す = 食べ出す — to start out consuming all of a sudden / to tear into one’s meals

Utilization:

お腹がひどく空いていたから、たけみはポテトチップスを見た瞬間に食べ出した。
おなかがひどくすいていたから、たけみは ぽてとちっぷすをみたしゅかんにたべだした。
Onaka ga hidoku suiteita kara, takemi wa potetochippusu wo mita shunkan ni tabedashita.
As a result of he was awfully hungry, Takemi tore into the potato chips the second he noticed them.

3. 直す (なおす, naosu)

直す is a superb verb to know, which means “to repair or restore,” in addition to an excellent helper auxiliary verb. When hooked up to a verb stem, it means to “re-do” stated verb, with the intention of doing it higher, or “fixing” one thing carried out poorly.

Instance #1

書く (かく, kaku) — to write down

書く + 直す = 書き直す — to re-write

Utilization: 

ね、かず、提出したレポートだけど、全然理解できないよ。書き直して。
ね、かず、ていしゅつした れぽーとだけど、ぜんぜんりかいできないよ。かきなおして。
Ne, kazu, teishutsu shita repooto dakedo, zenzen rikai dekinai yo. Kakinaoshite.
Hey, Kazu, I can’t perceive a factor concerning the report you submitted. Re-write it.

Instance #2

やる— to do

やる + 直す = やり直す— to re-do

Utilization: 

完成した後、橋の基盤は根本的に弱いと見られ、やり直しと判断された。
かんせいしたあと、はしのきばんは こんぽんてきによわいとみられ、やりなおしと はんだんされた。
Kansei shita ato, hashi no kiban wa konponteki ni yowai to mirare, yarinaoshi to handan sareta.
After its completion, the bridge was acknowledged to be essentially weak in its basis, and decided to be in want of being redone.

*Observe: やり直し is the noun type of やり直す.

4. 過ぎる (すぎる, sugiru)

For those who’re attempting to 入れ込む (wait…入れる + 込む? in fact! “to cram/stuff”) these verbs into your head, give precedence to this one.

It’s fingers down probably the most helpful of all of the helper auxiliary verbs! 過ぎる by itself means “to cross / exceed / surpass,” and provides this sense to verb stems, implying that the verb was “carried out an excessive amount of”

Instance #1 

飲む (のむ, nomu) — to drink

飲む + 過ぎる = 飲み過ぎる — to drink an excessive amount of

Utilization: 

A: うぅわぁぁぁ．．．すっごく飲み過ぎたよぅ．．．気持ち悪い。
うぅわぁぁぁ．．．すっごくのみすぎたよぅ．．．きもちわるい。
Uuwaaa…suggoku nomisugita yoo…kimochi warui.
Ooohh…. I drank waaay an excessive amount of… I really feel horrible.

B: あら？お酒飲んでた？
あら？おさけのんでた？
Ara? Osake nondeta?
What? You have been ingesting alcohol?

A: いや、牛乳だよ。牛乳を飲み過ぎた。
いや、ぎゅうにゅうだよ。ぎゅうにゅうをのみすぎた。
Iya, gyuunyuu dayo. Gyuunyuu wo nomisugita.
No, milk. I drank an excessive amount of milk.

Instance #2

泣く (なく, naku) — to cry

>泣く + 過ぎる = 泣き過ぎる — to cry an excessive amount of

Utilization: 

あの子は泣き過ぎて、のどが痛くなった。
あのこは なきすぎて、のどがいたくなった。
Ano ko wa nakisugite, nodo ga itaku natta.
That little one cried an excessive amount of and now his throat hurts.

5. 忘れる (わすれる, wasureru)

忘れる, “to overlook,” is one other very easy one, because it provides solely the which means of “having forgotten to do” to any verb stem.

Instance #1

飲む (のむ, nomu) — to drink

飲む+ 忘れる = 飲み忘れる — to overlook to drink / to overlook to take one’s drugs

Utilization: 

薬を飲み忘れた！
くすりをのみわすれた！
Kusuri wo nomiwasureta!
I forgot to take my drugs!

Instance #2

言う (いう, iu) — to say

言う+ 忘れる = 言い忘れる — to overlook to say one thing

Utilization: 

ちょっと待って！言い忘れたことがあります！
ちょっとまって！いいわすれたことがあります！
Chotto matte! Iiwasureta koto ga arimasu!
Wait a second! There’s one thing I forgot to say!

6. 残す (のこす, nokosu)

One other simple one! 残す, which means “to depart one thing,” as a helper auxiliary implies that the verb has not been accomplished, or has been “left” incomplete (often deliberately).

Instance #1

食べる (たべる, taberu) + 残す = 食べ残す — to depart meals uneaten / to not end one’s meals

Utilization: 

みきちゃんはまた人参を食べ残している！あの子一体どうしたらいいのかな．．．
みきちゃんは またにんじんをたべのこしている！あのこ いったいどうしたらいいのかな．．．
Miki chan wa mata ninjin wo tabenokoshiteiru! Ano ko ittai doushitara iino kana…
Miki-chan didn’t end her carrots once more! What on the planet ought to I do with that little one…

Instance #2

言う (いう, iu) + 残す = 言い残す— to deliberately depart one thing unsaid

Utilization: 

政治家のスピーチは素晴らしかったが、同時に何か言い残していたように感じました。
せいじかのすぴーちは すばらしかったが、どうじに なにかいいのこしていたようにかんじました。
Seijika no supiichi wa subarashikatta ga, douji ni nanika iinokoshiteita you ni kanji mashita.
The politician’s speech was implausible, however on the similar time it felt like he was leaving one thing unsaid.

7. 切る (きる, kiru)

切る means “to chop,” and it’s useful to maintain this in thoughts when utilizing it as a helper auxiliary verb, as when added to a different verb it provides the which means of “to complete fully” stated verb.

Instance #1

食べる (たべる, taberu) + 切る = 食べ切る— to complete consuming, as in “to eat all of the meals”

Utilization: 

山下君は３個目のアイスを食べ切った後、大きな後悔に襲われた。
やましたくんは さんこめのあいすをたべきったあと、おおきなこうかいにおそわれた。
Yamashita kun wa sankome no aisu wo tabekitta ato, ookina koukai ni osowareta.
After fully ending his third ice cream, Yamashita-kun was shrouded in a deep sense of remorse.

Instance #2

飲む (のむ, nomu) + 切る = 飲み切る — to drink all of 1’s drink

Utilization: 

山下君は３杯目のビールを飲み切った後、酔ってしまった。
やましたくんは さんばいめのびーるをのみきったあと、よってしまった。
Yamashita kun wa sanbaime no biiru wo nomikitta ato, yotte shimatta.
After fully ending his third beer, Yamashita-kun was drunk.

8. 続ける (つづける, tsuzukeru)

続ける is a superb helper auxiliary verb to have in your pocket, because it solely provides the literal which means of 続ける (to proceed) to the verbs it attaches to, and it may be added to just about any verb you’ll be able to consider!

Instance #1

話す (はなす, hanasu) — to speak

話す+ 続ける = 話し続ける — to maintain speaking / to proceed speaking

Utilization:

上院議員が話し続けて、話し続けて、話し続けて、議事妨害が成功した。
じょういんぎいんが はなしつづけて、はなしつづけて、はなしつづけて、ぎじぼうがい がせいこうした。
Jouingiin ga hanashitsuzukete, hanashitsuzukete, hanashitsuzukete, gijibougai ga seikou shita.
The senator continued to speak and speak and speak, and his filibuster succeeded.

Instance #2

する — to do

する + 続ける = し続ける — to maintain doing / to proceed doing

Utilization:
勤勉なサラリーマンは、次の日まで仕事をし続けた。
きんべんな さらりーまんは、つぎのひまでしごとをしつづけた。
Kinben na sarariiman wa, tsugi no hello made shigoto wo shitsuzuketa.
The diligent salaryman continued working till the following day.

These have been eight examples of helper auxiliary verb utilization, however there are lots of extra! Hopefully, now that you’re conscious of them, you’ll begin recognizing them in Japanese songs, dramas and different Japanese content material.