高い・
An i-adjective changes its final ending to express nonpast, negative, past, and past-negative meaning. It can complete a sentence or directly describe a noun.
Change the final ending
Start from the dictionary form and change only its final い. The resulting adjective form already carries the negative or past meaning, so do not attach a separate past ending to the unchanged adjective.
The four core forms
Swipe sideways to compare every column.
| Time | Meaning | Example form |
|---|---|---|
| Nonpast | Affirmative | 難しい |
| Nonpast | Negative | 難しくない |
| Past | Affirmative | 難しかった |
| Past | Negative | 難しくなかった |
The nonpast form can describe the present, a general fact, or a future situation; context supplies the time.
Using all four forms
Making the sentence polite
For an ordinary polite sentence, first make the complete adjective form and then add です. For careful negative statements, the alternatives ending in くありません are common.
Polite forms
Directly before a noun
新しい靴を買いました。
I bought new shoes.
Analyze新しい goes directly before the noun. Nothing is inserted between them.