Auxiliary verbs All auxiliary verbs attach to a verbal or adjectival stem form and conjugate as verbs, but they differ from normal verbs in having no independent meaning. In modern Japanese there are two distinct classes of auxiliary verbs: Pure auxiliaries (助動詞 jodōshi) are usually just called verb endings or conjugated forms. These auxiliaries cannot possibly function as an independent verb. Helper auxiliaries (補助動詞 hododōshi) are normal verbs that lose their independent meaning when used as auxiliaries. In classical Japanese which was more purely agglutinating than modern Japanese, the category of auxiliary verb included every possible verb ending after the stem form, and most of these endings were themselves active participants in composition. In modern Japanese, however, some auxiliaries have stopped being productive. The most classic example is the classical auxiliary たり (-tari) whose forms た (-ta), て (-te), etc. are now no longer viewed as verbal endings, i.e., they can take no further affixes.
some pure auxiliary verbs auxiliary
group attaches to
meaning modification
ます (masu)
1
makes V polite
cont. of grp. 2
られる (rareru)1
2b
る (ru)
hyp. of grp. 1
makes V passive/polite/potential
cont. of grp. 2
させる (saseru)2
せる (seru)
continuative
2b
imperf. of grp. 1
example 書く (kaku, to write) → 書きま す (kakimasu) 見る (miru, to see) → 見られる (mirareru, to be able to see) 増える (fueru, to increae) → 増 えられる (fuerareru, to have the ability to increase) 飲む (nomu, to drink/swallow) → 飲める (nomeru, to be able to drink) 考える (kangaeru, to think) → 考えさせる (kangaesaseru, to cause to think)
makes V causative
思い知る (omoishiru, to realize) → 思い知らせる (omoishiraseru, to cause to realize/to teach a lesson)
1
られる (rareru) is often shortened to れる (reru, grp. 2); thus 食べれる (tabereru, to be able to eat) instead of 食べられる (taberareru). 2 させる (saseru) is sometimes shortened to さす (sasu, grp. 1), but this usage is somewhat literary. Much of the agglutinative flavour of Japanese stems from helper auxiliaries, however. The following table contains a small selection of an abundant store of such auxiliary verbs.
some helper auxiliary verbs auxiliary
group
attaches to
meaning modification
example
1
-te form only for trans.
indicates state modification
開く (aku, to open) → 開 いてある (aite-aru, opened and is still open)
2a
-te form for trans.
progressive aspect
寝る (neru, to sleep) → 寝ている (nete-iru, is sleeping)
2a
-te form for intrans.
indicates state modification
閉まる (shimaru, (intransitive) to close) → 閉まっている (shimatteiru, is closed)
いく (iku, to go)
1
-te form
"goes on V-ing"
歩く (aruku, to walk) → 歩いていく (aruite-iku, keep walking)
くる (kuru, to come)
ka
-te form
inception, "start to V"
なる (naru, become) → なってくる (natte-kuru, start becoming)
ある (aru, to be (inanimate))
いる (iru, to be (animate))
continuative non-punctual 始める (hajimeru, to begin)
出す (dasu, to emit)
2b
1
continuative punctual & subj. must be plural
continuative
書く (kaku, to write) → 書き始める (kakihajimeru, start to write) "V begins", "begin to V"
"start to V"
着く (tsuku, to arrive) → 着き始める (tsukihajimeru, have all started to arrive) 輝く (kagayaku, to shine) → 輝き出す (kagayaki-dasu, to start shining)
みる (miru, to see)
1
-te form
"try to V"
する (suru, do) → してみ たい (shite-mitai, try to do)
なおす (naosu, to correct/heal)
1
continuative
"do V again, correcting mistakes"
書く (kaku, to write) → 書きなおす (kaki-naosu, rewrite)
1
continuative
立つ (tatsu, to stand) → 立ち上がる (tachi-agaru, "do V thoroughly" stand up) / "V happens 出来る (dekiru, to come upwards" out) → 出来上がる (dekiagaru, be completed)
2b/1
continuative only for group 1 verbs
indicates potential
ある (aru, to be) → あり 得る (arieru, is possible)
かかる (kakaru, to hang/catch/obtain)
1
continuative only for intrans., nonvolit.
"about to V", "almost V"
溺れる (oboreru, drown) → 溺れかかる (oborekakaru, about to drown)
きる (kiru, to cut)
1
continuative
"do V completely"
食べる (taberu, to eat) → 食べきる (tabe-kiru, to eat it all)
消す (kesu, to erase)
1
continuative
"cancel by V" "deny with V"
揉む (momu, to rub) → 揉み消す (momi-kesu, to rub out, to extinguish) 話す (hanasu, to speak) → 話し込む (hanashikomu, to be deep in conversation)
あがる (agaru, to rise)
得る (eru/uru, to be able)
込む (komu, to enter deeply/plunge)
1
continuative
"V deep in", "V into"
下げる (sageru, to lower)
2b
continuative
"V down"
引く (hiku, to pull) → 引 き下げる (hiki-sageru, to pull down)
過ぎる (sugiru, to exceed)
2a
continuative
"overdo V"
言う (iu, to say) → 言いす ぎる (ii-sugiru, to say too much, to overstate)
付ける (tsukeru, to attach)
2b
continuative
行く (iku, to go) → 行き "become 付ける (iki-tsukeru, be accustomed to V" used to (going))
続ける (tsuzukeru, to continue) 通す (tōsu, to show/thread/lead)
2b
continuative
"keep on V"
1
continuative
"finish V-ing"
降る (furu, to fall (eg. rain)) → 降り続ける (furitsuzukeru, to keep falling) 読む (yomu, to read) → 読み通す (yomi-tōsu, to
finish reading) 抜ける (nukeru, to shed/spill/desert)
残す (nokosu, to leave behind)
残る (nokoru, to be left behind)
continuative only for intrans.
"V through"
走る (hashiru, to run) → 走り抜ける (hashirinukeru, to run through (swh))
1
continuative
by doing V, leave sth behind
思う (omou, to think) → 思い残す (omoi-nokosu, to regret (lit: to have sth left to think about))
1
continuative for intrans. only
be left behind, doing V
生きる (ikiru, live) → 生き 残る (iki-nokoru, to survive (lit: to be left alive)) 使う (tsukau, use) → 使 い分ける (tsukai-wakeru, to indicate the proper way to use) 聞く (kiku, to ask) → 聞 き忘れる (kiki-wasureru, to forget to ask)
2b
分ける (wakeru, to divide/split/classify)
2b
continuative
the proper way to V.
忘れる (wasureru, to forget)
2b
continuative
to forget to V
