Time for actions. Polite verbs end in ます, and the thing the action happens to gets marked with を. Two verbs today and you can talk about meals.
Understand this — tap “Hear it”
わたし は すし を たべます
I eat sushi.
わたし watashi — Iは wa — (topic)すし sushi — sushiを o — (object)たべます tabemasu — eat
みず を のみます
I drink water.
みず mizu — waterを o — (object)のみます nomimasu — drink
raamen を たべます
I eat ramen.
ラーメン raamen — ramenを o — (object)たべます tabemasu — eat
The pattern you can now use
___ を たべます / のみます
___ o tabemasu / nomimasu
I eat / drink ___.
Polite verbs end in ます, and を marks the object. One ます form covers present *and* future — たべます = “eat” or “will eat,” context decides. No I/you/he changes, either.
Words to use today — tap a row to hear
たべますtabemasu
eat
のみますnomimasu
drink
raamenraamen
ramen
ごはんgohan
rice / a meal
panpan
bread
おちゃocha
tea
すしsushi
sushi
みずmizu
water
Your turn — say it, then check
Say: “I eat bread.”
pan を たべますpan o tabemasu
Say: “I drink tea.”
おちゃ を のみますocha o nomimasu
Say: “I eat rice.”
ごはん を たべますgohan o tabemasu
Quick check
What particle marks the object?
を
Does ます change for the future?
no — same form for present and future
⤷ Kana side-quest — ~2 min · tap to hear, watch the strokes
👀 Today’s input · ~5 min — where fluency actually comes from
Train your ears
You can’t read much yet — so listen. Put on one “Complete Beginner” video from Comprehensible Japanese: all visual, all Japanese, zero English. You’ll understand more than you’d expect, and this is where real fluency actually comes from — a little every day.