です vs ます Explained Simply Japanese Grammar Made Easy

Hey guys, I'm Tetsu. I'm pretty sure when you started learning Japanese, you had a lot of sounds like DESU and MASU all the time. Can you tell the difference between them? If you're not sure, don't worry. In this video, I'll explain the difference between DESU and MASU with the simplest explanation. Okay? Let's go. In this video, I'll only use present tense sentences in Japanese. This is because you might get confused when the form and meaning change depending on the tense, right? And I'll explain past and future sentences in future videos. Okay? So first of all, DESU and MASU are not used all the time. They're used in formal or polite sentences called keigo. Like when you talk to people who are older than you or strangers. To show respect. We don't really use keigo with friends or family members. Just like people who are close to you. So remember, DESU and MASU are used in polite sentences. keigo. And they always come at the end of the sentence. So, what is DESU? DESU is used when referring to a state of being something. That means the sentence is talking about a state of feeling, not an action. It's used with adjectives or nouns. So like in English, it would be, I'm handsome. Or, you're beautiful. Or, this car is cool. Right? In all of those, the sentence is not doing something. It's just being something. Let's take a look at some examples, okay? TETSU SENSEI WA NIHONJIN DESU. So, TETSU SENSEI, TETSU TEACHER, SUBJECT, WA, TOPIKU MAKU. NIHONJIN, JAPANESE NOUN. This sentence is being something. So it's saying TETSU SENSEI is in a state of being Japanese. Another example, SUSHI WA OISHII DESU. SUSHI is delicious. SUSHI, WA, TOPIKU MAKU. OISHII, delicious. Adjective. Again, the sentence is just being something. So SUSHI is being delicious. Right? That's what this does. It finishes a sentence that describes a state of feeling. But here's something important. Some expressions in English are verbs, but in Japanese, they're not verbs. Let's look at the word, LIKE. In English, you say, I like sushi. But in Japanese, you can't say, WATASHI WA SUSHI WO SUKI SURU. It doesn't work. Because in Japanese, LIKE is not a verb. We use the word SUKI, which is a feeling of state, not action. It's an adjective. So we say, WATASHI WA SUSHI GA SUKI DESU. This sentence is also being something. It's like saying, I feel like that I like sushi. Or sushi is something I like. It's how I feel. I know this translation is a little bit weird, but it's the closest nuance of this sentence in English. Again, we use DESU, not MASU. Because it's not an action. It's a feeling. Same with WANT. WATASHI WA PEN GA HOSHI DESU. I want a pen. HOSHI means want. But it's actually an adjective in Japanese. But we're talking about state. So we use DESU. So make sure to understand Japanese as Japanese. And try to avoid translating every word into your native language. The easiest way to do this is by understanding the words or sentences with image. Just like what I usually do. Okay, then what about MASU? MASU is used when referring to a state of doing something. So, it's about action. That means the sentence is talking about something you do. So they end with a verb. It's similar to sentences like, I play baseball. For example, SANPO NI IKIMASU. SANPO, walk. NI, direction marker. IKU, go. Verb. Alright? Another example. I watch anime. ANIME. ANIME? O, direction object marker. MIRU, watch. Verb. Alright? That's it. Easy, right? And here's one more thing to remember. If the subject is clear, or if you mention it at the beginning like, WATASHIWA something. You don't have to repeat it every time. Like WATASHIWA, WATASHIWA, WATASHIWA. Especially in casual speaking, we don't keep saying WATASHIWA something, WATASHIWA something, WATASHIWA something, over and over again. Because it sounds a bit annoying and unnatural. So you don't have to mention the subject every time. And one thing you should always remember is, the most important part of the sentence, like the state or the action, always comes at the end. So you can't cut the pattern. Alright, let's look at recap. So DESU is used for states or feelings, not actions. It comes after nouns or adjectives. Example, WATASHIWA SUSHI GA SUKI DESU. I like sushi. MASU is used for actions, something you do. It comes after verbs. Example, ANIME WO MIMASU. I watch anime. Both DESU and MASU are used in polite sentences. KEIGO. We usually use them when talking to people we don't know well, or people older than us, to show respect. In Japanese, the important part always comes last, and you don't always need to say the subject. Okay? That's it for today's lesson. Thanks for watching guys, and I'll see you in the next video. Bye for now.