🇯🇵 JAPANESE · N5 GRAMMAR
Grammar 02 — The Copula: だ / です
だ と です · Da to Desu
Grammar Explanation & Practice
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📋 Formation Reference — The Copula: だ / です
All basic forms of the copula. Press ▶ to hear the polite forms.
COPULA CONJUGATION
| Form | Plain | Polite | ▶ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present ✓ | だ (da) |
です (desu) |
|
| Present ✗ | じゃない (ja nai) |
じゃありません (ja arimasen) |
|
| Past ✓ | だった (datta) |
でした (deshita) |
|
| Past ✗ | じゃなかった (ja nakatta) |
じゃありませんでした (ja arimasen deshita) |
|
| Question | ？ (rising tone) |
ですか (desu ka) |
[NOUN]
は
[NOUN]
です
[noun]
wa
[noun]
desu
"[NOUN] is [NOUN]."
🗣 Example Sentences
Eight sentences showing the copula in context. Press ▶ to hear each one.
BASIC STATEMENTS
わたしは がくせいです。
Watashi wa gakusei desu.
I am a student.
[NOUN]
は
[NOUN]
です
[noun]
wa
[noun]
desu
これは ほんです。
Kore wa hon desu.
This is a book.
あれは びょういんじゃありません。
Are wa byouin ja arimasen.
That is not a hospital.
[NOUN]
は
[NOUN]
じゃありません
[noun]
wa
[noun]
ja arimasen
きのうは にちようびでした。
Kinou wa nichiyoubi deshita.
Yesterday was Sunday.
QUESTIONS & CASUAL FORMS
あなたは にほんじんですか。
Anata wa nihonjin desu ka.
Are you Japanese?
それは おちゃですか、コーヒーですか。
Sore wa ocha desu ka, koohii desu ka.
Is that tea or coffee?
かのじょは せんせいじゃなかった。
Kanojo wa sensei ja nakatta.
She wasn't a teacher.
うん、そうだ。
Un, sou da.
Yeah, that's right.
Polite vs Plain
FORMAL
～です
(desu)
Strangers, work, teachers
CASUAL
～だ
(da)
Close friends, family
→ です = safe default. だ = only with people you're close to.
Negative Forms
✅ じゃありません
じゃありません
ja arimasen
Polite negative
"じゃ" is a contraction of "では"
✅ ではありません
ではありません
de wa arimasen
More formal — writing, news, official speeches
A or B Questions
✅ Correct
おちゃですか、コーヒーですか。
Ocha desu ka, koohii desu ka.
Tea or coffee?
Repeat ですか for each option
❌ Wrong
おちゃかコーヒーですか。
Ocha ka koohii desu ka.
Wrong structure
Dropping だ in Casual Questions
✅ Natural
がくせい？
Gakusei?
Student? (casual question, no だ)
❌ Unnatural
がくせいだ？
Gakusei da?
Sounds like a surprised statement, not a question
A — Flashcards
Click a card to flip it. Use ▶ to hear the Japanese.
tap to flip
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B — Listen & Choose the Meaning
Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then choose the correct English meaning.
D — Listen & Write in Romaji
Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then type what you heard in romaji. Japanese letters are not needed.
💡 Tip: Long vowels → double the vowel (おう = ou / oo). Double consonants → write them twice (きって = kitte).
です is NOT a verb
Unlike English "to be," です is a copula — a linking word that connects a subject to a description or identity. It doesn't conjugate like verbs (no ます-form, no て-form). Think of it as a politeness marker that also means "is/am/are."
わたしは がくせいです。
Watashi wa gakusei desu.
I am a student.
じゃ is a contraction of では
The negative forms じゃない and じゃありません are contractions of ではない and ではありません. The では versions are more formal and appear in writing, news, and official speeches. In everyday conversation, じゃ is standard.
ここは がっこうではありません。
Koko wa gakkou de wa arimasen.
This is not a school. (formal)
When to drop だ
In casual speech, だ is sometimes dropped entirely — especially in questions (がくせい？), after certain particles (～と, ～から, ～けど), and in some feminine speech patterns. Dropping だ sounds softer and more natural in many casual contexts.
あした、ひま？
Ashita, hima?
Free tomorrow? (casual, だ dropped)
そうです — Two Different Meanings
そうです has two distinct uses: (1) "That's right / Yes" — confirming something (そうです。= Yes, that's correct.) (2) "I hear that / Apparently" — hearsay (あめだそうです。= I hear it will rain.) Context tells you which meaning is intended. For now, focus on meaning (1).
「にほんじんですか。」「はい、そうです。」
"Nihonjin desu ka." "Hai, sou desu."
"Are you Japanese?" "Yes, that's right."
ですね vs ですか
Both end sentences but have very different functions. ですか asks a genuine question (you don't know the answer). ですね seeks agreement or confirms shared understanding (you expect a "yes"). Using ですね when you should use ですか sounds presumptuous.
いい てんきですね。
Ii tenki desu ne.
Nice weather, isn't it? (expecting agreement)
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | ▶ |
|---|---|---|---|
| がくせい | gakusei | student | |
| せんせい | sensei | teacher | |
| にほんじん | nihonjin | Japanese person | |
| ほん | hon | book | |
| びょういん | byouin | hospital | |
| おちゃ | ocha | tea | |
| コーヒー | koohii | coffee | |
| きのう | kinou | yesterday | |
| にちようび | nichiyoubi | Sunday | |
| そう | sou | so, that's right |