Japanese tenses explained: past, non-past and ている

Learners expect a long list of tenses — Japanese has two. A verb is either past or non-past, and the non-past also covers the future. On top of that come ている for actions in progress and the polite ます forms. This guide shows the five forms you need, with examples from Wiktionary and Britannica. New to Japanese? Read the eight grammar rules first.

Updated November 7, 2026 · 4 min read

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このガイドを日本語で読む

Two tenses, not twelve

Japanese verbs conjugate, but not for person or number: the endings carry tense, politeness and other meanings, added one after the other after the stem (Britannica). Britannica glosses kau as ‘buy [present]’ and kaita as ‘write [past]’.

1. The non-past also means the future

The dictionary form covers the present and the future: Wiktionary’s example 今度会ったとき話すよ (kondo atta toki hanasu yo) means ‘I will tell you when we meet next time’ — 話す (hanasu), ‘tell’, with no future ending at all (Wiktionary). Time words such as 今度 ‘next time’ do the rest. Learn them early, among your first 16 words a day.

2. た — past and completed

The ending た (ta) marks a past or completed action: 昨日出張から帰ってきた — ‘I returned from my business trip yesterday’. It can also mean ‘have done’: 原稿をやっと書いたよ — ‘I have finally finished my manuscript’ — and it can describe a resulting state, as in 割れたガラス ‘broken glass’ (Wiktionary).

3. ている — in progress

The -te form plus いる describes an action in progress. In speech it is often shortened to てる: 待ってる (matteru), ‘I am waiting’ (Wiktionary). Politely: 今日は雨が降っています — ‘It is raining today’ (Wiktionary).

4. ます — the polite layer

ます (masu) expresses politeness toward the listener (Wiktionary); its past is ました (mashita). Britannica contrasts plain kaku, used with equals or in print, and polite kakimasu (Britannica). Most courses teach the polite forms first, because they are safe with anyone.

5. ない — the negative

ない (nai) forms the negative of verbs (Wiktionary): 書く ‘write’ becomes 書かない ‘don’t write’. Like the other endings, it joins the verb stem rather than standing in front of it.

Mistakes to avoid

Why Japanese works this way goes back a long way: its grammar has stayed remarkably stable since the Man’yōshū (A short history of Japanese). The rest of the grammar is in Japanese grammar basics; why it is worth learning, in Why learn Japanese? Chinese solves the same problem differently, with no tense at all — compare Chinese tenses.

Keep learning

• Japanese grammar basics — the 8 rules that matter most
• Where is Japanese spoken? · A short history of Japanese
• Learn Japanese with 16Word · JLPT levels · Level tests in 36 languages · All guides · Plans