Don's Japanese Conjugation Drill

Yes, I managed to typo that - now fixed. Thanks!

I saw this and saved it awhile ago, have just gotten around to using it. It’s pretty cool once you get the hang of it. Thanks dude!

1 Like

Thanks!

I do get the bit about “once you get the hang of it.” I’m in the process of adding a dynamic thing that explains the question and answer so that people are less confused at the beginning.

So “plain” basically means casual form, then?

Wow, I love this thing! After reading some other’s comments about how to properly respond, I totally get it- what a useful tool!

Thanks Don!

1 Like

Aye, plain, as opposed to humble or polite. It’s not necessarily casual per se. Though I know that term is also used for it.

I was referring specifically to OP’s application. Is that what you are talking about also or are you just talking about what “plain” typically means in general?

Both, actually. I had no issues with the app, or his terminology, so he and I are probably on the same page with grammar terms, at least for conjugation.

Okay, that’s kind of what I figured after I hit ‘Reply’.

I actually haven’t tried the app yet. I was reading through the thread trying to get an idea of everything so as to hopefully not experience the confusion that others had. Plus I’m at work right now and when I do try it, I want to give it my full attention. :slight_smile:

Thanks for answering my question, though. I think I understand now. If not, I’ll ask more questions later!

I like to think of it as basically a set of layers, from most humble through to most honorific. The difficulty people have is remembering that that to be very polite means using the most humble forms for the speaker and their group, along with the most honorific forms for the listener and their group. This is intimately related to “in group” and “out group”, where the in group is speaker and people closely related to them, in the context of the conversation, and the out group is everyone else, essentially but particularly the listener and their closely related people.

ETA: within your group you will typically use plain language.

1 Like

Yes, “plain” is equivalent to “casual.” In this test it boils down to “non-polite” since those are the two sets of honorifics in the test. By the time I was sitting there licking my wounds after using the word “dictionary” in the test, I decided “plain” did the job OK. I could change it to “casual.”

I guess the danger is if “plain form” to some people is synonymous with “dictionary form.”

1 Like

Just loved your website. The best I found out. Going to practice a lot. Thank you!

1 Like

I am thinking about doing solely verb deconjugation drill (from a sentence) to dictionary form. Because it is the requirement to recognition and perhaps, opening a dictionary, and speed is required, in speed reading.

Is such customization possible?

excellent ! very usefull

1 Like

Your use case seems a little specialist!

Rather than implement a special ‘polv’ mode, I’d probably go with an advanced question selector where you can choose precisely the kind of questions you want. I was half wondering about this anyway just so that people could see all the possible question types for themselves. Now that work is somewhat less hectic, I can get around to producing the next version…

In your case, you’d want the ones where the answer is the dictionary form.

However, there’s quite a few of them:

negative → dictionary
past → dictionary
polite → dictionary
te-form → dictionary
potential → dictionary
imperative → dictionary
causative → dictionary
passive → dictionary
progressive → dictionary
dictionary → negative
past negative → negative
polite negative → negative
te-form negative → negative
potential negative → negative
imperative negative → negative
causative negative → negative
passive negative → negative
progressive negative → negative
dictionary → past
past negative → past
polite past → past
progressive past → past
negative → past negative
past → past negative
polite past negative → past negative
progressive past negative → past negative
dictionary → polite
polite past → polite
polite negative → polite
polite progressive → polite
past → polite past
polite → polite past
polite past negative → polite past
polite progressive past → polite past
negative → polite negative
polite → polite negative
polite past negative → polite negative
polite progressive negative → polite negative
past negative → polite past negative
polite past → polite past negative
polite negative → polite past negative
polite progressive past negative → polite past negative
dictionary → te-form
te-form negative → te-form
te-form → te-form negative
negative → te-form negative
dictionary → potential
potential negative → potential
potential → potential negative
negative → potential negative
dictionary → imperative
imperative negative → imperative
imperative → imperative negative
negative → imperative negative
dictionary → causative
causative negative → causative
causative passive → causative
causative → causative negative
negative → causative negative
causative passive negative → causative negative
dictionary → passive
passive negative → passive
causative passive → passive
passive → passive negative
negative → passive negative
causative passive negative → passive negative
causative → causative passive
passive → causative passive
causative passive negative → causative passive
causative negative → causative passive negative
passive negative → causative passive negative
causative passive → causative passive negative
dictionary → progressive
polite progressive → progressive
progressive negative → progressive
progressive past → progressive
progressive → progressive negative
negative → progressive negative
progressive past negative → progressive negative
polite progressive negative → progressive negative
progressive → polite progressive
polite → polite progressive
polite progressive negative → polite progressive
polite progressive past → polite progressive
polite progressive → polite progressive negative
polite negative → polite progressive negative
progressive negative → polite progressive negative
polite progressive past negative → polite progressive negative
past → progressive past
progressive → progressive past
progressive past negative → progressive past
polite progressive past → progressive past
past negative → progressive past negative
progressive negative → progressive past negative
progressive past → progressive past negative
polite progressive past negative → progressive past negative
polite past → polite progressive past
polite progressive → polite progressive past
progressive past → polite progressive past
polite progressive past negative → polite progressive past
polite past negative → polite progressive past negative
progressive past negative → polite progressive past negative
polite progressive past → polite progressive past negative
polite progressive negative → polite progressive past negative

1 Like

I somehow missed this earlier in the year, looks really cool :slight_smile:

I’ve also been hunting for a tool or app that gives you a conjugated verb and asks for the dictionary form. Did you ever find one, @polv? Or have you thought about adding that advanced question selector, @doncr? Maybe just the (x) → (dictionary) ones?

OK, so you’re the second person to ask for that…

I created @polv mode because the existing test only changed one aspect of the word at a time is a good tactic for the normal way the test works.

This special mode will go from any conjugation to dictionary form, e.g. “polite past negative” → “dictionary” which the main test doesn’t do. Also, technically the normal test doesn’t ask for the dictionary form of な-adjectives which was another sticking point.

Anyway, here is is: https://wkdonc.github.io/conjugation/polv.html

Knock yourselves out!

1 Like

I tried to create one in Anki, but I find it too easy to do this kind of test… and then I tried to create a cloze test, filling the verb in the blank, instead. Grammar cloze - Google Sheets (Sentences from Imabi)

Better study more grammar, imo.

1 Like

@doncr That’s so cool, thanks!

With similar verbs that use the same kanji, I have trouble quickly working my way backwards through some of the conjugation forms when I’m reading, so drilling myself on working backwards might help. But @polv is right, for most of the verbs, this testing direction is really easy. Maybe I should create an Anki deck just for the verbs that give me trouble :')

Still, thanks for making this! I’m going to use it :slight_smile:

Update: I’ve added explanations to the answers which I hope should clear up some confusion:

5 Likes