How do I tell a ichidan verb from a godan u-tsu-ru verb that ends in ru? Live long and prosper,
/SJ
The える/いる ending verbs usually go ichidan, but there are also many that do not. One way you might be able to tell, is whether the え/い sound is part of the okurigana, or is it hidden within the kanji. Compare 変える (to change), and 帰る (to return (home)). The first one is ichidan, the second is godan.
One thing that is always true, is that verbs in potential/passive/causative voice are always ichidan (ending in える).
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Thank you. This kanji tip is very cool and makes complete sense since you couldn’t change the be in taberu to another stem, right? 'Cause if you did, then you would change the reading of the kanji and that’s messed up. But with the “to change” kaeru (not return or frog) you can change it to like kaereru (this might be wrong, i am just guessing based on kana chart in my mind) without messing up the kanji, right? Kanji’s cool. Peace,
/SJ
見分ける is ichidan though, besides the kana not being baked in. And I bet there are a lot like that. So I just got over-excited, I guess! Peace,
/SJ
Even if the 帰る were somehow ichidan, you still wouldn’t have to break into the kanji, though as with ichidan verbs you just take of the る and conjugate from there. But it is just a pattern I have noticed that most える/いる verbs that are written kanji+る, they usually end up godan. There are exceptions, like 居る、着る, but they are a lot rarer than cases that prove the rule. The other way around (verbs with the え/い sound in okurigana, but are still godan) I cannot think of an example right now, but I am sure they exist.
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That is in accordance with what I said, though. When they are NOT baked into the kanji, they usually go ichidan
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Kaerareru for passive/potential, since it is ichidan
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Right, just realized I confused myself all over again! Haha, oh well. I’ve studied too long. But thanks again!
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Btw, u (買う etc) and tsu (打つ etc) are ALWAYS godan.
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Look at it again tomorrow, your brain will be mulling it over in the meantime
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変えれる being used as the potential for 変える is something you will hear in real speech, but it’s kind of like “gonna” in English. Natural but not “correct” on a test. This is called ranuki kotoba (leaving out the “ra”)
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Yeah even today my teacher was like, technically you could get away with it, but don’t do it today when we are specifically practicing these conjugations.
Yes, I realize this, that is why I was specifically asking about the “ru” part of the “u/tsu/ru” godan mnemonic. I’ve been told to remember godan verbs using four mnemonics: “u/tsu/ru” (tte, tta), “nu/bu/mu” (nde, nda), “ku/gu” (t/d) and “sushi” (because su always changes to shi). Which was all fine except that annoying “ru” part of “u/tsu/ru” mnemonic … it was even worse in the textbook where they insisted on “ru-verbs” vs. “u-verbs” which seems useless.
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