The grammar as a map

Two pictures of the same material: the tenses on a timeline, and all 136 topics arranged by level. Every box is a link.

The tenses on a timeline

The axis is time. On the left, what was already over when the events being told happened; in the middle, now; on the right, what is still to come. Each tense hangs at the point it says something about — “future” is not a chapter heading here but a stop, the same stop at which each language puts something different.

Below it are the forms that cannot sit at any stop. A future form for a guess, a past form for politeness, a conditional whose form is dictated by the condition: the name then says nothing about the point in time, and that is not a special case but half the reason tenses are hard.

Press a level to show only that level; press it again to bring everything back.

Level

Before that1

What was already over by the time the story got there.

When: とき and the tense inside itN4

The past3

Something that happened, finished, and stays where it happened.

Past, suggestions and invitations in ますN5 The plain pastN4 ばかり: only just, and nothing butN3

Up to now1

It began back then and it has not finished yet.

てある: left that way on purposeN4

Now1

What holds at the moment, what is under way, or what is always the case.

ている: in progress, or the state that remainsN5

The future2

What is still to come — promised, planned or merely guessed at.

The ます-formN5 Intentions and plans: つもり and よていN4

By then1

What will already be finished by some point in the future.

ておく: doing something in advanceN4

If and would2

Here the condition decides the form, not the position on the clock.

たら: if and when, the all-purpose conditionalN4 The ば-form: what it takesN4

Time in name only1

A future form for a guess, a past form for politeness: the label says nothing about when.

でしょう and だろう: probablyN5

Which form when1

Topics that explain not one form but the choice between two.

ところ: a point in the life of an actionN3

All the grammar, by level

Now the level is the axis: from N5 to N2, one band per level, with the areas stacked beneath one another. So one picture shows what each level adds to each area — “what does B1 add to the verb?” cannot be answered at a glance anywhere else.

An empty cell is information, not a gap: that there is nothing on the passive at N5 is part of the picture.

HiraganaN5 KatakanaN5 Kanji and their readingsN5 Long vowels, small tsu and small ya, yu, yoN5 X は Y ですN5 Questions with かN5 Is not, was and was notN5 の between two nounsN5 も: also, too, neitherN5 This, that and whichN5 Here, there and whereN5 There is: ある and いるN5

Okurigana and words written in kanaN4 Punctuation, spacing and directionN4

は and が: topic and subjectN5 を: the object and the pathN5 に: a point in time, a goal, a place of beingN5 で: where it happens, and with whatN5 へ for direction, と for and and withN5 から and まで, and the deadline までにN5 や, とか and など: lists that are not completeN5 ね, よ and よね at the end of a sentenceN5

だけ, しか and のみ: onlyN4 に or で: the verbs that decideN4

は and が in depth: contrast, focus and clausesN3 さえ, こそ, でも and なんか: words of emphasisN3

The three verb groupsN5 The ます-formN5 Past, suggestions and invitations in ますN5 The te-formN5 i-adjectivesN5 na-adjectivesN5 Past and negative of adjectivesN5 Comparing thingsN5 てください: asking someone to do somethingN5 ている: in progress, or the state that remainsN5 てから and a chain of て: one thing after anotherN5 Wanting to do: たいN5 Wanting things: ほしいN5

The dictionary formN4 The plain negativeN4 The plain pastN4 The potential formN4 The volitional formN4 Transitive and intransitive pairsN4 Adverbs from adjectives, and becomingN4 Linking adjectives with くて and でN4 Too much, easy to, hard toN4 Looks like: そうN4 てもいい and てはいけない: may, must not, need not, mustN4 てしまう: done for good, or done and regrettedN4 てある: left that way on purposeN4 ておく: doing something in advanceN4 てみる: trying something to seeN4 ないで and なくて: without doing, and because notN4 Other people's wishes: たがる and ほしがるN4 Intentions and plans: つもり and よていN4 Thinking of doing, trying to doN4 Deciding and being decided: ことにする and ことになるN4 あげる, くれる, もらう: who gives to whomN4 てあげる, てくれる, てもらう: doing favoursN4 Asking for a favour: てくれませんか, ていただけませんかN4 The passiveN4 The causativeN4

Commands and prohibitionsN3 ていく and てくる: away, towards, and over timeN3 さしあげる, くださる, いただく: giving with respectN3 The suffering passiveN3 Being made to do somethingN3 Let me do itN3

Giving a reason with から and のでN5 でしょう and だろう: probablyN5

A clause in front of a nounN4 Turning a verb into a noun with の and ことN4 Although, and not happy about it: のにN4 When: とき and the tense inside itN4 Before and after: まえに, あとで and てからN4 Two things at once: ながらN4 Doing things like this and that: たり〜たりするN4 Questions inside a sentence: か and かどうかN4 Saying and thinking: と and ってN4 In order to, and because of: ためにN4 So that: ように and ようにするN4 と for whenever and natural resultsN4 The ば-form: what it takesN4 たら: if and when, the all-purpose conditionalN4 なら: if that is so, given the topicN4 ても and でも: even ifN4 かもしれない: mightN4 はず and はずがない: should be, cannot beN4 そうだ for hearsay: I hear thatN4 ようだ and みたいだ: it seems, it looks likeN4

と, ば, たら, なら side by sideN3 らしい: apparently, and typical ofN3 Must be: にちがいない and にきまっているN3

Plain and polite styleN4 Honorific verbsN4 Humble verbsN4

The regular honorificN3 The regular humble formN3 ございます and the formal registerN3 わけ: when the reason adds upN3 ところ: a point in the life of an actionN3 ばかり: only just, and nothing butN3 ようになる and ようにする: change and habitN3 ことがある: sometimes, and everN3 ば〜ほど: the more, the moreN3 ずに: without doingN3 として: in the role ofN3 について and にかんして: what it is aboutN3 によって: depending on, by, because ofN3 にとって: from where someone standsN3 もの: how things are, how they were, and whyN3 かわりに: instead, and in returnN3 ほど and くらい: how far something goesN3

The learning path, step by step All topics as a list