[Japanese] Verb/Grammar Question...

[SSJ Jup81]

[Japanese] Verb/Grammar Question...

Oh, I have a question pertaining to grammar. I know how with most any language, you have to conjugate your verbs, unless under a certain circumstance. Like for Spanish, you can't have two conjugated verbs next to one another. For example...I need to sleep (in Spanish), would be, Yo necesito (sp?) dormir or Necesito dormir. "Necesitar" is conjugated; dormir is not.

How does this work for Japanese? Mostly in lyrics, I've noticed that some ends with an unconjugated verb (aru seems to be the one I see most). How does one form sentences like that? I hope I phrased the question right. I've been wondering about this for a while.

Edit: It's been a few years since I've done anything in Spanish, so if I'm wrong with "necesitar" there, please feel free to correct me.

 

[Dash]

I dunno if you'd say necesito over tengo que

But anyways... from what I know of Japanese verbs... you don't have to conjugate them like you do in other languages.

The plain ole dictionary form is considered the informal version of the masu form.

 

[SSJ Jup81]

I know the other stuff already and that you have to conjugate verbs. Typical, of course. I just want to know when you wouldn't conjgate a verb in sentence. Like with the Spanish example, I learned that you couldn't use two conjugated verbs one right after the other in the same sentence. That sentence I used was a bad example, more than likely, but, you wouldn't conjugate both verbs there.

Take the song lyric, "boku no senaka ni wa hane ga aru". The "aru" there is the verb, and isn't conjugated. I've seen quite a few instances of sentences that end with a verb that's not conjugated. Why, and when is it used?

 

[Scootah]

IIRC, its just used as a bases... The -masu form would be more polite... doesn't have to be changed, though. I know I was always taught the polite form from my Japanese teacher, but from anime, i've heard that not everything has to end like that. So... basically... it's not confugated just because... probably because it fits better in the song that way. -Shrug-