form N5 essential casualpolitewritten
連用形 — The Masu-Stem (Verb Base)
連用形（ます形） ・ れんようけい
Meaning
- the verb's connective base — the form before ます, and the stem used to build compounds and written-style links
On its own it is not a word; it is the hinge a verb conjugates on. Learn which row each verb class lands on and most of the grammar above plugs straight in.
Key sentence
毎朝コーヒーを飲みます。
I drink coffee every morning.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Godan | final う-row → い-row | 書く → 書き、飲む → 飲み |
| Ichidan | drop る | 食べる → 食べ |
| Irregular | する → し、来る → 来 | する → し |
When: The stem itself is register-neutral; + ます makes it polite, while the bare stem appears in compounds and formal written linking.
Examples
説明書を読みながら、組み立てた。
I assembled it while reading the manual.
stem + ながら
新しい仕事を始めたい。
I want to start a new job.
stem + たい
昼ご飯を食べに行く。
I'm going to eat lunch.
stem + に (purpose)
雨が降り始めた。
It started to rain.
stem + 始める (compound verb)
彼の話し方はとても丁寧だ。
His way of speaking is very polite.
stem + 方 (compound noun)
When you can't use it
- する and 来る are irregular (し / 来); applying the godan い-shift to them (×すり, ×きり) is wrong.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Many nouns and compound verbs are built on this stem (読み物 'reading material', 乗り換え 'transfer'), so recognizing it grows your vocabulary too.
See 連用形（ます形） in real sentences
Jengo shows 連用形（ます形） the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo