The Formation of the Verb and Its Conjugation[[70]]
The verbs in Japanese have no number or person. These distinctions are indicated instead by the particles used in the formation of the plurals and in the declensions. There are three affirmative conjugations and the same number of negative.
The root (radix) of the verb does not by itself indicate tense. For this reason it is necessary to conjugate the verb in order to show the tenses.
All the verbs of the first conjugation[[71]] end in e. Those ending in gi or ji, together with xi and maraxi, although they end in i, are also in the first conjugation. If the root ends in de or gi, the present form is made by changing them to zzuru; e.g., fagi forms its present in fazzuru and means 'to blush,' de becomes zzuru and means 'to leave.' If the root ends in je or ji it changes in the present to zuru; e.g., maje:mazuru 'to mix,' anji:anzuru 'to consider.' If they end in xe they change to suru; e.g., avaxe:avasuru 'to join.' Xi and maraxi, which (as we have said) are in the first conjugation,[[72]] change xi to suru; e.g., xi:suru 'to do,' maraxi:marasuru which also means 'to do.' If the root ends in te it changes to tçuru; e.g., sodate:sodatçuru 'to nourish, or support.' The remaining roots which end in e change, in their separate ways, the e to uru; e.g., ague:aguru 'to offer,' nigue:niguru 'to run away.'
There are certain verbal preterits which have present tense meanings. They are those which are passive in form but active in (19 meaning; e.g., cocoroieta 'to understand,' qicoieta 'to hear,' voboieta 'to remember,' qiqiieta 'to understand,' zonjita 'to know,' and there may
be many others. The verbs which follow belong to the first conjugation even though their roots do not end as previously stated.[[73]] If the present tense of these forms does not change the i to uru they are exceptional; e.g., abi,uru 'to wash oneself,' fotobi,uru 'to become soft,' focorobi,uru 'to become unstitched,' cabi [cabi,uru] 'to be moldy,'[[74]] sabi [sabi,uru] 'to rust,' deqi [deqi,uru] 'to be finished, or ended,' cuchi:cutçuru 'to rot,' michi:mitçuru 'to be filled in by the sea,' ini,uru 'to leave,' nobi:nobiru or noburu 'to be spread out,' tçuqi,uru 'to be used,' vori:uru 'to descend from above,' xij:xijru[[75]] 'to invite to dine, by compulsion,' ni:niru 'to resemble,' mochij:mochiiuru 'to evaluate,' ni:niru 'to cook,' mi:miru 'to look at,' cori,uru 'to correct,' vochi:votçuru 'to fall,' i:iru 'to exist, or be present,' fugui,uru 'to pass, as time passes,' vabi,uru 'to beg for mercy,' carabi,uru 'to become dry,' iqi:iquru 'to live,' fi:firu 'to become dry,' qi:quru 'to come,' qi:qiru 'to dress oneself,' voqi,uru 'to get out of bed.' The following four verbs have irregular, as well as regular, present tenses;[[76]] ataie has atóru 'to give,' vaqimaie has vaqimǒru 'to discriminate,' tonaie has tonóru 'to bless,' sonaie has sonóru 'to place in a high position.'
The Preterit, Perfect, Imperfect, and Pluperfect
In Japanese there is no imperfect. In its place the perfect is used. The perfect is formed in two ways. The first is by suffixing ta to the root of a verb ; e.g., agueta is the preterit of the verb ague,uru 'to offer.' The second is by suffixing te to the root and to that adding gozari,u or ari,u which is then conjugated in the present or the preterit of the second conjugation; e.g., aguete gozaru or aguete gozatta, or aguete aru or aguete atta 'offered, or had offered.' If the particle fáia [faia] is placed before the verb the expression is strengthened; e.g., (20 fáia aguete gozatta [faia ...] 'I had already offered it.' When the verb ari,u is suffixed to the perfect it is not as elegant a way of speaking as
when gozari,u is used. Therefore when speaking one must be careful about what one says, or in front of whom one speaks, so as to give each person the honor he deserves.
The Future of the First Conjugation