6 practical grammar lessons
If you are unsure, begin with sentence structure. Otherwise choose the group that matches the decision in front of you. Build a polite sentence, point to something, or select a particle.
3 lessons
Start here if the whole sentence feels hard to organize. Then choose the polite ending that matches a statement or action.
Understand Japanese topic-comment structure, particles, verb-final order, flexible word order, and why subjects are often omitted.
Can-do: Build a simple Japanese sentence with a topic, information, and final verb or predicate.
Open lesson
Learn how desu completes polite noun and adjective sentences, what it does not mean, and how desu changes in negative and past forms.
Can-do: Make basic polite noun and adjective statements with desu.
Open lesson
Use the four core polite Japanese verb endings—masu, masen, mashita, and masen deshita—with practical time expressions and examples.
Can-do: Say what you do, do not do, did, and did not do in polite Japanese.
Open lesson1 lesson
Use this lesson when you need the Japanese word for “this” or “that”; the deciding factor is the object’s distance from you and the listener.
Choose kore, sore, or are from the current speaker's position as the scene changes, then use kono, sono, or ano before a noun.
Can-do: Point to nearby and distant objects with the correct Japanese demonstrative.
Open lesson2 lessons
Use these lessons when the sentence idea is ready but you are unsure which relationship the particle should mark.
Compare wa and ga through topic, identification, new information, and contrast, with practical beginner tests instead of one rigid translation.
Can-do: Use wa to establish a topic and ga to identify or present focused information in basic sentences.
Open lesson
Choose ni for destinations, existence, and time, and de for the place or means of an action, with paired real-life examples.
Can-do: Use ni for a destination or existence and de for where an action happens.
Open lesson