ます - the polite present/future verb ending

Meaning

The standard polite ending for a verb describing a habitual action or something that will happen.

Explanation

Attaching ます to a verb's stem produces the neutral-polite form used in everyday conversation with people you're not close to. It covers both the present habitual ("I do X") and the future ("I will do X") - Japanese doesn't distinguish these the way English does.

Formation

Verb stem + ます

Related lessons and articles

• Verb groups: how to form the ます-stem (売り, 食べ, し, き) of each group