だ・です
🃏 Flashcard
だ・です
da / desu
Tap to reveal usage
to be (am, is, are, were, used to)
N5
Tap to test your recall · +10 XP
📊 Pattern Stats
JLPT Level
N5
Beginner · Basic sentence structures
Reading
da / desu
Post ID
50603
Patterns today
0
0 / 10 daily goal
📝 Usage Notes
to be (am, is, are, were, used to)
📖 How to use it
The copula 'da' and polite 'desu' equate a subject with a noun or adjective, meaning 'to be'.
Attaches to
Attach directly to a noun or な-adjective stem. For い-adjectives, attach after the adjective (e.g., さむいです). For verbs, use the plain past or て-form with です for politeness.
This is the Japanese copula, equivalent to English 'am/is/are' (and also 'was/were' when used with past forms). In the present tense, 'da' is casual and 'desu' is polite. You use it to state what something is: 'I am Tanaka', 'This is a pen', 'Kyoto is beautiful'. With nouns, just place 'da' or 'desu' after the noun. For な-adjectives, the stem is used (e.g., 'kirei' + 'da' → 'kirei da'). For い-adjectives, you do NOT add 'da' in casual speech (just the adjective alone), but in polite speech you add 'desu' after the adjective.
私は学生です。
Watashi wa gakusei desu.
I am a student.
これは本だ。
Kore wa hon da.
This is a book.
あの人はきれいです。
Ano hito wa kirei desu.
That person is beautiful.
Not だ vs. です vs. である
Use 'です' in polite conversation. Use 'da' in casual speech or when writing informally. 'である' is formal/literary, used in essays and speeches, not in ordinary conversation.
Register
'da' is casual and used among friends or in informal writing; 'desu' is polite and appropriate for most conversations with strangers, superiors, or in formal settings.
🎯 Quick Quiz
What does this grammar pattern mean or do?
だ・です
📚 How to Master This Pattern
Say It Aloud
Press Hear it and repeat だ・です three times. Feel the rhythm — grammar patterns have a natural flow.
Flip Before Reading
Always try to recall the usage before flipping the card. Struggle = learning. Every failed recall makes the next one stick harder.
Write Two Sentences
Compose two original sentences using だ・です. One about yourself, one about something you see right now.
Spaced Review
Save this pattern and revisit at 10 min, 1 day, 3 days. Production (writing) beats recognition for grammar.
🔗 More JLPT N5 Patterns
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What does the grammar pattern だ・です mean?
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To be (am, is, are, were, used to)
What JLPT level is だ・です?
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Nihoner currently groups this pattern under JLPT N5 — Beginner · Basic sentence structures. Use the level label as study guidance rather than a prediction of what will appear on an exam.
How do you use だ・です in a sentence?
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Attach だ・です (da / desu) to the appropriate verb or noun form as described in the usage notes. Then try writing two original sentences — one about yourself and one about something around you.
Is だ・です formal or casual Japanese?
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だ・です is used in both casual and polite contexts. It appears frequently in everyday conversation, textbooks, and simple written materials.
How can I remember だ・です long-term?
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Use the flashcard on this page for active recall — see the pattern, reconstruct the usage from memory, then flip. Follow with the 4-choice quiz to distinguish it from similar patterns. Review later the same day and again over the following days. Writing original sentences can help you practise using the pattern in context.