How and When to Use “ndesu” in Japanese? The Right Way to Learn

Hi, I’m SATO Shingo, a native speaker with more than 10 years of experience in teaching Japanese.

Do you often hear “ndesu” in Japanese but find it difficult to use?
As a Japanese language teacher, it is also difficult to teach “ndesu”, and as far as I know, no teacher likes to teach “ndesu”.
However, since I changed my textbook from one that emphasizes grammar to one called Irodori, it has become much easier to teach and students don’t seem to be confused.
In this post, I will explain the basic functions of “ndesu” and how to learn it effectively.

In conclusion, there are three basic functions of “ndesu”.

1. to explain your situation when asking someone for help
2. to explain the situation to the other person
3. to ask for a detailed description of a situation or reason that you do not know well

Also, to learn effectively, it is best to link “ndesu” to your communication goals.

3 Basic Functions of “ndesu”

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, the three basic functions of “ndesu” are as follows.

1. to explain your situation when asking someone for help（-ndesu ga…）
2. to explain the situation to the other person（-ndesu）
3. to ask for a detailed description of a situation or reason that you do not know well（-ndesu ka）

Since this alone does not give you a clear picture, let’s look at some example sentences.
All example sentences are taken from “Irodori” by the Japan Foundation.

1. ジョギングシューズを買いたいんですが…
（I would like to buy jogging shoes.）

2. 昨日から 38 度の熱があって、のどがすごく痛いんです。
（I have had a 38-degree fever since yesterday, and my throat is very sore.）

3.成人の日は、何をするんですか?
（What do people do on Coming-of-Age Day?）

The Japan Foundation, Irodori Japanese for Life in Japan

The first sentence reads “Jogingu shuuzu o kaitaindesu ga…“. The speaker tells the friend he is shopping with that he wants to go shopping for jogging shoes and expects her to follow him.

The second one reads “Kinoo kara 38 do no netsu ga atte, nodo ga sugoku itaindesu“. The speaker is at the hospital telling the doctor about the speaker’s symptoms.

And the third sentence reads “Seejin no Hi wa, nani o surundesu ka?”. The speaker, who does not know about the Japanese national holiday “Seejin no Hi (Coming of Age Day),” is asking what the day is all about.

You may have thought that all of these situations are extremely limited and inefficient. However, the fact that they are limited means that they are specific and easy to use in actual communication. Furthermore, it is more effective if you think about what your goal in communicating is.

And this is why I find it easier to teach and less confusing for my students. I will explain more in the next section.

The best way to learn

I recommend that you learn to connect “ndesu” with the goal of communication.

In the first example sentence (I would like to buy jogging shoes.), the goal is “Can discuss what to do next and where to go while you are out with someone.

This is the order in which the goal comes first, and then “ndesu” is used to achieve that goal. This order makes sense, doesn’t it? I have never communicated in Japanese because I wanted to use “ndesu”. I use “ndesu” because I have to.

Goals that can be achieved with “ndesu”

In Irodori, “ndesu” is taught to achieve the following goals.

1. Can ask and understand directions on the phone.

2. Can discuss what to do next and where to go while you are out with someone.

3. Can ask questions about the lesson you are interested in at a local government office and understand the answers.

4. Can tell your supervisor what is going on when you have a problem at work.

5. Can ask for permission in advance when you want to take a day off from work.

6. Can explain in simple terms your symptoms at the hospital.

7. Can listen to and understand what to do and what to eat, etc. for annual events in Japan.

The Japan Foundation, Irodori Japanese for Life in Japan

If you live in Japan, you will likely be communicating in this way. It would be efficient to learn the grammar that best fits the communication you need.

Also, you may think it is tedious because it comes up many times. But this also means that even if you don’t understand it the first time, you will have many chances to learn it. If you already understand it, the next “ndesu” is your chance to review it!

Irodori also offers a free e-learning course. Please give it a try!

Conclusion

In this post, I explained the basic functions of “ndesu” and how to learn it effectively.

In conclusion, there are three basic functions of “ndesu”.

1. to explain your situation when asking someone for help
2. to explain the situation to the other person
3. to ask for a detailed description of a situation or reason that you do not know well

Also, to learn effectively, it is best to link “ndesu” to your communication goals.

I hope this post will help you understand and learn “ndesu” effectively.

For more information on Irodori, please read the following posts.

A Comprehensive Review of Irodori : Japanese for Life in Japan by The Japan Foundation

Learn Japanese with Free PDFs