Aspect: the Beginning, Middle, & End of Actions

Last time, you learned how to express experiences like “前まえに日に本ほん語ごを勉べん強きょうしたことがある (I have studied Japanese before)” and “前まえに日に本ほん語ごを勉べん強きょうしている (I studied Japanese before).” Now, you can express things in the future, the present, and the past. In this lesson, we would like to focus on what aspects verbs may have.

Explanation for How Japanese Aspect Works

Aspects may be divided into three groups: the beginning, the middle, and the end of actions or events. Taking the verb: “to eat” as an example, this may be expressed as the three groups in English like this: you have started eating, are in the middle of eating, and have finished eating. Let’s learn how to express them in Japanese.

…始はじめる and …だす: the Beginning of Actions or Events

When you express the beginning of actions or events, you connect verbs with 始はじめる or だす. The conjugation is simple. You can utilize the polite form and attach 始はじめる or だす instead of ます.

This conjugation pattern is often used for other forms, too. To do this more fluently, please make sure to master how to conjugate verbs into the polite form. Now, let’s move to the functions

This can be translated as “start verb-ing” in English. With the example above, we have used the ta-form at the end. As you have already learned, you need to judge whether it is in past tense or present perfect tense since we use the same form in both cases. Of course, you can use this expression for present and future tense, too.

You can also use 始はじめる as a verb.

…だす have the almost same meaning as …始はじめる, but there are two differences. The first is that …だす implies unexpected actions or events. Therefore, it’s often unnatural to use …だす when you set yourself as a subject and use volitional verbs such as 作つくる and 食たべる because your own actions can generally not be unexpected ones.

The second difference is that …だす itself cannot be a verb. Thus, the following examples are wrong.

…終おわる and …やむ: the End of Actions or Events

The conjugation is the same as the above. Instead of ます, you attach 終おわる and やむ to the stem of verbs.

Just like …始はじめる, this can be translated as “finish -ing” in English. You can substitute …終おえる for …終おわる, but this is more formal and only used with volitional verbs.

When actions don’t have a particular end, e.g. momentary actions like “買かう to buy”, ...終おわる doesn’t work well. The verbs used in this form should be ones which take some time to complete.

Be careful; unlike 始はじまる, 終おわる itself can be both an intransitive and a transitive verb.

…やむ also expresses the end of actions or events. However, …やむ cannot be used with volitional verbs even if subjects are third people. You can say “男おとこが突然歌とつぜんうたいだした (A man has suddenly started singing),” but cannot say “男おとこが突然歌とつぜんうたいやんだ.” Thus, the usage is limited in comparison with the previous grammar.

やむ can be a verb and means “finish,” “stop,” “to be over.” This is generally used for only weather.

…続つづける and …つつある: the Middle of Actions or Events

You already know one of the expressions for the middle of actions or events, which is present progressive tense: 日に本ほん語ごを勉べん強きょうしている. However, there are some cases which require you to use different expressions: …続つづける and …つつある. The conjugation is the same as the above. You can utilize the one for the polite form.

The basic function of …続つづける is to express continuous actions or events. Just like other verbs, the plain form indicates future tense. Therefore, if you would like to express continuous actions at present, you have to apply the te-form + いる for it.

Regarding the difference between present progressive tense and …続ける, the former one indicates continuous action at some points while the later one indicates that actions doesn’t finish within a period of time. Therefore, with the examples below, …続ける is not suitable because you are talking about the action at particular time.

In the following case, している sounds something like you are studying Japanese without a rest until you have died. Thus, when you mention a certain period of time, …続つづける is more suitable.

Note: when you use 雨あめが降ふる with …続つづける, you need to change the form to …続つづく. This is an exception.

…つつある is kind of a new concept that you haven’t learned yet. The plain form: 溶とける indicates a momentary action and will result in the ongoing state: 溶とけている. Then, there should be a time of transformation from 溶とける to 溶とけている. This is the place where …つつある comes into play. Note: this sounds a little formal.

…ところだ: Expressing “Just”

This is a very powerful word. By utilizing this, you can express every aspect: the beginning, the middle, and the end of actions or events with a few exceptions. And, there is no conjugation. You can directly connect verbs with …ところだ.

The Plain form + ところだ

When you connect the plain (dictionary) form with …ところ（だ / です）, you can express a moment just before actions are taken. If you apply the ta-form for it, you can also express actions which you have not started like “I was about to do it.” Here are examples.

The Ta-form + ところだ

When you connect the ta-form with …ところ（だ / です）, you can express a moment just after actions are taken. This is very useful to express present perfect tense. When you apply the ta-form for it, you can also express the moment at some points in the past.

Only in this context, you can reword this by using the word: ばかり. This word also has some functions which you will learn in other lessons.

The Te-form + いる + ところだ

When you connect the te-form + いる with …ところ（だ / です）, you can express a moment that you are just taking actions or events are happening. By using this, you can reword other expressions for continuous actions or evens. Since …つつある is a formal word, ているところ is more suitable in conversation.

Be careful; you cannot substitute ているところ for the following cases.

1. When Verbs Are Non-volitional

2. When Conceptual Things Are Changing

3. When …続つづける Is Used

Summary

1. The polite form can be a base for other conjugations.
2. …始はじめる and …だす express the beginning of actions or events.
3. …終おわる and …やむ express the end of actions or events.
4. …続つづける and …つつある express the middle of actions or events.
5. …ところだ expresses “just”at the given moment.

The difference between the two words is clear when you express the beginning and the end of action or events. The expression of the middle of actions or events are a little complicated in comparison. In order to grasp the concept, you need to understand how progressive actions and resultant states work. If you have difficulty, please review the previous lessons. Next, you will tackle the last lesson in the tense and aspect section: the other utilization of the te-form.