Verbs as Adjectives
Plain form verbs (i.e. not ます form) can modify nouns directly. The two basic patterns are:
Object and Verb + Noun
This consists of an Object + Verb modifying a noun.
- 学校に行った人 – The person who went to school. (Lit: Went to school person)
- ピザを食べた人. – The person who ate pizza.
- しんぶんを読んでいる人。– The person reading the newspaper.
- 前に飛び出した猫 – The cat that jumped out in front (of me)
XがVerb + Noun
This pattern consists of a Subject and Verb modifying a noun. が is used here and not は due to the need for specificity.
- 私が読んでいる本。The book I am reading.
- 彼が食べたケーキ。The cake he ate.
- 私が飲まなかった飲み物。The drink that I didn’t drink.
である
Although です is a verb, it cannot itself modify a noun; however its original form である can.
である meaning wise is similar to で, but differs slightly (see below).
However, である is used for some phrases or conjugation purposes that we will talk about later.
For now, be aware that である is です.
- 猫であるかれは。。The cat that is him…
- 猫で彼は✖→彼は猫で。。
- 男である以上… - Since (I) am a man…
What not to do
The most common mistake is forgetting that the verb clause is the adjective:
- 彼が食べたケーキ – The cake that he ate. (he eaten cake) 〇
- 彼を食べたケーキ – The cake that ate him. (ate him cake) ✖ (Probably not the intention)