N5 · Unit 3
Lesson 9Spicy, tasty, and not very expensive
Use i-adjectives for present and past affirmative or negative descriptions.
What you learn
Use i-adjectives for present and past affirmative or negative descriptions.
Learning points
- I-adjectives
- Negative and past adjective forms
- Degree expressions
Why this lesson comes now
This lesson connects what you can already say to a new way of expressing it. Hear the key sentences, understand the structure, then use it in a real situation.
Your next step
Listen to the key sentences, understand the pattern, finish the examples and vocabulary, then continue to the next lesson.
Open the interactive lessonCore pattern
い形容詞です / くないです / かったです / くなかったです ・ とても / あまりBeginner explanation
I-adjectives normally end in い. For the present negative, replace い with くないです. For the past, use かったです; for the past negative, use くなかったです. とても means 'very', while あまり normally appears with a negative form.
Understand these sentences first
- この カレーは 辛いです。kono karē wa karai desu
This curry is spicy.
- この 店は あまり 高くないです。kono mise wa amari takakunai desu
This restaurant is not very expensive.
- 昨日は とても 暑かったです。kinō wa totemo atsukatta desu
It was very hot yesterday.
- 先週は 忙しくなかったです。senshū wa isogashikunakatta desu
Last week was not busy.
Core vocabulary
- 辛いからいspicy
- おいしいおいしいtasty
- 高いたかいexpensive; high
- 安いやすいinexpensive
- 暑いあついhot weather
- 寒いさむいcold
- 忙しいいそがしいbusy
- 楽しいたのしいenjoyable
Grammar, one point at a time
I-adjectives end in い and can precede です
N は i-adjective ですAn i-adjective carries a descriptive predicate. Add です for politeness and do not add な. Most dictionary forms end in い, but words such as きれい belong to a different class.
Examples
- この 料理は 辛いです。This dish is spicy.
- 海は 広いです。The sea is vast.
For a present negative, change い to くないです
〜い → 〜くないです／〜くありませんRemove final い and add くないです or the more formal くありません. Do not simply attach ないです to the dictionary form. いい is irregular: よくないです or よくありません.
Examples
- この スープは 熱くないです。This soup is not hot.
- 値段は 高くありません。The price is not high.
For a past affirmative, change い to かったです
〜い → 〜かったですUse かったです for past weather, experiences, or food already eaten. Do not leave the adjective unchanged and make only です past. The past of いい is よかったです.
Examples
- 旅行は 楽しかったです。The trip was enjoyable.
- 昨日の 天気は よかったです。Yesterday's weather was good.
Use くなかったです for a past negative
〜い → 〜くなかったです／〜くありませんでしたRemove final い and add くなかったです; the more formal alternative is くありませんでした. いい becomes よくなかったです or よくありませんでした.
Examples
- 昨日は 寒くなかったです。It was not cold yesterday.
- 試験は 難しくありませんでした。The test was not difficult.
An i-adjective directly modifies a noun without の
i-adjective + NKeep final い and place the adjective directly before the noun, as in 新しい靴. Do not say 新しいの靴 or おいしいの料理.
Examples
- 青い 海a blue sea
- おいしい 料理delicious food
Replace を with は when an object becomes the topic or contrast
object は VWhen an object originally marked by を becomes the topic or a contrast, replace を with は. Do not combine them as をは. Other particles combine with は differently; begin with this pattern.
Examples
- コーヒーは 飲みません。I do not drink coffee.
- この 本は 友達に もらいました。I received this book from a friend.
Degree adverbs must match affirmative or negative forms
とても／少し + adjective; あまり／全然 + negativeとても or たいへん marks a high degree, while 少し or ちょっと means somewhat. At beginner level, あまり and 全然 normally pair with a negative, meaning not very and not at all.
Examples
- この 料理は とても おいしいです。This dish is very tasty.
- 温泉は あまり 熱くないです。The hot spring is not very hot.
Expressions and situations
多い and 少ない normally do not count things as simple prenominal adjectives
For many people or things, use 人が多い, 本がたくさんあります, or たくさんの本. Beginners should not copy Chinese or English word order as 多い人.
- 公園に 人が たくさん います。There are many people in the park.
Noun + 用 marks purpose or intended user
子供用 means intended for children. Other examples include 女性用, お客様用, and ワイン用のグラス. The noun identifies the user or purpose.
- これは 子供用の 浴衣です。This is a children's yukata.
Answer a negative question with a full predicate to avoid ambiguity
熱くないですか can confirm that something is not hot or gently ask whether it is too hot. A bare はい or いいえ can be confusing across languages, so state the fact: はい、熱くないです or いいえ、熱いです.
- 熱くないですか。— はい、熱くないです。Isn't it hot? — Right, it is not hot.
- 熱くないですか。— いいえ、熱いです。Isn't it hot? — No, it is hot.
あら and ああ are conversational reactions, not sentence structure
あら often marks a small surprise or discovery. ああ can signal recollection, understanding, or a stronger affirmative reaction. Speaker, relationship, and intonation affect nuance, so do not insert them mechanically.
ちょうどいい means just right in size, temperature, or amount
ちょうど means exactly or just, and ちょうどいい evaluates clothing size, bath temperature, timing, or amount as just right.
- この 浴衣は ちょうどいいです。This yukata is just right.
In everyday speech, hot water is normally お湯
水 normally suggests unheated or cold water, while heated water is お湯 in everyday speech. 熱い水 is not impossible in every technical context, but お湯 is the beginner default for travel conversation.
- お湯は 熱いです。The hot water is hot.
- 冷たい 水を ください。Cold water, please.
Separate taste quality from whether food is enjoyable
甘い, 塩辛い or しょっぱい, 酸っぱい, 辛い, and 苦い name particular tastes. おいしい and まずい evaluate the overall eating or drinking experience. For food, 辛い often means spicy, but in other contexts it can mean painful or difficult.
- この カレーは 辛いです。This curry is spicy.
- この 水は おいしいです。This water tastes good.
熱い and 暑い describe object temperature and hot weather
Use 熱い for hot drinks, soup, water, or objects, and 暑い for hot weather or surroundings. Use 冷たい for cold objects and 寒い for cold weather.
- 今日は 暑いです。It is hot today.
- お茶は 熱いです。The tea is hot.
What you should be able to do
- Change i-adjectives through present affirmative, present negative, past affirmative, and past negative.
- Practise the irregular forms よくない, よかった, and よくなかった for いい.
- Detect an unnecessary の between an i-adjective and noun.
- Express different degrees with とても, 少し, あまり, and 全然.
- Distinguish 熱い from 暑い, 冷たい from 寒い, and six taste descriptions.
- Complete an original hot-spring stay: choose a yukata, check the water temperature, admire the view, and describe how it feels.
Culture and real use
First onsen visit: wash first, then soak, and follow each facility's rules
JNTO guidance says that bathers normally undress in the changing area, wash and rinse thoroughly before soaking, keep towels and long hair out of the water, speak quietly, and leave phones outside the bathing area. Rules for tattoos, swimwear, children, and private baths vary, so check the facility in advance.
- お湯は 熱くないですか。Isn't the water too hot?
- この 浴衣は ちょうどいいです。This yukata is just right.
- タトゥーが あります。入っても いいですか。I have a tattoo. May I enter?