What does “materu” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers use materu often to mean ‘can wait’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this potential verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I’m explaining it together with its major conjugations. And also, I’m explaining how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use materu more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “materu”
- Matenai: the nai form of “materu”
- Matemasu: the masu form of “materu”
- Mateta: the ta form of “materu”
- Matete: the te form of “materu”
- Matereba: the ba form of “materu”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “materu”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of materu.
- materu – 待てる (まてる) : a potential verb used to mean ‘can wait’ or ‘to be able to wait’ in Japanese.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this potential verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “can wait” in Japanese
watashi tachi wa ashita made materu – 私達は明日まで待てる (わたしたちはあしたまでまてる)
We can wait until tomorrow.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after watashi to make its plural form, watashi tachi, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after watashi tachi to make the subject in the sentence.
- ashita – 明日 (あした) : a noun meaning ‘tomorrow’ in Japanese.
- made – まで : an adverbial particle used to say until when someone can do something. In the example, this is used after ashita to mean ‘until tomorrow’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of materu. In this example, it works together with ashita made to mean ‘can wait until tomorrow’ in Japanese. When we want to mean ‘can wait’ in Japanese, anyway, this potential verb is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of materu and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I’m explaining its major conjugations. The first one is matenai.
Matenai: the nai form of “materu”
Below are the definition and meanings of matenai.
- matenai – 待てない (まてない) : the nai form of materu, which means ‘cannot wait’ or ‘not to be able to wait’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, matenai consists of the following two parts:
- mate – 待て (まて) : one conjugation of materu. This can have a smooth connection with nai.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of not.
From these two parts, we can understand that matenai is literally the nai form of materu and means ‘cannot wait’ or ‘not to be able to wait’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “cannot wait” in Japanese
boku wa ashita made matenai – 僕は明日まで待てない (ぼくはあしたまでまてない)
I cannot wait until tomorrow.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of matenai. When we want to mean ‘cannot wait’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Matemasu: the masu form of “materu”
Below are the definition and meanings of matemasu.
- matemasu – 待てます (まてます) : the masu form of materu, which politely means ‘can wait’ or ‘to be able to wait’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, matemasu consists of the following two parts:
- mate – 待て (まて) : one conjugation of materu. This can have a smooth connection with masu.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of the Japanese masu form.
From these two parts, we can understand that matemasu is literally the masu form of materu and politely means ‘can wait’ or ‘to be able to wait’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “can wait” politely in Japanese
watashi tachi wa mada kanojo wo matemasu – 私達はまだ彼女を待てます (わたしたちはまだかのじょをまてます)
We can still wait for her.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- mada – まだ : an adverb meaning ‘still’ in Japanese.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after kanojo to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of matemasu. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to mean ‘can wait’ politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.
Mateta: the ta form of “materu”
Below are the definition and meanings of mateta.
- mateta – 待てた (まてた) : the ta form of materu, which means ‘could wait’, ‘was able to wait’, ‘were able to wait’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, mateta consists of the following two parts:
- mate – 待て (まて) : one conjugation of materu. This can have a smooth connection with ta.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.
From these two parts, we can understand that mateta is literally the ta form of materu and means ‘could wait’, ‘was able to wait’, ‘were able to wait’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “could wait” in Japanese
watashi wa imouto no henji wo mateta – 私は妹の返事を待てた (わたしはいもうとのへんじをまてた)
I could wait for an answer from my little sister.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- imouto – 妹 (いもうと) : a noun meaning a ‘little sister’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after imouto to make its possessive case, imouto no, which literally means ‘my little sister’s’ in Japanese. It has been translated as from my little sister, though.
- henji – 返事 (へんじ) : a noun meaning an ‘answer’, ‘reply’, or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of mateta. When we want to use the past tense form of materu, this ta form is the best option.
Matete: the te form of “materu”
Below are the definition and meanings of matete.
- matete – 待てて (まてて) : the te form of materu, which means ‘can wait’ or ‘to be able to wait’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, matete consists of the following two parts:
- mate – 待て (まて) : one conjugation of materu. This can have a smooth connection with te.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that matete is literally the te form of materu. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, matete is very useful when we want to use materu in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb with a smooth connection. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “can wait” in Japanese
kono heya de hikouki wo matete kutsurogeru – この部屋で飛行機を待ててくつろげる (このへやでひこうきをまててくつろげる)
We can wait for a flight in this room and can relax.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kono – この : a determiner used before a noun which refers to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before heya to mean ‘this room’ in Japanese.
- heya – 部屋 (へや) : a noun meaning a ‘room’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after kono heya to say where the speakers can wait for the flight and relax.
- hikouki – 飛行機 (ひこうき) : a noun meaning a ‘plane’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. In the example, this is used to mean a ‘flight’, though.
- kutsurogeru – くつろげる : a potential verb meaning ‘can relax’ or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of matete. In this example, it has the smooth connection with kutsurogeru. When we want to use materu in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Matereba: the ba form of “materu”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of matereba.
- matereba – 待てれば (まてれば) : the ba form of materu, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘can wait’ or ‘to be able to wait’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, matereba consists of the following two parts:
- matere – 待てれ (まてれ) : one conjugation of materu. This can have a smooth connection with ba.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that matereba is literally the ba form of materu. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use matereba to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘can wait’ or ‘to be able to wait’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “if can wait” in Japanese
ashita made matereba, sukoshi tasuke rare masu – 明日まで待てれば、少し助けられます (あしたまでまてれば、すこしたすけられます)
If you can wait until tomorrow, I can help you a bit.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- sukoshi – 少し (すこし) : an adverb meaning ‘a bit’ or such in Japanese.
- tasuke – 助け (たすけ) : one conjugation of the verb, tasukeru, which means ‘to help’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- rare – られ : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, rareru, which is used after a verb to make its potential form. In the example, this is used after tasuke to mean ‘can help’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of matereba. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, ashita made matereba, which means ‘if you can wait until tomorrow’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘can wait’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained materu and its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- materu – 待てる (まてる) : a potential verb used to mean ‘can wait’ or ‘to be able to wait’ in Japanese.
- matenai – 待てない (まてない) : the nai form of materu, which means ‘cannot wait’ or ‘not to be able to wait’ in Japanese.
- matemasu – 待てます (まてます) : the masu form of materu, which politely means ‘can wait’ or ‘to be able to wait’ in Japanese.
- mateta – 待てた (まてた) : the ta form of materu, which means ‘could wait’, ‘was able to wait’, ‘were able to wait’, or such in Japanese.
- matete – 待てて (まてて) : the te form of materu, which means ‘can wait’ or ‘to be able to wait’ in Japanese.
- matereba – 待てれば (まてれば) : the ba form of materu, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘can wait’ or ‘to be able to wait’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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