Susumu is the Japanese verb for ‘to move forward’, explained

What does “susumu” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “susumu” normally to mean ‘to move forward’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “susumu” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “susumu”
  • Example #1: how to say “move forward” in Japanese
• Susumanai: the nai form of “susumu”
  • Example #2: how to say “not move forward” in Japanese
• Susumou: the volitional form of “susumu”
  • Example #3: how to say “let’s move forward” in Japanese
• Susumimasu: the masu form of “susumu”
  • Example #4: how to say “move forward” politely in Japanese
• Susunda: the past tense form of “susumu”
  • Example #5: how to say “moved forward” in Japanese
• Susunde: the te form of “susumu”
  • Example #6: how to say “please move forward” in Japanese
• Susumeba: the ba form of “susumu”
  • Example #7: how to say “if move forward” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “susumu”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “susumu”.

• susumu – 進む (すすむ) : a verb meaning ‘to move forward’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘to move on’ or ‘to proceed’ in Japanese.

Japanese native speakers use this verb when they make a step or steps forward. So, the usage of this verb is similar to those of the English verbs written above.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “move forward” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
• hibi – 日々 (ひび) : an adverb meaning ‘day by day’ or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “susumu”. When we want to mean ‘to move forward’ in Japanese, this verb is a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “susumu” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “susumanai”.

Susumanai: the nai form of “susumu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “susumanai”.

• susumanai – 進まない (すすまない) : the nai form of “susumu”, which means ‘not to move forward’, ‘not to move on’, or ‘not to proceed’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “susumanai” consists of the following two parts:

• susuma – 進ま (すすま) : one conjugation of “susumu”. 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 “susumanai” is literally the nai form of “susumu” and means ‘not to move forward’, ‘not to move on’, or ‘not to proceed’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not move forward” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• shakai – 社会 (しゃかい) : a noun meaning ‘society’ in Japanese.
• mae – 前 (まえ) : a noun meaning ‘front’ or such in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “mae” to say in which direction the society doesn’t move.

This is a typical usage of “susumanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to move forward’ in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.

Susumou: the volitional form of “susumu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “susumou”.

• susumou – 進もう (すすもう) : the volitional form of “susumu”, which expresses volition to move forward, move on, or proceed in Japanese.

Grammatically, “susumou” consists of the following two parts:

• susumo – 進も (すすも) : one conjugation of “susumu”. This can have a smooth connection with “u”.
• u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “susumou” is literally the volitional form of “susumu” and expresses volition to move forward, move on, or proceed in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “let’s move forward” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• shikashi – しかし : a conjunction meaning ‘however’, ‘but’, or such in Japanese.
• issho – 一緒 (いっしょ) : a noun meaning ‘same’, ‘being together’, or such in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say how someone does something. In the example, this is used after “issho” to say “together” in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “susumou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s move forward” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.

Susumimasu: the masu form of “susumu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “susumimasu”.

• susumimasu – 進みます (すすみます) : the masu form of “susumu”, which means ‘to move forward’, ‘to move on’, or ‘to proceed’ politely in Japanese.

Grammatically, “susumimasu” consists of the following two parts:

• susumi – 進み (すすみ) : one conjugation of “susumu”. 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 Japanese masu form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “susumimasu” is literally the masu form of “susumu” and means ‘to move forward’, ‘to move on’, or ‘to proceed’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “move forward” politely in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• sekai – 世界 (せかい) : a noun meaning ‘world’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “susumimasu”. 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 say “move forward” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.

Susunda: the past tense form of “susumu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “susunda”.

• susunda – 進んだ (すすんだ) : the past tense form of “susumu”, which means ‘moved forward’, ‘moved on’, ‘proceeded’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “susunda” consists of the following two parts:

• susun – 進ん (すすん) : one conjugation of “susumu”. This can have a smooth connection with “da”.
• da – だ : the voiced version of “ta” which is an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “susunda” is literally the past tense form of “susumu” and means ‘moved forward’, ‘moved on’, ‘proceeded’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “moved forward” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi tachi” to make its possessive case, “watashi tachi no”, which means ‘our’ in Japanese.
• shigoto – 仕事 (しごと) : a noun meaning ‘work’, ‘business’, or such in Japanese.
• mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’, ‘also’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this works after “watashi tachi no shigoto” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
• kotoshi – 今年 (ことし) : a noun meaning ‘this year’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say “this year” in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “susunda”. When we want to use the past tense form of “susumu”, this form is the best option.

Susunde: the te form of “susumu”

Below are the definition and meanings of “susunde”.

• susunde – 進んで (すすんで) : the te form of “susumu”, which means ‘to move forward’, ‘to move on’, or ‘to proceed’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “susunde” consists of the following two parts:

• susun – 進ん (すすん) : one conjugation of “susumu”. This can have a smooth connection with “de”.
• de – で : the voiced version of “te” which is a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “susunde” is literally the te form of “susumu”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “susunde” is very useful when we want to use “susumu” in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxliliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #6: how to say “please move forward” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’ in Japanese. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “susunde” to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “susunde”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “susumu” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.

Susumeba: the ba form of “susumu”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “susumeba”.

• susumeba – 進めば (すすめば) : the ba form of “susumu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to move forward’, ‘to move on’, or ‘to proceed’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “susumeba” consists of the following two parts:

• susume – 進め (すすめ) : one conjugation of “susumu”. 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 “susumeba” is literally the ba form of “susumu”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “susumeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to move forward’, ‘to move on’, or ‘to proceed’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #7: how to say “if move forward” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “sekai” to make the object in the sentence.
• kae – 変え (かえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “kaeru”, which means ‘to change’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• rareru – られる : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its potential form. In the example, this is used after “kae” to make its potential form, “kae rareru”, which means ‘can change’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “susumeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “mae ni susumeba”, which means ‘if you move forward’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to move forward’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “susumu” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• susumu – 進む (すすむ) : a verb meaning ‘to move forward’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘to move on’ or ‘to proceed’ in Japanese.
• susumanai – 進まない (すすまない) : the nai form of “susumu”, which means ‘not to move forward’, ‘not to move on’, or ‘not to proceed’ in Japanese.
• susumou – 進もう (すすもう) : the volitional form of “susumu”, which expresses volition to move forward, move on, or proceed in Japanese.
• susumimasu – 進みます (すすみます) : the masu form of “susumu”, which means ‘to move forward’, ‘to move on’, or ‘to proceed’ politely in Japanese.
• susunda – 進んだ (すすんだ) : the past tense form of “susumu”, which means ‘moved forward’, ‘moved on’, ‘proceeded’, or such in Japanese.
• susunde – 進んで (すすんで) : the te form of “susumu”, which means ‘to move forward’, ‘to move on’, or ‘to proceed’ in Japanese. When we want to use “susumu” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• susumeba – 進めば (すすめば) : the ba form of “susumu”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to move forward’, ‘to move on’, or ‘to proceed’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.