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JAPANESE VERB

もえる

燃える

to burn

  • #407 most used
  • Ichidan verb (ru-verb)

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present and future

now, habits, and what is to come

Form Polite Plain
AffirmativeI burn
NegativeI don’t burn

Past

finished actions

Form Polite Plain
AffirmativeI burned
NegativeI didn’t burn

Te-form

て形 · joining actions, “doing”, requests

Form Polite Plain
て-formburning, and…
Doing now (て います)I am burning
Please (て ください)please burn

Potential

可能形 · “can”

Form Polite Plain
AffirmativeI can burn
NegativeI can’t burn

Want to

たい形 · “want to”

Form Polite Plain
AffirmativeI want to burn
NegativeI don’t want to burn

Volitional

意向形 · “let’s”, “I’ll”

Form Polite Plain
Let’slet’s burn

Conditional

条件形 · “if” and “when”

  1. If (ば) if I burn
  2. If, when (たら) if I burn

Commands and requests

命令形 · from gentle to blunt

  1. Do it (なさい) burn (do it)
  2. Plain command burn!
  3. Please don’t please don’t burn

Passive and causative

受身形・使役形 · “is done”, “make someone do”

Form Polite Plain
PassiveI am burned
CausativeI make someone burn

How to use もえる

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present and future

    この ふくろ は もえる ごみ です か。

    Is this bag burnable rubbish?

  2. Past

    となり の まち で ふるい いえ が もえた。

    An old house burned down in the next town.

  3. Te-form

    なべ の なか の あぶら が もえて いる！

    The oil in the pan is burning!

  4. Potential

    ぬれた まき は もえなくて、 ひ が つけられない。

    Wet firewood won't burn, so I can't get the fire lit.

  5. Want to

    キャンプファイヤー が よく もえて、 ずっと みて いたかった。

    The campfire burned well and I wanted to keep watching it.

  6. Volitional

    よく もえる まき を かって おこう。

    Let's buy firewood that burns well.

  7. Conditional

    ぜんぶ もえたら、 みず を かけて ね。

    When it's all burned, pour water on it.

  8. Commands and requests

    もえて いる うち は、 さわらないで ください。

    While it's burning, please don't touch it.

  9. Passive and causative

    もえる ごみ の ひ を、 むすこ に おぼえさせた。

    I made my son learn the burnable rubbish days.

Good to know

  • もえる is for the thing that burns by itself; もやす is for what you burn: ごみ を もやす.
  • もえる ごみ is the rubbish that goes in the burnable bin.
  • Things burn by themselves, so where a form isn't used, the sentence shows もえる beside another verb.

Where you hear もえる

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Japanese · Intermediate Level 2

  • まいとし、 やま に ひ が もえます。 Every year, fires burn on the mountains.
  • 「だい」 の じ が もえた。 The character "big" burned.
  • あした の よる、 だいもんじ が もえる よ。 Tomorrow night, the Daimonji will burn.
13
Obon

Intermediate Level 2 · もえる · もえて いる

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: ichidan verb (ru-verb).