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Usages of mazu
まず 玄関 の 箱 を 中 に 運ぶ。mazu genkan no hako wo naka ni hakobu.
First, carry the box at the entrance inside.
まず 冷たい 水 と 熱い お茶 を 用意して、 それで ゆっくり 話そう。mazu tumetai mizu to atui otya wo youisite, sorede yukkuri hanasou.
First prepare cold water and hot tea, and then let’s talk at ease.
絶対 に 遅刻しない よう に、 まず 夕方 の 電車 に 並ぶ。zettai ni tikokusinai you ni, mazu yuugata no densya ni narabu.
To absolutely avoid being late, I’ll first line up for the evening train.
給料 が 入ったら、 まず 食費 を だいたい 決めて、 残り を 貯金する。kyuuryou ga haittara, mazu syokuhi wo daitai kimete, nokori wo tyokinsuru.
When my salary comes in, I roughly set the food budget first and save the rest.
上司 は 部下 に、 まず ゆっくり 話す よう に 言って くれました。zyousi ha buka ni, mazu yukkuri hanasu you ni itte kuremasita.
My boss kindly told his subordinate to speak slowly at first.
Test yourself: What does mazu mean?
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“How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?”
Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".
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