# Do certain languages have verb tenses that we don't have in English? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 10, 2006, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-languages-have-verb-tenses-that-we-dont-have-in-english/375904 "2006-10-10T06:52:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-languages-have-verb-tenses-that-we-dont-have-in-english/375904/41 "2006-10-12T16:37:41Z")
[QUOTE=guizot] If you’re talking about honorifics, I’m not sure that would be called a conjugation. [/QUOTE] Japanese verbs incorporate honorifics in conjugation, unlike English. Nouns can also have honorifics added, but these are not part of the word. For instance, consider the verb “to go:” いく in plain form, いきます in polite form, いらっしゅろ in honorific & polite dictionary form (refering to others), いらっしゅろいます in honorific & polite form (refering to others), まいす in humble and polite dictionary form and まいります in humble and polite form. (And here’s hoping you are seeing garbage characters for the hiragana.) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2006, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-languages-have-verb-tenses-that-we-dont-have-in-english/375904/42 "2006-10-13T03:46:38Z")
The hiragana came through just fine and I sight-read it. Pleased that I can still remember how to read those. But if I’m not mistaken, the verbal root is really written with a kanji at the beginning followed by kana: 行く, 行きます, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-certain-languages-have-verb-tenses-that-we-dont-have-in-english/375904.md?page=2)