To recap, the verb stem is the polite form of the verb with the ます removed.
| Verb |
Dictionary |
Polite |
Stem |
| to go |
行く |
行きます |
行き〜 |
| to eat |
食べる |
食べます |
食べ〜 |
| to do |
する |
します |
し〜 |
We can use the verb stem with the kanji 方 to say “way of doing something”—an especially handy phrase when you first set foot in the Japan and there are many things you don’t yet know.
| 正しいやり方を教えてください。 |
| Please show me the correct way to do this. |
| 先生の話し方が面白いです。 |
| The teacher has an amusing way of speaking. |
| このマシンの使い方がわかりません。 |
| I don’t know the way to use this machine. |