～ます form in dependent clauses

Japanese
#1

Hello,

Can anyone help guide me on when it is appropriate to use ～ます form in dependent clauses? I had sort of gotten the impression that ～ます is usually reserved for the ends of sentences only – however, the ～いたす lesson has an example that contradicts this:

お話しいたしますので、少々お待ちください。

I thought maybe this was a quirk of humble speech, but there is another example of a relative clause that uses a regular verb ending with ～いたす which seems to contradict the above:

まだその映画を拝見いたしていないので、一緒に見に行きませんか。

Are they both appropriate then?

(I’ve reviewed two other related questions which seem to indicate that usually dictionary form is used in dependent clauses but that doesn’t seem to be applying to the above.)

Thank you!

Edit: I had thought only ～ます was accepted in the first example but plain form was as well, I just fat-fingered it :sweat_smile:

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#2

ので only takes the dictionary form of a verb before it, so the sentence should be:
お話いたすので、少々お待ちください。

Although now that I think about it, wouldn’t the ～ている form be better here?
お話して致すので少々お待ちください。

Edit: I’m dummy thicc

I’m thinking it’s not you not understanding the grammar properly, as much as it is the context sentence not being as clear.

The politeness usually comes at the end of the sentences, along with the main verb. So you have to consider which kind of connector is being used. ～ので～ “melds” two sentences into a single one, (since it gives emphasis on what was before it) and that’s why it uses dictionary form on the sentence that comes before it.

In contrast ～から～ will take ます on the sentence before it since it’s more of a connector. It’s joining two sentences, not making it one.

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#3

Sorry but I’m pretty sure this isn’t right. I hear Japanese people using ます before ので every day, usually when speaking in sonkeigo, but occasionally in the office too, during meetings and whatever, so the sentence is fine.

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#4

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I went to double check, I was wrong. Thanks for pointing it out!

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#5

@Daru @snugglesnacks @matt_in_mito

Hey, basically, as a rule of thumb, the polite form should be used only at the end of the main clause (and not in subordinate clauses), that is at the end of the sentence.

However, there are exceptions, for example, using polite forms before が (when it means but/end) is extremely common.

お聞きしたいことがあるのですが、よろしいですか？

It is also common with から、ので and generally whenever speaker/writer wants to be extremely polite.

You can even see or hear polite versions of particles like:
によると - によりますと
について - につきまして
において - におきまして
として - としまして (といたしまして)
にとって - にとりまして

But remember that those are used by people who want to be super extremelly polite (and often don’t particulary care about grammar, using double Keigo etc), usually by clerks, businessman, and people that want to ask something others they don’t know, etc.

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#6

Ah, the wonders of keigo. Rules are rules except when they’re not. :sweat_smile: Thanks a lot for your input, guys!

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