Should one use the -masu form of verbs when talking about one's own actions?


If I'm having a conversation with someone in which I am using the polite form
of verbs, should I also use the -masu form if I'm describing something I do or
did? If I'm saying, for example, 私は午前八時に起きる, should that be 起きます? Or does it
sound stuck-up?




At the very simplest level, regardless of whether talking about your own or
others' actions, it is best to stick to ます・です style if you want to be polite.

It does not sound stuck up if the politeness is appropriate, but it might
sound distant (so, potentially aloof/stuck up as a result?) if you
(continually) use it when speaking to friends.

That said, it is not uncommon to have style-shift within a conversation, which
is lucidly explained, in brief, here: [Can polite and casual Japanese be
combined?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/64467/can-polite-and-
casual-japanese-be-combined?rq=1).

As is often the case with how one's words come across, it will partly depend
on the manner of speaking (speed, stress, word choice, etc.), and non-verbal
elements (body language, gestures, etc). I can imagine saying something in
polite-form might _enhance_ sounding stuck up in certain circumstances, but
those other factors will really be key, I think.




At the very simplest level, regardless of whether talking about your own or
others' actions, it is best to stick to ます・です style if you want to be polite.

It does not sound stuck up if the politeness is appropriate, but it might
sound distant (so, potentially aloof/stuck up as a result?) if you
(continually) use it when speaking to friends.

That said, it is not uncommon to have style-shift within a conversation, which
is lucidly explained, in brief, here: [Can polite and casual Japanese be
combined?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/64467/can-polite-and-
casual-japanese-be-combined?rq=1).

As is often the case with how one's words come across, it will partly depend
on the manner of speaking (speed, stress, word choice, etc.), and non-verbal
elements (body language, gestures, etc). I can imagine saying something in
polite-form might _enhance_ sounding stuck up in certain circumstances, but
those other factors will really be key, I think.

