What are the meanings of ました, ます, and ません?


What are the uses for ました, ます, and ません? For example with the word, ありがとう, what
are the differences between ありがとうございました, ありがとうございます, and ありがとうございません?

Also, is it possible to properly use どうも as a prefix of any of these? (I've
heard _doumo arigatou_ before, which is why I was wondering.)




In it's purest form ます、ました、and ません are just conjugations. So a good example
demonstrating the differences is to use 食べる (because it's breakfast time and
I'm hungry).

食べます - I can/will eat

食べました - I ate

食べません - I don't eat

For ございます, it's a bit more tricky. ございます is used as a polite form of ある, the
verb for "to exist". So an example would be if someone asked if there are eggs
in the fridge.

冷蔵庫に卵ありませんか？

冷蔵庫に卵ございませんか？

So for the above example, ある is being used in ます form to make it polite and
then ません is added in that funny Japanese way of asking if something exists by
asking if it doesn't exist. For the second example, ございます is being used in
place of ある to make it even more polite.

For your example of ありがとうございます, the ございます is being used slightly differently
here. The proper etymology of ありがとうございます is meaning that "there is something
that exists that I would like to express thanks for". So, the ございます here is
referring to the "something that exists"． However, it is mainly used to just
make sentences more polite.

ありがとうございます - Thank you

ありがとうございました - Thank you (for something already done)

ありがとうございません - Not used at all. If you really want to tell something that there
is nothing you want to give thanks for, you could say "ありがたくはありません". If you
say this in any setting outside of funny things to say with your Japanese
buddies when drunk, this is most likely going to get you in very hot water
very quickly, haha.

As for どうも, it is just another way of adding more emphasis to a sentence. You
can use it in several instances, not just with ありがとう. So for example:

どうもありがとうございます - Thank you so very much!

どうもすみません - Please excuse me very much

You have to be careful when and how you use どうも though, because it's one of
those words that can very easily be seen as sarcastic. So, for example, if I
said どうもすいません (すいません is a speaking way of shortening すみません) in a condescending
voice, it's likely I'd have some serious trouble on my hands.

I hope all this helps!

