A lot of textbooks and websites try to teach you functional Japanese and ignore the grittier parts of the grammar. Unfortunately, this means many learners miss out of the structure and beauty (and structure!) of Japanese that, while complex, might help put things into place. This primer is designed to get you more familiar with what is actually going on with Japanese conjugations. It won't cover everything and may even tell some "simple truths" (aka, white lies you'll unlearn later) but it will get you started on achieving a deeper understanding of Japanese verbs.