These frames cover most of what you can say at N5. Each one works the same way: keep the frame, swap the words. Learn the frame and the vocabulary you already know starts producing whole sentences instead of single words.
In the examples, coloured text is the frame: it stays the same every time. Everything else is swappable.
Statements
わたしは学生です。
I am a student.
山田さんは先生です。
Mr Yamada is a teacher.
ここは図書館です。
This place is a library. ここ/そこ/あそこ slot into the A position just like any noun.
です is not doing the work of English "to be", it marks politeness. Drop it for casual speech (わたしは学生だ) and the sentence still means the same thing.
わたしは日本人じゃありません。
I am not Japanese.
これは私のかばんじゃありません。
This is not my bag.
今日は休みじゃありません。
Today is not a day off.
じゃ is the spoken contraction of では. Written Japanese and formal speech use ではありません, which is the same pattern one register up.
これは本です。
This is a book.
それは誰のですか。
Whose is that? の on its own means "the one belonging to", so 誰の = "whose one".
あれは駅です。
That over there is the station.
これ stands in for a noun on its own. この needs a noun right after it: この本です, never このです. Full family on the こそあど sheet.
Questions
学生ですか。
Are you a student? The topic is dropped because context supplies it. This is normal, not lazy.
これはいくらですか。
How much is this?
トイレはどこですか。
Where is the toilet?
No question mark needed, か already marks the question. Word order does not change either: you add か to the end of the statement and stop.
Existence
机の上に本があります。
There is a book on the desk.
公園に猫がいます。
There is a cat in the park. Living thing, so います.
近くにコンビニがありますか。
Is there a convenience store nearby?
The place takes に and the thing that exists takes が. Swapping them (本に机の上があります) is the single most common beginner slip here.
Wants and likes
寿司がすきです。
I like sushi.
音楽を聞くのがすきです。
I like listening to music. Dictionary form + の turns a verb into "the act of doing it".
納豆はあまりすきじゃありません。
I do not really like natto. が becomes は in the negative, which softens it into contrast.
すき is a な-adjective, not a verb. The thing you like is not an object, so it takes が, never を.
新しいパソコンがほしいです。
I want a new computer.
時間がほしいです。
I want time.
何がほしいですか。
What do you want?
ほしい only describes your own wants, or asks about the listener. For a third person you need ほしがっています, because you cannot see inside someone else’s head in Japanese grammar.
日本に行きたいです。
I want to go to Japan. 行きます → 行き + たい.
水が飲みたいです。
I want to drink water.
何が食べたいですか。
What do you want to eat?
たい conjugates like an い-adjective: 行きたくないです for the negative. The object can take を or が, and が leans a little harder on the wanting.
Invitations
一緒に映画を見ませんか。
Would you like to watch a film together?
コーヒーを飲みましょう。
Let’s have a coffee.
そろそろ帰りましょうか。
Shall we head home soon?
ませんか invites and leaves the door open to decline. ましょう assumes you both already agree. Using ましょう on a stranger sounds pushy.
Requests
コーヒーをください。
A coffee, please.
これを三つください。
Three of these, please. Counters go straight before ください with no particle.
ちょっと待ってください。
Please wait a moment. Verb version: て-form, and the を disappears.
Nouns take を before ください, verbs take the て-form and no を. 待ってをください is wrong.
Description
今日は暑いです。
Today is hot.
この部屋は静かです。
This room is quiet. 静か is a な-adjective, but な only appears before a noun (静かな部屋).
あまり高くないです。
It is not very expensive.
い-adjectives negate as 〜くないです, な-adjectives as 〜じゃありません. Mixing the two (暑いじゃありません) is the classic error.
Which pattern do you need?
Read the English, pick the frame that expresses it.
"There is a cat under the table."
"I want to go to Kyoto."
"Two of these, please." (at a shop)
"Shall we eat lunch together?"
"I do not like coffee."
"This room is not very big."
One-line rule: Learn the frame, not the sentence. Every one of these takes a noun or a verb stem and gives you a full sentence back, so new vocabulary immediately becomes something you can say.