The て form
Joins verbs, makes requests and ongoing actions.
The て form has no tense of its own. It links a verb to what comes next, and it is the base of many common patterns.
Ichidan: drop る and add て. Godan: the ending changes as the table shows, ending in て or で: 書いて, 飲んで, 話して. Irregular: して, 来て (きて), and the godan 行く has 行って. The た form makes the same changes with た or だ, so learning one gives you both.
| Ending | て form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| う, つ, る | って | 買う → 買って, 待つ → 待って, 取る → 取って |
| む, ぶ, ぬ | んで | 飲む → 飲んで, 遊ぶ → 遊んで, 死ぬ → 死んで |
| く | いて | 書く → 書いて |
| ぐ | いで | 泳ぐ → 泳いで |
| す | して | 話す → 話して |
| Ichidan | drop る, add て | 食べる → 食べて |
| Irregular, and 行く | する → して, 来る → 来て (きて), and the godan 行く → 行って |
| Use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| And then | て, て, … | 起きて、顔を洗った。 |
| Please | てください | 見てください。 |
| Ongoing or resulting state | ている | 雨が降っている。 |
| May | てもいい | 入ってもいいですか。 |
| Must not | てはいけない | ここで食べてはいけない。 |
| Try doing | てみる | 食べてみる。 |
| Finish doing; do with regret | てしまう | 全部食べてしまった。 |
| Do in advance | ておく | 予約しておく。 |
| Do for someone | てあげる, てくれる, てもらう | 手伝ってくれた。 |
- Okite, kao o aratta.I got up and washed my face.
- Chotto matte kudasai.Please wait a moment.
ている
ている has two meanings. With actions that take time, it says something is going on: 読んでいる "is reading". With changes that happen in a moment, it says the result continues: 結婚している "is married", 知っている "knows". In casual speech the い drops: 読んでる.
- Hon o yonde imasu.I'm reading a book.
- Tōkyō ni sunde imasu.I live in Tokyo.
- Tanaka-san o shitte imasu ka.Do you know Mr. Tanaka?
てみる, てしまう and ておく
てみる is "try and see". てしまう says an action is done completely, or that it happened when you didn't want it to; in speech it often shortens to ちゃう: 忘れちゃった. ておく is doing something ahead of time.
- Nattō o tabete mimashita.I tried natto.
- Saifu o wasurete shimaimashita.I left my wallet behind.
- Hoteru o yoyaku shite okimashita.I booked the hotel in advance.
See Must and may for てもいい and てはいけない, and Giving and receiving for てあげる, てくれる and てもらう.
Cards from this guide
9 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Verbs cards.
What does a て form do when it joins two actions, as in 起きて、顔を洗った (okite, kao o aratta)?
Links them in order: 'and then'.
What's the て form of 行く (iku, go)?
行って (itte)
What do you add to a て form like 見て (mite) to make a polite request?
ください: 見てください, 'please look'.
What does ている mean after an action verb like 読む (yomu, read)?
The action is going on: 読んでいる, 'is reading'.
What does 結婚している (kekkon shite iru) mean?
'Is married'.
How do you say 'I don't know' politely with 知る (shiru, know)?
知りません
What does てみる add to a verb, as in 食べてみる (tabete miru)?
'Try and see': try eating it.
What does てしまう add to a verb, as in 忘れてしまった (wasurete shimatta)?
It was done completely, or happened when you didn't want it to.
What does ておく add to a verb, as in 予約しておく (yoyaku shite oku)?
Doing it in advance: book ahead of time.