The て-Form (The Connector)
Learning Objectives
- Conjugate Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 verbs into the て-form.
- Memorize the 'て-form song' for Group 1 verbs.
- Link multiple actions together in a single sentence (And then...).
- Make polite, positive requests telling someone to do something.
Until now, you could only say one verb per sentence: “I wake up. I eat. I go to school.” This sounds very choppy. How do you link them together into “I wake up, eat, and go to school”?
Welcome to your biggest milestone in N5 grammar: The て-form (te-form)! The て-form is a “connector.” It cannot end a sentence by itself. Instead, it is used to hook verbs together or attach special grammar rules onto the end of a verb. Its conjugation depends heavily on the Verb Groups we learned in Chapter 12. Let’s learn the rules!
1. Group 2 and 3 rules (The Easy Ones)
Let’s start with the easy groups so you can get the hang of it.
Group 2 (ru-verbs): Simply drop the final る and add て (te).
- たべる (taberu) ➔ たべて (tabete)
- みる (miru) ➔ みて (mite)
- おきる (okiru) ➔ おきて (okite)
Group 3 (Irregular): Memorize these two!
- する (suru) ➔ して (shite)
- くる (kuru) ➔ きて (kite)
2. Group 1 rules (The て-form Song)
Group 1 (u-verbs) is infamous because its rules change depending on the verb’s final Hiragana character. Most Japanese language students memorize a little song (often to the tune of “Oh My Darling, Clementine”) to remember these rules.
Here is the breakdown by the verb’s Dictionary Form ending:
-
う, つ, る ➔ って (utte, tsutte, rutte ➔ tte)
- かう (kau - buy) ➔ かって (kat-te)
- まつ (matsu - wait) ➔ まって (mat-te)
- わかる (wakaru - understand) ➔ わかって (wakat-te)
-
む, ぶ, ぬ ➔ んで (munde, bunde, nunde ➔ nde) Notice this becomes ‘de’ instead of ‘te’!
- のむ (nomu - drink) ➔ のんで (non-de)
- あそぶ (asobu - play) ➔ あそんで (ason-de)
- しぬ (shinu - die) ➔ しんで (shin-de)
-
く ➔ いて (ku ➔ ite)
- かく (kaku - write) ➔ かいて (ka-ite)
-
ぐ ➔ いで (gu ➔ ide) Because gu has ten-ten dots, its te-form also gets dots!
- およぐ (oyogu - swim) ➔ およいで (oyo-ide)
-
す ➔ して (su ➔ shite)
- はなす (hanasu - speak) ➔ はなして (hana-shite)
[!CAUTION] The Ultimate Exception: 行く (いく - iku - to go). According to the rules above, a word ending in ‘ku’ should become ‘ite’ (iite). But that sounds too weird to say rapidly. To make it easier to pronounce, 行く breaks the rule and becomes 行って (itte)!
3. Usage 1: Connecting Actions (And then…)
Now that you can form the て-form, let’s use it! If you want to list actions happening sequentially (“I do X, and then Y, and then Z”), you change every verb into the て-form except the very last one.
The final verb in the sentence dictates the tense and politeness for the whole chain!
おきて、あさごはん を たべて、がっこう へ いきます。
Okite, asagohan o tabete, gakkou e ikimasu.
I will wake up, eat breakfast, and go to school.
きのう、ともだち に あって、えいが を みました。
Kinou, tomodachi ni atte, eiga o mimashita.
Yesterday, I met a friend and watched a movie. (au ➔ atte)
ほん を よんで、ねます。
Hon o yonde, nemasu.
I will read a book and go to sleep. (yomu ➔ yonde)
4. Usage 2: Polite Requests (Please do…)
In Chapter 14, we learned how to say “Please do not do” by using the ない-form + でください. To ask someone to do something politely, simply use the て-form + ください!
ちょっと まって ください。
Chotto matte kudasai.
Please wait a moment. (matsu ➔ matte)
これ を よんで ください。
Kore o yonde kudasai.
Please read this. (yomu ➔ yonde)
みず を のんで ください。
Mizu o nonde kudasai.
Please drink some water. (nomu ➔ nonde)
て-Form Master Practice Table
| Word | Romaji | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| たべる (eat) | Taberu | たべて (tabete) | Group 2 |
| みる (see/watch) | Miru | みて (mite) | Group 2 |
| する (do) | Suru | して (shite) | Group 3 |
| くる (come) | Kuru | きて (kite) | Group 3 |
| かう (buy) | Kau | かって (katte) | Group 1 (u ➔ tte) |
| まつ (wait) | Matsu | まって (matte) | Group 1 (tsu ➔ tte) |
| わかる (understand) | Wakaru | わかって (wakatte) | Group 1 (ru ➔ tte) |
| のむ (drink) | Nomu | のんで (nonde) | Group 1 (mu ➔ nde) |
| よむ (read) | Yomu | よんで (yonde) | Group 1 (mu ➔ nde) |
| あそぶ (play) | Asobu | あそんで (asonde) | Group 1 (bu ➔ nde) |
| かく (write) | Kaku | かいて (kaite) | Group 1 (ku ➔ ite) |
| およぐ (swim) | Oyogu | およいで (oyoide) | Group 1 (gu ➔ ide) |
| はなす (speak) | Hanasu | はなして (hanashite) | Group 1 (su ➔ shite) |
| いく (go) | Iku | いって (itte) | Group 1 EXCEPTION |
Conversation Practice
ケン、はやく おきて！あさごはん を たべて、がっこう へ いって ください。
Ken, hayaku okite! Asagohan o tabete, gakkou e itte kudasai.
Ken, wake up early! Eat breakfast, and then please go to school.
はい、わかった。て を あらってから、たべる よ。
Hai, wakatta. Te o aratte kara, taberu yo.
Yes, I got it. After washing my hands, I'll eat.
その あと、この テスト を みせて ください。
Sono ato, kono tesuto o misete kudasai.
After that, please show me this test.
えっ！？
Eh!?
Eh!?
テレビ を けして、テスト を だして ください。
Terebi o keshite, tesuto o dashite kudasai.
Turn off the TV and please take out the test.
はい、わかりました。ちょっと まって ください。
Hai, wakarimashita. Chotto matte kudasai.
Yes, I understand. Please wait a moment.
Chapter Summary
- 1The て-form connects verbs like links in a chain. The final verb dictates the tense.
- 2Group 1 uses complex rules: う/つ/る ➔ って, む/ぶ/ぬ ➔ んで, く ➔ いて, ぐ ➔ いで, す ➔ して.
- 3The verb 行く (iku) is the only exception: it becomes 行って (itte).
- 4Group 2 and 3 are easy: Drop る and add て, or use して/きて.
- 5Attach ください (kudasai) to the て-form to tell someone politely 'Please do [X]'.
Knowledge Check
Test your ability to conjugate and connect!
Quiz
What is the primary function of the て-form?