GrammarJLPT N5
→ is it okay if I ～
Asking Permission (Is it okay if I ~?)
JLPT N5Fixed phraseNeutral
～てもいいですか is used to ask for permission to do something, equivalent to "May I ~?" or "Is it okay if I ~?" in English. It is formed by attaching もいいですか to the て-form of a verb. The pattern builds on the broader expression ～てもいい (it's okay to ~), which grants permission as a statement, but by adding か at the end it becomes a polite question directed at the listener. This is one of the most fundamental permission-asking structures in Japanese and is appropriate in everyday polite conversation. For more formal situations, learners can replace いい with よろしい to form ～てもよろしいですか. In casual speech among friends, the です is often dropped, yielding ～てもいい？. The negative counterpart, used to deny permission or state prohibition, is ～てはいけない (you must not ~).
Examples
Example #1
このペンを使ってもいいですか。
Here the speaker is politely asking whether they may use someone else's pen. The verb 使う is conjugated to the て-form 使って, and then もいいですか is attached to form the permission question. This is a typical everyday use of ～てもいいですか when you want to borrow or use something that belongs to someone else.Is it okay if I use this pen?
Structures
- Verb
- Verb (て-form) + もいいですか
Common mistakes
A common mistake is forgetting to conjugate the verb to the て-form and instead attaching もいいですか directly to the dictionary form, such as saying *「食べるもいいですか」 instead of the correct 「食べてもいいですか」. Another frequent error is confusing ～てもいいですか with ～てもいい; the former is a question asking for permission, while the latter is a statement granting it. Learners sometimes also mix up ～てもいいですか with ～てはいけない, which denies permission rather than requesting it. Finally, some learners use ～てもいいですか in very formal contexts where ～てもよろしいですか or ～てもよろしいでしょうか would be more appropriate, which can sound slightly too casual when speaking to superiors or in business situations.
Related
～てもいい～てはいけない～てもかまわない～てもよろしいですか～ないでください