The te-form is the single most useful conjugation in Japanese. By itself it isn't a tense and doesn't mean anything — it's a connector. Almost every intermediate grammar pattern is "te-form plus a helper." The Verb Conjugation guide covers how to form it (the small つ/く/む… sound changes); this guide is about everything it does once you have it.
〜てください — requests
Te-form plus ください is the standard polite request: "please do X." Drop ください for a soft casual request between friends.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 待ってください | matte kudasai | Please wait |
| もう一度言ってください | mō ichido itte kudasai | Please say it once more |
〜ている — in progress, or a lasting state
This is the big one, and the one learners misread. Te-form plus いる has two distinct readings, and which one applies depends on the verb:
- With action verbs, it's an ongoing action — English "-ing." 走っている = "is running."
- With change-of-state verbs, it's a resulting state , not an action in progress. 結婚している is "is married," not "is getting married." 知っている is "know." ドアが開いている is "the door is open."
It also covers habitual action: 毎朝走っている = "I run every morning." Don't translate ている mechanically as "-ing"; read it as "currently in the state of having [verb]ed" and both meanings fall out.
〜てもいい / 〜てはいけない — permission and prohibition
〜てもいい(ですか) asks or grants permission: "is it okay to…?" / "you may…". The negative side — 〜てはいけない, 〜てはだめ, casual 〜ちゃだめ — is prohibition: "must not."
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 入ってもいいですか | haitte mo ii desu ka | May I come in? |
| 写真を撮ってはいけない | shashin o totte wa ikenai | You must not take photos |
〜てから — after doing
〜てから means "after doing X (then Y)." It stresses that X finishes before Y starts — stronger sequencing than a plain te-form chain.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 宿題をしてから遊ぶ | shukudai o shite kara asobu | play after doing homework |
〜てしまう / 〜ちゃう — completion or regret
〜てしまう adds one of two flavors: doing something completely / all the way, or doing something regrettable or unintended. Context decides which. In casual speech it contracts to 〜ちゃう (and 〜でしまう → 〜じゃう).
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 全部食べてしまった | zenbu tabete shimatta | ate it all up |
| 電車を逃しちゃった | densha o nogashichatta | I (oops) missed the train |
〜ておく / 〜とく — do in advance
〜ておく means doing something ahead of time, in preparation, or leaving something in a desired state. Casual contraction: 〜とく.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ビールを買っておく | bīru o katte oku | buy beer in advance (for later) |
| 窓を開けておく | mado o akete oku | leave the window open |
〜てみる — try and see
Te-form plus みる ("see") means "do X and see what happens" — attempt it experimentally. Not the same as 〜てみたい nuance; this is the doing, not the wanting.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 食べてみる | tabete miru | try eating it (and see) |
| 言ってみて | itte mite | go ahead and try saying it |
〜ていく / 〜てくる — direction in space and time
Built on 行く ("go") and 来る ("come"). Spatially, they add a going/coming direction to the verb (歩いていく "go on, walking"). Aspectually, 〜ていく is change continuing onward from now, 〜てくる is change that has built up to now (or an action done and returned from).
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 人口が増えていく | jinkō ga fuete iku | the population will keep increasing |
| 寒くなってきた | samuku natte kita | it's gotten cold (up to now) |
| 買ってくる | katte kuru | I'll go buy it (and come back) |
〜て、 — linking clauses
On its own, te-form chains clauses: sequential actions ("do A, do B"), a cause ("A happened, and as a result B"), or the manner of an action. Adjectives chain the same way (安くて、おいしい = "cheap and tasty"). It's the closest thing Japanese has to a general-purpose "and" between predicates.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 起きて、顔を洗って、出かけた | okite, kao o aratte, dekaketa | got up, washed my face, and left |
| それを聞いて、驚いた | sore o kiite, odoroita | heard that and was surprised |
A note on the negative
There are two negative "te-form" patterns and they aren't interchangeable. 〜なくて is the negative for cause/state ("not being able to…, so…"). 〜ないで is "without doing" or "instead of doing," and is also the negative request 〜ないでください ("please don't").