The て form in Japanese: conjugation, table, and uses

THE て form in Japanese — also called shape you — connects the verb to other words and structures. It appears in requests, sequential actions, ongoing situations, resulting states, permission requests, and many other essential constructions.

An important point: the て form, by itself, does not indicate past, present, or future. The full meaning depends on what comes after it and the context of the sentence.

What is the て form?

The て form is a conjugation that makes the verb ready to connect to the rest of the clause. Think of it as a “bridge”: the conjugated verb usually doesn't end the idea but leads to a following action or a grammatical expression.

For example, the verb 食べる (taberu, to eat) becomes 食べて (tabete). From there, we can form 食べてください (“please eat”), 食べています (“is eating” or “habitually eats”, depending on context), and 食べてもいいですか (“may I eat?”).

Before studying the rules, it's worth reviewing the Verb groups in Japanese. The correct ending depends on whether the verb is godan (group 1), ichidan (group 2), or irregular.

How to form the て form of verbs

Start with the verb in dictionary form. If you need to review it, check the guide on the informal mood of Japanese verbs. Then, apply the rule corresponding to the group and ending.

Godan verbs (group 1)

In godan verbs, the last syllable determines the change. The table brings together the patterns you need to memorize:

Important exception: 行く (iku, to go) ends in く, but its て form is 行って (itte), not 行いて.

A useful shortcut is to remember that the て form follows the same sound pattern as the informal past form: replace た with て and だ with で. So, 飲んだ becomes 飲んで and 書いた becomes 書いて. The shortcut helps with review, but the table above allows you to conjugate directly.

Ichidan verbs (group 2)

For ichidan verbs, remove the final る and add て:

• 食べる (taberu, ), to eat) → 食べて (tabete)
• 見る (miru, ), to see) → 見て (mite)
• 起きる (okiru, ), to get up) → 起きて (okite)

Note: not every verb ending in いる or える is ichidan. 帰る (kaeru, ), to return), for example, is godan and becomes 帰って (kaette). When in doubt, check the group in the dictionary.

Irregular verbs

The two most important irregular verbs have their own forms:

• する (suru, ), to do) → して (shite)
• 来る (kuru, to come) → 来て (kite)

Compounds with する follow the same pattern: 勉強する (benkyō suru, to study) becomes 勉強して (benkyō shite).

Main uses of the て form

Learning the conjugation is just the beginning. The practical value of the て form appears when it combines with another action or expression.

1. Connecting actions in sequence

Use the て form to join actions performed in sequence. The last verb usually carries the tense and formality level of the sentence.

I ate breakfast and went to school.
Asagohan o tabete, gakkō e ikimashita.
I had breakfast and went to school.

食べて just connects the first action. It is 行きました, at the end, that places the sequence in the past and in the polite register.

It is also possible to clearly mark that one action happens after another using てから:

After doing my homework, I watch TV.
Shukudai o shite kara, terebi o mimasu.
After doing my homework, I watch TV.

2. Making requests with てください

The structure verb in て form + ください is used to ask or instruct someone to do something.

Please write your name here.
Koko ni namae o kaite kudasai.
Please write your name here.

Please say it one more time.
Mō ichido itte kudasai.
Please say it again.

Context, intonation, and the relationship between speakers influence the degree of politeness. To compare requests with direct orders, see also the article on imperative sentences in japanese.

3. Expressing action, habit, or state with ています

The construction て form + います does not always correspond to the gerund in Portuguese. It can indicate an ongoing action, a habit, or the resulting state of a change.

I am studying Japanese now.
Ima, nihongo o benkyō shite imasu.
I am studying Japanese now. (action in progress)

毎日、日本語を勉強しています。
Mainichi, nihongo o benkyō shite imasu.
I study Japanese every day. (habit)

ドアが開いています。
Doa ga aite imasu.
The door is open. (resultant state)

In informal register, ています can appear as ている. In casual speech, it is also common to hear contracted forms like てる, but it is advisable to master the full construction first. To review the difference between registers, consult the guide on the ます form of Japanese verbs.

4. Asking permission with てもいいですか

To ask if an action is permitted, use verb in the て form + もいいですか.

ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか。
Koko de shashin o totte mo ii desu ka.
Can I take a photo here?

この本を読んでもいいですか。
Kono hon o yonde mo ii desu ka.
Can I read this book?

This is the basic structure for asking permission. The article on how to allow and disallow in japanese delves into the responses and constructions of prohibition.

5. Trying an action with てみる

The combination て form + みる expresses the idea of trying or attempting to do something. Here, みる is normally written in hiragana because it functions as an auxiliary verb.

この料理を食べてみます。
Kono ryōri o tabete mimasu.
I will try this dish.

Please try speaking in Japanese.
Nihongo de hanashite mite kudasai.
Please try speaking in Japanese.

Mini dialogue with the て form

A: すみません。この本を見てもいいですか。
Sumimasen. Kono hon o mite mo ii desu ka.
Excuse me. May I take a look at this book?

B: はい、どうぞ。ここで読んでください。
Hai, dōzo. Koko de yonde kudasai.
Yes, go ahead. Please read here.

A: ありがとうございます。少し読んでみます。
Arigatō gozaimasu. Sukoshi yonde mimasu.
Thank you very much. I'll try reading a little.

In this dialogue, the same conjugation appears in three structures: 見てもいいですか for permission, 読んでください for requests, and 読んでみます for trying an action.

Common mistakes when conjugating and using the て form

• Treating every verb ending in いる or える as ichidan: some are godan. 帰る becomes 帰って, not 帰て.
• Forgetting the exception of 行く: the correct form is 行って.
• Using て instead of で: godan verbs ending in む, ぶ, or ぬ produce んで; those ending in ぐ produce いで.
• Translating every ている construction as “to be doing”: it can also indicate a habit or a resulting state.
• Conjugating all verbs in a sequence in the past: in general, intermediate verbs stay in the て form and the last one marks the tense.

Exercises for the て form

Convert the verbs to the て form. Then, complete the three sentences.

1. 書く (kaku) → ______
2. 飲む (nomu) → ______
3. 食べる (taberu) → ______
4. 話す (hanasu) → ______
5. 行く (iku) → ______
6. 聞く: もう一度 ______ ください。
   Listen once more, please.
7. 勉強する: 今、日本語を ______ います。
   I am studying Japanese now.
8. 入る: ここに ______ もいいですか。
   May I come in here?

Summary and next steps

To form the て form, identify the verb group and apply the ending change. For godan verbs, memorize the five patterns in the table; for ichidan verbs, remove る and add て; for irregular verbs, use して and 来て. Also remember the exception 行く → 行って.

After conjugation, observe the structure that follows: てください makes requests, ています can indicate action, habit, or state, てもいいですか asks for permission, and てみる expresses an attempt. In sequences, the last verb usually determines tense and formality.

To organize the continuation of your studies, consult the guide at Japanese particles and grammar. When you are comfortable with the て form, move on to the ましょう form of verbs and learn to make invitations and suggestions.

Sources for further study

• Marugoto — verb conjugation table
• Marugoto — requests with てください and sequential actions
• Marugoto — uses of ています
• Marugoto — permission with てもいいですか
• Irodori — てみる and states with ています