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Grammar detail: verb て form
verb て form - imperative, and basis of other constructions
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The て form of a verb is one of the most useful forms in Japanese. On its own, it functions as the imperative form, i.e. it is used for giving commands. The て form is also the basis of many other common constructions, such as 〜てください (please do ~). The て form can also be used to join two sentences, in which case it functions as 'and'.
Formation
The て form is made from the dictionary form as follows:
| Ichidan verbs | た 食 べる (eat) | る ➜ て | た 食 べて |
| Godan verbs | ending in う: ちが 違 う (be different) | う ➜ って | ちが 違 って |
| ending in く: か 書 く (write) | く ➜ いて | か 書 いて | |
| ending in す: はな 話 す (speak) | す ➜ して | はな 話 して | |
| ending in つ: ま 待 つ (wait) | つ ➜ って | ま 待 って | |
| ending in ぬ: し 死 ぬ (die) | ぬ ➜ んで | し 死 んで | |
| ending in ぶ: よ 呼 ぶ (call) | ぶ ➜ んで | よ 呼 んで | |
| ending in む: よ 読 む (read) | む ➜ んで | よ 読 んで | |
| ending in る: はし 走 る (run) | る ➜ って | はし 走 って | |
| Irregular verbs | する (do) | して | |
く 来 る (come) | き 来 て | ||
い 行 く (go) | い 行 って | ||
| です (is) | で |
Usage examples
As the imperative:
Use with ください:
Joining two sentences:
More constructions
The て form is the basis of many everyday constructions. Here are some of the common ones.
permission
try to do
do for somebody, give
put in place
receive
will you please do
See also:
Kanji used in this grammar
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