The て-Form: Connecting Verbs, Making Requests, and Asking Permission

The Most Useful Form You'll Learn

If I could only teach one verb form to a beginner, it would be the て-form. Not past tense, not polite form — the て-form.

Why? Because the て-form unlocks an enormous number of grammar patterns. It's the foundation for:

• Polite requests — ～てください (please do ~)
• Connecting actions — ～て、～て (I did this, then this)
• Asking permission — ～てもいいですか (may I ~?)
• Stating rules — ～てはいけません (you must not ~)
• Ongoing actions — ～ている (I am doing ~)
• And much more at higher levels

The て-form itself has no tense — it's not past, present, or future. It's a connector. What gives it meaning is what comes after it. Master the form, and you unlock all of these patterns at once.

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Part 1: How to Build the て-Form

Ichidan Verbs (Group 2) — Drop る, Add て

Same rule as every other ichidan conjugation. Drop る, add て. Done.

Godan Verbs (Group 1) — The Sound Changes

This is the part that takes practice. Godan verbs don't just swap endings — the final sound transforms based on a set of rules. These are the same sound changes as the plain past tense, just with て/で instead of た/だ.

Group A: ～って (double っ + て)

Verbs ending in う, つ, る → って

The っ creates a brief pause before て — like a tiny catch in your throat.

Group B: ～んで (ん + で)

Verbs ending in む, ぶ, ぬ → んで

Notice it's で (voiced), not て. The ん naturally leads into a voiced sound.

Group C: ～いて / ～いで

Verbs ending in く → いて Verbs ending in ぐ → いで (voiced)

Group D: ～して

Verbs ending in す → して

The One Exception: 行く

行く (iku — to go) breaks the く → いて rule:

❌ 行いて (ioite) ✅ 行って (itte)

It uses って instead of いて. The only irregular godan te-form. Just memorize it.

Irregular Verbs (Group 3)

All する compounds follow the same pattern: 勉強して, 電話して, 買い物して.

Quick Reference Chart

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Part 2: ～てください — Polite Requests

The most immediately useful て-form pattern. Add ください (kudasai) after the て-form to make a polite request.

Structure: て-form + ください

This is probably the pattern you'll use most in daily life. It's polite without being overly formal — perfect for shops, restaurants, asking for directions, or talking to teachers.

Casual Requests: Drop ください

Among friends, you can just use the て-form by itself as a request:

待って！ (Matte!) "Wait!"

ちょっと手伝って。 (Chotto tetsudatte.) "Help me a bit."

写真撮って。 (Shashin totte.) "Take a photo."

The て-form alone sounds casual and direct — like "Wait!" vs "Please wait." Use it with friends and family.

Negative Requests: ～ないでください

To say "please don't do ~," use the plain negative (～ない) + でください:

Structure: ない-form + でください

Notice: this uses the ない-form, not the て-form. ない + で + ください.

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Part 3: ～て、～て — Connecting Actions in Sequence

The て-form connects actions in the order they happen — like "and" or "and then" between verbs.

Structure: Verb₁て + Verb₂て + Verb₃ (final verb in normal tense)

朝起きて、ご飯を食べて、学校に行きます。 Asa okite, gohan o tabete, gakkō ni ikimasu. "I wake up, eat breakfast, and go to school."

The て-form carries no tense by itself — the final verb determines the tense of the whole sentence:

コンビニに行って、お茶を買いました。 (past) Konbini ni itte, ocha o kaimashita. "I went to the convenience store and bought tea."

友達に会って、映画を見ます。 (present/future) Tomodachi ni atte, eiga o mimasu. "I'll meet my friend and watch a movie."

You can chain as many actions as you want. The て-form keeps everything flowing in order.

More Examples

図書館で本を借りて、家で読みました。 Toshokan de hon o karite, ie de yomimashita. "I borrowed a book from the library and read it at home."

電車に乗って、東京に行きます。 Densha ni notte, Tōkyō ni ikimasu. "I'll take the train and go to Tokyo."

手を洗って、ご飯を食べてください。 Te o aratte, gohan o tabete kudasai. "Please wash your hands and eat."

お金を持って、買い物に出かけました。 Okane o motte, kaimono ni dekakemashita. "I took money and went out shopping."

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Part 4: ～てもいいですか — Asking Permission

One of the most practical patterns for daily life. Add もいいですか to the て-form to ask "May I ~?"

Structure: て-form + もいいですか

Breaking It Down

• て-form — the action you want to do
• も — "even" (even if I do this...)
• いい — good/okay
• ですか — polite question

Literally: "Is it okay even if I [do this]?"

Answering Permission Questions

Granting permission:

いいですよ。 (Ii desu yo.) "Sure, go ahead."

どうぞ。 (Dōzo.) "Please, go ahead."

ええ、いいですよ。 (Ee, ii desu yo.) "Yes, that's fine."

Denying permission (gently):

すみません、ちょっと… (Sumimasen, chotto...) "Sorry, that's a bit..." (trails off — a very Japanese way to say no)

すみません、ここはだめです。 (Sumimasen, koko wa dame desu.) "Sorry, that's not allowed here."

Casual Form: ～てもいい？

Drop ですか for casual situations:

トイレ使ってもいい？ (Toire tsukatte mo ii?) "Can I use the bathroom?"

テレビ見てもいい？ (Terebi mite mo ii?) "Can I watch TV?"

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Part 5: ～てはいけません — Prohibitions and Rules

The opposite of permission. Add はいけません to the て-form to say "you must not " or " is not allowed."

Structure: て-form + はいけません

Breaking It Down

• て-form — the action
• は — topic marker (about this action...)
• いけません — "it won't do" / "it's not acceptable"

Literally: "As for [doing this], it won't do."

Levels of Strength

～てはいけません is firm — it states rules and prohibitions. You'll hear it from teachers, parents, signs, and authority figures. There are softer and stronger ways to express the same idea:

～ないでください is a request (you're asking nicely). ～てはいけません is a rule (there's no negotiating). ～てはだめです sits in between — commonly used by parents with children.

Casual Form: ～ちゃだめ / ～ちゃいけない

In casual speech, ては contracts to ちゃ (or では to じゃ):

ここで泳いじゃだめだよ。 (Koko de oyoija dame da yo.) "You can't swim here."

食べちゃだめ！ (Tabecha dame!) "Don't eat that!"

You'll hear ちゃだめ constantly in anime and everyday speech.

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Permission vs. Prohibition: The Pair

These two patterns are natural opposites. Together, they cover "may I?" and "you must not" — permission and rules.

A typical exchange:

A: ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか？ Koko de shashin o totte mo ii desu ka? "May I take photos here?"

B: すみません、撮ってはいけません。 Sumimasen, totte wa ikemasen. "Sorry, you must not take photos."

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The Complete て-Form Cheat Sheet

How to Build It

What to Attach

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Wrong sound change group

❌ 飲む → 飲って (notte) ✅ 飲む → 飲んで (nonde)

む goes to んで, not って. Drill the groups until they're automatic.

2. Forgetting 行く is irregular

❌ 行く → 行いて (ioite) ✅ 行く → 行って (itte)

Same exception as the past tense. It uses って instead of いて.

3. Using て-form as a sentence ending (in polite situations)

❌ (to a teacher) 先生、ちょっと待って。 ✅ 先生、ちょっと待ってください。

The bare て-form as a request is casual. Add ください with anyone you'd use ます form with.

4. Mixing up もいいですか and てはいけません

～てもいいですか = asking permission (a question) ～てはいけません = stating a prohibition (a statement)

Don't use てはいけませんか as "may I?" — it doesn't work that way.

5. Using てはいけません for polite requests

❌ (to a friend) ここで吸ってはいけません。 (sounds like a rule/law) ✅ ここで吸わないでください。 (polite request) ✅ ここで吸わないで。 (casual request)

てはいけません is for rules and prohibitions, not casual requests.

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How to Practice

1. Drill the sound changes: Take every godan verb you know and convert it to て-form. Say it out loud. Speed is the goal — you want this to be automatic.
2. Request everything: Narrate requests throughout your day — 窓を開けてください, コーヒーを作ってください, 静かにしてください.
3. Narrate your routine using chains: 朝起きて、シャワーを浴びて、ご飯を食べて、学校に行きます。
4. Practice permission pairs: For any verb, make both the permission question and the prohibition: 撮ってもいいですか？ / 撮ってはいけません。
5. Listen for it: Once you know the て-form, you'll hear it everywhere in Japanese — in anime, songs, conversations. It really is the most common verb form.

The て-form is the gateway to intermediate Japanese. Every major grammar pattern from here forward builds on it. Get this right, and everything that follows will click.

て形をマスターしましょう！ (Te-kei o masutā shimashō!) — Let's master the te-form!