Japanese Te-Form: Complete Guide with Conjugation Tables

The te-form is the one Japanese verb conjugation you cannot skip. It does not carry a tense or a fixed meaning by itself. Instead it is a connector: attach it to another verb or ending and it builds requests, permission, prohibition, ongoing states, and sequences of actions.

食たべる (taberu, to eat) becomes 食たべて (tabete). On its own that fragment does not mean much in English. Attach ください and it becomes a request: 食たべてください (please eat). Attach います and it becomes an ongoing action: 食たべています (is eating). Same conjugation, completely different grammar depending on what follows it.

This guide covers how to build the te-form for all three verb groups, then the most common things you attach it to. For the underlying verb groups themselves, see the full guide to godan, ichidan, and irregular verbs.

Godan (u-verb) Te-Form: Five Sound Groups

Godan verbs change their te-form based on the sound the dictionary form ends in. There is no need to memorize each verb separately. Learn the five groups below and every regular godan verb sorts into one of them.

Ichidan and Irregular Verbs: The Easy Half

Ichidan (ru-verb) te-form has no groups to memorize. Drop る, add て. That is the entire rule.

• 食たべる (taberu, to eat) → 食たべて (tabete)
• 見みる (miru, to see) → 見みて (mite)
• 起おきる (okiru, to wake up) → 起おきて (okite)

For the eru/iru verbs that look ichidan but conjugate as godan instead (a common trap), see the full ichidan verb list.

Japan has exactly two irregular verbs, and both are used constantly:

• する (suru, to do) → して (shite)
• 来くる (kuru, to come) → 来きて (kite) (note the reading changes from く to き)

Because する attaches to hundreds of nouns to form verbs (勉強べんきょうする, benkyou suru, to study), its te-form (して) is one of the highest-frequency conjugations in the language.

What You Actually Do With the Te-Form

This is the part that makes the te-form worth learning properly: it is the base for most everyday grammar. Below are the constructions you will use daily.

てください: Requests

Attach ください to ask someone to do something.

• 待まってください。 (Matte kudasai.) - "Please wait."

ています: Ongoing Actions and States

Attach います for an action in progress, or a state that resulted from an action and still holds.

• 今いま、食たべています。 (Ima, tabete imasu.) - "I am eating right now." (in progress)
• 結婚けっこんしています。 (Kekkon shite imasu.) - "I am married." (resulting state, not "I am getting married")

てもいいです vs. てはいけません: Permission and Prohibition

These two are opposites built from the same te-form base.

• 食たべてもいいです。 (Tabete mo ii desu.) - "You may eat." / "It's fine to eat."
• 食たべてはいけません。 (Tabete wa ikemasen.) - "You may not eat."

Sequential Actions: "Do This, Then This"

Chain multiple te-forms together to describe a sequence of actions in one sentence, without repeating "and" or restating the subject.

• 朝あさご飯はんを 食たべて、 学校がっこうに 行いきます。 (Asagohan o tabete, gakkou ni ikimasu.) - "I eat breakfast, and (then) go to school."

てから: "After Doing"

A stricter version of the sequence above; it emphasizes that the second action happens only after the first is complete.

• 宿題しゅくだいをしてから、 寝ねます。 (Shukudai o shite kara, nemasu.) - "After doing my homework, I go to sleep."

ておきます and てしまいます

Two more common attachments worth knowing early: ておきます marks a preparatory action, doing something in advance for later benefit. てしまいます marks completion, often with a nuance of finality or, depending on tone, mild regret.

• 予約よやくしておきます。 (Yoyaku shite okimasu.) - "I'll make a reservation (in advance, for later)."
• 食たべてしまいました。 (Tabete shimaimashita.) - "I ended up eating it (all)." / "I've gone and eaten it."

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Guessing the godan group instead of checking the ending:

   む/ぶ/ぬ verbs all become んで, but it's easy to default to って out of habit.
   Incorrect: 飲のって
   Correct: 飲のんで (nonde, from 飲む, to drink)

2. Applying the いく exception to other く verbs:

   Only 行いく is irregular. Every other く verb takes いて normally.
   Incorrect: 書かって
   Correct: 書かいて (kaite, from 書く, to write)

3. Confusing てもいいです and てはいけません:

   They are opposites, and mixing them up reverses your meaning entirely.
   Permission: 入はいってもいいです (you may enter)
   Prohibition: 入はいってはいけません (you may not enter)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the te-form used for in Japanese?

It's a connector form. On its own it links actions together (do this, then this). Attached to other words, it builds most of the grammar you use daily: requests, permission, prohibition, ongoing states, and more.

Is there a shortcut for godan te-form endings?

Group the dictionary-form endings by sound: う, つ, る become って; む, ぶ, ぬ become んで; く becomes いて; ぐ becomes いで; す becomes して. Learn the five groups, not each verb individually.

Why is 行いく an exception?

It ends in く, so the rule predicts 行いいて. The pronunciation shifted historically and 行いって stuck, matching the う/つ/る group instead. It is the one godan verb that has to be memorized separately from its ending group.

What's the difference between てもいいです and てはいけません?

てもいいです grants permission: doing the action is fine. てはいけません forbids it: doing the action is not allowed. 食たべてもいいです means you may eat; 食たべてはいけません means you may not eat.