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JLPT N5Verb Forms

て-Form— The Connector

The て-form is the connective tissue of Japanese. It links actions ("and then"), forms polite requests with ください, shows means/manner, and unlocks many compound grammar patterns.

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Pro lessonUNIT 10 · VERB FORMS

Structure · 形

Formed from the dictionary ending (く→いて, ぐ→いで, む/ぶ/ぬ→んで, う/つ/る→って, す→して; る-verbs: drop る + て).

Examples · 例文

  • 起きて、食べて、寝る。

    Okite, tabete, neru.

    I wake up, eat, and sleep.

    て chains actions in sequence ("and then").

  • ちょっと待ってください。

    Chotto matte kudasai.

    Please wait a moment.

    て-form + ください = polite request.

  • 歩いて帰る。

    Aruite kaeru.

    I go home on foot.

    て shows the means/manner of the main action.

Usage notes · 注意

  • No Tense of Its Own: the て-form carries no tense or politeness — the FINAL verb decides both. 買って食べた (bought and ate, past); 買って食べる (will buy and eat, future).
  • Mnemonic: う/つ/る → って, む/ぶ/ぬ → んで, く → いて, ぐ → いで, す → して.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones て-Form is tested against.

vs〜たり〜たりする

て lists actions in a fixed ORDER (do A, then B); たり lists REPRESENTATIVE actions in no particular order (do things like A and B).

vs〜てから

Plain て just means "and (then)"; てから stresses "AFTER doing A, (only then) B" — a stronger sequence.

More verb forms

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