Chapter 10 — The て-Form

This chapter covers the single most important conjugation pattern in Japanese. The て-form is the connective backbone of the language. It links verbs to dozens of grammatical structures: ている (ongoing action), てください (requests), てもいい (permission), てはいけない (prohibition), and many more. Without the て-form, you cannot access any of them.

The て-form itself has no tense. It does not mean past, present, or future on its own. It is a connecting form — it attaches a verb to whatever comes after it. Think of it as the verb's way of saying "and now the next thing."

This chapter focuses entirely on forming the て-form. The grammar patterns it connects to are covered starting in Chapter 11. Master the formation first. Everything else follows from it.

10.1 Why This Chapter Matters

Consider how much English grammar depends on the "-ing" form of verbs. "I am eating." "Stop eating." "Eating quickly, she left." You cannot function in English without it.

The て-form plays an even larger role in Japanese. Here is a partial list of what it unlocks:

• ている — continuous or resultant state ("is doing," "has done")
• てください — polite request ("please do")
• てもいい — permission ("may I?")
• てはいけない — prohibition ("must not")
• てから — sequence ("after doing")
• てあげる / てもらう / てくれる — giving and receiving actions
• ておく — preparation ("do in advance")
• てしまう — completion or regret ("end up doing")
• て connecting two clauses ("I did X and then Y")

Every one of these patterns requires the て-form as its base. If you cannot produce the て-form fluently, you will stumble over all of them. This is not a chapter to skim. Work through every table, say the forms out loud, and drill until the patterns are automatic.

The good news: the system is entirely rule-based. There are no exceptions to memorize other than one (Section 10.5). Once you learn the rules, you can produce the て-form of any verb you encounter, including verbs you have never seen before.

10.2 Formation: 一段 Verbs (Ichidan / Vowel-Stem Verbs)

一段 verbs are the easiest class. The rule is one step:

Drop る. Add て.

That is the entire rule. No sound changes, no special cases.

If you can identify a verb as 一段, you already know its て-form. The challenge, as always, is telling 一段 verbs apart from 五段 verbs that happen to end in る. Review the criteria from Chapter 9: if the sound before る is in the い段 or え段 (the い or え vowel row), the verb is likely 一段. Verbs like 帰かえる ("return," 五段) and 切きる ("cut," 五段) are exceptions that must be memorized individually. When in doubt, a dictionary will tell you.

10.3 Formation: Irregular Verbs

Japanese has exactly two irregular verbs. Their て-forms are:

That is the complete list. There are no other irregular verbs in Japanese. Compound verbs built on する (like 勉強べんきょうする, "to study") follow the same pattern: 勉強する → 勉強して. Compound verbs built on くる (like 持もってくる, "to bring") do the same: 持ってくる → 持ってきて.

Memorize する → して and くる → きて. You are done with the irregular verbs.

10.4 Formation: 五段 Verbs — The Sound Changes

This is the hard part. Be honest with yourself about that. The 五段 て-form involves sound changes that depend on the final kana of the dictionary form. There are nine possible endings, but they collapse into five patterns. Learning those five patterns is the real task.

The Full Table

Nine endings. Nine rows. But look more carefully. The right-hand column has only five distinct results: いて, いで, して, って, んで. This is where the system reveals its structure.

The Five Patterns

Pattern 1: いて — from ～く

The final く disappears and is replaced by いて.

The change: く → いて. Remove く, add いて.

Pattern 2: いで — from ～ぐ

This is Pattern 1's voiced counterpart. く and ぐ are a voicing pair — ぐ is simply く with a voicing mark (濁点). The て-form reflects this: where く produces いて, ぐ produces いで (て with a voicing mark becomes で).

The change: ぐ → いで. Remove ぐ, add いで. The pattern is identical to Pattern 1, with voicing added.

Pattern 3: して — from ～す

The final す becomes して. This is the only ending that produces して.

The change: す → して. Remove す, add して. Straightforward.

Pattern 4: って — from ～つ, ～う, ～る

Three different endings all produce the same result: って. The final kana is replaced by a っ (small つ, a glottal stop), followed by て.

The change: つ, う, or る → って. Remove the final kana, add って.

This is the largest group. Three endings share one result. The shared element is the っ — the doubling of the consonant. If the dictionary form ends in つ, う, or る, the て-form has って.

Important: the ～る verbs in this group are 五段 verbs, not 一段 verbs. かえる (return) is 五段, so it becomes かえって. Compare with たべる (eat), which is 一段 and becomes たべて. The verb class determines which rule applies.

Pattern 5: んで — from ～ぬ, ～ぶ, ～む

Three endings all produce んで. The final kana is replaced by ん (a nasal sound), followed by で.

The change: ぬ, ぶ, or む → んで. Remove the final kana, add んで.

Notice the voicing: Pattern 5 uses で (not て), just as Pattern 2 used いで (not いて). The nasal ん triggers the voicing of て to で. This is a natural phonological process — ん followed by an unvoiced consonant like た行 sounds awkward to pronounce, so the consonant becomes voiced.

Summary: Five Patterns, Not Nine

Patterns 1 and 2 are a pair (voiceless/voiced). Patterns 4 and 5 are each groups of three that share a result. Pattern 3 stands alone. That is the entire system.

If you prefer to think about it even more simply: there are really only three core mechanisms at work.

1. い insertion — for く/ぐ endings (Patterns 1-2)
2. Doubling (っ) — for つ/う/る endings (Pattern 4)
3. Nasalization (ん) — for ぬ/ぶ/む endings (Pattern 5)
4. す is special — it just becomes して (Pattern 3)

And then voicing (て vs. で) follows automatically: if the original consonant was voiced (ぐ, ぶ), or if a nasal ん precedes it, the て becomes で.

The following table summarizes all て-form conjugation rules in one place for quick reference:

て-Form Conjugation Rules

⚠ Exception: 行く → 行って（not 行いて）

A Mnemonic (Optional)

Some learners find it helpful to remember the って group and the んで group by consonant type:

• って — つ, う, る. These are the endings whose consonants are "hard" stops or a vowel. They produce a hard stop: っ.
• んで — ぬ, ぶ, む. These are the endings whose consonants involve the lips or nasal passage (all three are pronounced with the mouth partially closed). They produce a nasal: ん.

Use this if it helps. Discard it if it does not. The table is the authority.

10.5 The One Exception: 行いく → 行って

The verb 行いく (to go) should follow Pattern 1. Its dictionary form ends in く, so by the rule, it should become いいて. But it does not.

行く → 行って

Not いいて. 行って. It follows the って pattern (Pattern 4) instead of the いて pattern (Pattern 1).

This is the only exception in the entire 五段 て-form system. Every other verb obeys the five patterns without deviation. There is no satisfying grammatical reason for this exception — it is a historical irregularity that has been preserved in modern Japanese. Simply memorize it.

The compound verb 持もって行いく (to take/bring something going) follows the same exception: 持って行く → 持って行って.

For clarity:

One exception. That is all.

10.6 The た-Form — Plain Past Tense

Once you know the て-form, you automatically know the た-form. The rule is mechanical:

Replace て with た. Replace で with だ.

The correspondence is perfect. There are no additional exceptions. If you can produce the て-form of any verb, you can produce its た-form by making this one substitution.

The た-form is the plain past tense of the verb. It is the form you will find in casual speech, in subordinate clauses, and in various grammatical constructions. You have already encountered the polite past tense (ました, as in たべました). The た-form is its plain equivalent:

The full system of plain forms is covered in Chapter 12. For now, the important point is this: learning the て-form gives you the た-form for free. Two conjugations for the price of one.

10.7 Putting It All Together: Formation Drill

This section walks through the complete て-form decision process. For each verb, you ask three questions:

1. Is the verb 一段? If yes: drop る, add て. Done.

2. Is the verb する or くる? If yes: する → して, くる → きて. Done.

3. The verb is 五段. Look at the final kana of the dictionary form and apply the corresponding pattern.

Here are fifteen verbs worked through step by step.

食たべる (eat) — 一段. Drop る, add て. → 食べて

する (do) — Irregular. → して

書かく (write) — 五段, ends in く. く → いて. → 書いて

飲のむ (drink) — 五段, ends in む. む → んで. → 飲んで

来くる (come) — Irregular. → きて

待まつ (wait) — 五段, ends in つ. つ → って. → 待って

教おしえる (teach) — 一段. Drop る, add て. → 教えて

話はなす (speak) — 五段, ends in す. す → して. → 話して

泳およぐ (swim) — 五段, ends in ぐ. ぐ → いで. → 泳いで

行いく (go) — 五段, ends in く — but this is the exception. → 行って

呼よぶ (call) — 五段, ends in ぶ. ぶ → んで. → 呼んで

開あける (open) — 一段. Drop る, add て. → 開けて

買かう (buy) — 五段, ends in う. う → って. → 買って

勉強べんきょうする (study) — Compound of する. → 勉強して

帰かえる (return) — 五段, ends in る. る → って. → 帰って

Work through this process with every new verb you encounter. Within a few weeks of practice, the patterns will become automatic and you will no longer need to think through the steps consciously.

10.8 Common Mistakes

Confusing 一段 and 五段 verbs that end in る.

This is the most common source of error. The verb 帰かえる (return) is 五段 — its て-form is 帰って. The verb 食たべる (eat) is 一段 — its て-form is 食べて. If you misidentify the verb class, you will produce the wrong て-form. There is no shortcut here other than learning which verbs belong to which class. A few common 五段 verbs that look like 一段:

Compare with genuine 一段 verbs:

Notice that かえる, きる, and いる each have both a 五段 and a 一段 version with different meanings. Context and dictionaries are your tools for disambiguation.

Forgetting that 行いく is an exception.

The form いいて does not exist. It is always 行って.

Producing てforms with ます-stem.

Some learners try to build the て-form from the ます-stem (for example, のみ + て = のみて). This does not work for 五段 verbs. The て-form is built from the dictionary form, not the ます-stem. 飲のむ → 飲んで, not のみて.

10.9 Reading Passage — 朝あさの 準備じゅんび

Read the following passage. It uses て-form to connect sequential actions — this is one of the most basic uses of the て-form, covered in detail in Chapter 11. For now, focus on recognizing the て-forms and identifying which dictionary-form verb each one comes from.

毎朝まいあさ 六ろく時じに 起おきて、顔かおを 洗あらって、歯はを 磨みがきます。それから、コーヒーを 入いれて、パンを 食たべます。

仕事しごとの かばんに 本ほんと ノートを 入れて、靴くつを 履はいて、家いえを 出でます。

駅えきまで 歩あるいて、電車でんしゃに 乗のって、会社かいしゃに 行いきます。会社まで 四十よんじゅう分ぷんぐらいです。

電車の 中なかで 音楽おんがくを 聞きいて、ニュースを 読よみます。

Translation

Every morning I get up at six, wash my face, and brush my teeth. Then I make coffee and eat bread.

I put books and a notebook in my work bag, put on my shoes, and leave the house.

I walk to the station, ride the train, and go to the office. It is about forty minutes to the office.

On the train, I listen to music and read the news.

て-Form Analysis

Notice how many different patterns appear in a single short passage. The て-form is not an occasional construction — it is everywhere in natural Japanese.

Reading Passage 2 — おまつりの 準備じゅんび

Read the following passage. It describes getting ready for a summer festival, using the て-form to connect sequences of actions. Focus on identifying each て-form and its dictionary form.

きょうは 町まちの 夏祭なつまつりです。友ともだちの ゆきさんと 行いきます。

まず、押おし入いれを 開あけて、ゆかたを 出だします。ゆかたは きれいな 青あおい 色いろです。

ゆかたを 着きて、おびを 締しめて、鏡かがみを 見みます。ちょっと 難むずかしいです。動画どうがを 見て、もう 一いっ回かい 締めます。今度こんどは うまく できました。

げたを 履はいて、きんちゃくを 持もって、家いえを 出でます。

ゆきさんの 家まで 歩あるいて、ドアを ノックします。ゆきさんも ゆかたを 着ています。赤あかい ゆかたです。

二人ふたりで 駅えきまで 歩いて、電車でんしゃに 乗のって、まつりの 会場かいじょうに 行きます。

会場に 着ついて、まず 屋台やたいを 見ます。やきそばの 屋台が あります。やきそばを 買かって、 食たべます。とても おいしいです。つぎに、りんごあめを 買って、食べます。

太鼓たいこの 音おとが 聞きこえます。音楽おんがくを 聞いて、踊おどりを 見ます。

夜よるに なって、花火はなびが 始はじまります。みんなで 空そらを 見て、「きれい！」と 言いいます。

おまつりが 終おわって、電車に 乗って、家に 帰かえります。楽たのしい 一日いちにちでした。

Translation

Today is the town's summer festival. I am going with my friend Yuki.

First, I open the closet and take out a yukata. The yukata is a beautiful blue color.

I put on the yukata, tie the obi, and look in the mirror. It is a little difficult. I watch a video and tie it one more time. This time it went well.

I put on geta, take my kinchaku pouch, and leave the house.

I walk to Yuki's house and knock on the door. Yuki is also wearing a yukata. It is a red yukata.

The two of us walk to the station, ride the train, and go to the festival grounds.

We arrive at the grounds and first look at the food stalls. There is a yakisoba stall. I buy yakisoba and eat it. It is very delicious. Next, I buy a candy apple and eat it.

I can hear the sound of taiko drums. I listen to the music and watch the dancing.

Night comes and the fireworks begin. Everyone looks at the sky and says "Beautiful!"

The festival ends, we ride the train, and go home. It was a fun day.

て-Form Analysis

Notes on the passage

ゆかた — A lightweight cotton kimono worn in summer, especially to festivals, firework shows, and at hot spring inns. Wearing a yukata to a 夏祭なつまつり is one of the most iconic summer experiences in Japan.

おび — "obi / sash." The wide belt tied around a yukata or kimono. Tying it properly is famously tricky — hence the character looking at a video for help.

げた — Traditional wooden sandals worn with yukata. They make a distinctive clacking sound on pavement.

きんちゃく — A small drawstring pouch, used in place of a regular bag when wearing a yukata.

屋台やたい — "food stall." Summer festivals feature rows of stalls selling やきそば (fried noodles), りんごあめ (candy apples), たこやき (octopus balls), かきごおり (shaved ice), and much more.

聞きこえます — "can be heard." The potential form of 聞きく. Potential forms are covered later; for now, recognize this as "I can hear."

「きれい！」と いいます — "say 'Beautiful!'" The quotation particle と is introduced later. For now, recognize と いいます as "say [quote]."

10.10 Vocabulary List

New vocabulary introduced in this chapter. Pitch accent is marked with circled numbers: ⓪ = flat (heiban), ① = drops after mora 1, ② = drops after mora 2, and so on. Verb class is indicated as 一段, 五段, or 不規則 (irregular).

Verbs — 一段

Verbs — 五段 (く/ぐ endings)

Verbs — 五段 (す ending)

Verbs — 五段 (つ/う/る endings)

Verbs — 五段 (ぬ/ぶ/む endings)

Verbs — 五段 (Exception)

Verbs — 不規則 (Irregular)

Other New Words