Chapter 27 — Aspect: ていく, てくる, てしまう, ておく

You have already used the て-form to connect actions, make requests, describe ongoing states, and express giving and receiving. This chapter introduces a set of て-form extensions that modify how an action relates to time, direction, and the speaker's perspective. Together, these constructions form a coherent aspect system — a way of expressing not just what happened, but whether the action moves toward or away from the present, whether it was completed or regretted, whether it was done in preparation for something, or whether its result persists as a visible state.

These patterns appear constantly in natural Japanese. A story about preparing dinner, a weather forecast describing a temperature trend, a complaint about losing something — all of these rely on the aspect markers taught in this chapter. Without them, your Japanese will sound flat and mechanically correct but emotionally hollow. With them, you gain the ability to narrate events with the texture and directionality that native speakers expect.

27.1 ていく — Going Away and Going Forward

ていく (て-form + 行く) has two core meanings: physical direction away from the reference point and temporal change moving into the future.

Directional: Carrying or Moving Away

When paired with verbs of movement or transfer, ていく expresses an action directed away from the speaker's current location or the narrative reference point.

弁当を　持っていく。 "I'll take a boxed lunch (with me)." (carrying it away from here)

友達に　本を　持っていった。 "I took a book to my friend." (away from where I was)

子供を　学校に　送っていく。 "I'll take the child to school." (sending/escorting away)

明日の　パーティーに　ケーキを　作っていく　つもりだ。 "I plan to make a cake and bring it to tomorrow's party." (make and carry away)

The basic contrast is simple: ていく means the action's result moves away from here. Compare with てくる in Section 27.2.

Temporal: Change Progressing into the Future

When used with verbs describing change, ていく expresses a change that will continue from now into the future. The speaker is looking forward in time.

これから　暑くなっていく。 "It's going to get hotter from now on."

日本語が　だんだん　上手に　なっていく。 "Your Japanese will gradually improve (going forward)."

人口が　減っていく。 "The population will continue to decrease."

この　町は　少しずつ　変わっていくだろう。 "This town will probably change little by little."

The pattern often appears with time expressions like これから (from now on), だんだん (gradually), and 少しずつ (little by little). The feeling is one of looking at a process from its starting point and watching it move forward into the distance.

Conjugation

Because 行く is a 五段 verb, the ていく portion conjugates as 行く normally does.

27.2 てくる — Coming Here and Coming Up to Now

てくる (て-form + 来る) is the mirror of ていく. It has two parallel meanings: physical direction toward the reference point and temporal change that has developed up to the present.

Directional: Carrying or Moving Toward

When paired with verbs of movement or transfer, てくる expresses an action directed toward the speaker or the narrative reference point.

弁当を　持ってくる。 "I'll bring a boxed lunch (here)." (carrying it toward here)

友達が　本を　持ってきた。 "My friend brought a book (here)."

飲み物を　買ってきた。 "I went and bought drinks (and brought them back)."

ちょっと　コンビニに　行ってくる。 "I'll just pop out to the convenience store (and come back)."

The last example is extremely common in daily life. 行ってくる implies a round trip — going and returning. The くる anchors the action to the speaker's current location.

Temporal: Change That Has Developed Up to Now

When used with verbs describing change, てくる expresses a process that has been developing up to the present moment. The speaker is looking backward in time from the current point.

日本語が　だんだん　分かるように　なってきた。 "I've gradually come to understand Japanese." (up to now)

最近、暑くなってきた。 "Recently, it's gotten hotter." (the change has arrived at the present)

この　十年で　外国人の　数が　増えてきた。 "Over the past ten years, the number of foreigners has been increasing."

空が　暗くなってきた。 "The sky has gotten dark." (I can see the change as of now)

Sudden Onset

てくる is also used for sensations or states that suddenly arise in the speaker's awareness — the change "comes upon" the speaker.

お腹が　空いてきた。 "I'm getting hungry." (hunger is arising)

雨が　降ってきた。 "It's started to rain." (rain has come upon us)

眠くなってきた。 "I'm getting sleepy." (sleepiness is creeping in)

だんだん　分かってきた。 "I'm starting to understand." (understanding is emerging)

Contrasting ていく and てくる

The directional contrast is straightforward:

The temporal contrast requires more attention:

The key is the temporal perspective. ていく looks forward from now. てくる looks backward to now.

Conjugation

来る is an irregular verb, so てくる conjugates irregularly.

27.3 てしまう — Completion and Regret

てしまう (て-form + しまう) carries two meanings that share a common thread: an action that has been brought to a definitive end, whether that end is a satisfying completion or an unfortunate, irreversible outcome.

Completion: Finished Entirely

てしまう can express that an action was completed thoroughly and entirely. There is a sense of finality — the action is done and over.

この　本を　全部　読んでしまった。 "I finished reading this entire book."

宿題を　やってしまおう。 "Let's get the homework done (and be done with it)."

昼ごはんの　前に　仕事を　終わらせてしまいたい。 "I want to finish the work before lunch."

レポートは　もう　書いてしまいました。 "I've already finished writing the report."

Regret or Unintended Outcome

てしまう also expresses that something happened that the speaker did not want or intend — a mistake, a loss, an unfortunate event. The result is irreversible and often regrettable.

財布を　なくしてしまった。 "I've gone and lost my wallet."

大事な　約束を　忘れてしまった。 "I ended up forgetting an important promise."

ケーキを　全部　食べてしまった。 "I ate all the cake." (and I shouldn't have)

電車で　寝てしまった。 "I fell asleep on the train." (unintentionally)

コップを　落として　割ってしまった。 "I dropped the glass and broke it." (accidentally)

Context determines which meaning is active. 本を全部読んでしまった with a smile means "I finished the whole book!" The same sentence with a disappointed face might mean "I've already read through it all" (and have nothing left to read). The structural ambiguity is resolved by context and tone, just as "I've done it" in English can be triumphant or regretful.

Casual Contractions: ちゃう and じゃう

In casual speech, てしまう contracts to ちゃう, and でしまう contracts to じゃう. These contractions are extremely common — far more common than the full form in everyday conversation.

電車で　寝ちゃった。 "I fell asleep on the train."

また　忘れちゃった。 "I forgot again."

全部　食べちゃった。 "I ate it all."

壊れちゃった。 "It broke." (unfortunately)

These contracted forms conjugate like regular 五段 verbs in -う:

You will encounter ちゃう/じゃう constantly in manga, anime, casual conversation, and text messages. Recognizing them immediately is essential for understanding natural Japanese.

27.4 ておく — Doing in Advance, Doing in Preparation

ておく (て-form + 置く) expresses performing an action in advance as preparation for something that will come later. The core idea is that you do something now and "leave it in place" so that the result is ready when needed.

Preparatory Action

パーティーの　前に　ビールを　買っておく。 "I'll buy beer before the party." (in preparation)

明日の　会議の　資料を　準備しておいた。 "I prepared the materials for tomorrow's meeting (in advance)."

旅行の　前に　ホテルを　予約しておいた　ほうが　いい。 "You'd better reserve the hotel before the trip."

テストの　前に　よく　復習しておいてください。 "Please review well before the test." (so you're prepared)

辞書で　調べておいた。 "I looked it up in the dictionary (beforehand)."

Leaving Something As-Is

ておく can also mean to deliberately leave something in a certain state — to let it be, to not interfere.

窓を　開けておいてください。 "Please leave the window open."

そのまま　にしておいて。 "Leave it as it is."

しばらく　この　問題は　置いておこう。 "Let's leave this problem alone for a while."

Casual Contraction: とく

In casual speech, ておく contracts to とく, and でおく contracts to どく.

ビール、買っといたよ。 "I bought beer (in advance), you know."

この　資料、読んどいて。 "Read these materials (in advance)."

先に　食べといて。 "Go ahead and eat (before I get there)."

Like ちゃう/じゃう, the contracted forms とく/どく are very common in casual spoken Japanese.

27.5 てある — A State Resulting from Intentional Action

てある (て-form + ある) describes a state that exists as the result of someone having intentionally performed an action. The focus is not on the action itself but on the resulting state that is currently visible or relevant.

Formation and Structure

てある is formed with the て-form of a transitive verb followed by ある. The object of the action is typically marked with が (not を), because the sentence describes a state rather than an action.

窓が　開けてある。 "The window has been opened." (someone opened it intentionally, and it's still open)

テーブルの　上に　花が　飾ってある。 "Flowers have been arranged on the table." (someone arranged them, and they're there now)

壁に　ポスターが　貼ってある。 "A poster has been put up on the wall."

冷蔵庫に　ビールが　入れてある。 "Beer has been put in the refrigerator." (someone put it there)

名前が　書いてある。 "A name is written (on it)." (someone wrote it)

てある vs ている

Both てある and ている can describe resulting states, but they differ in an important way.

ている describes a state without specifying whether anyone caused it intentionally:

窓が　開いている。 "The window is open." (it's open — maybe the wind blew it open, maybe someone opened it)

てある specifies that the state results from someone's intentional action:

窓が　開けてある。 "The window has been opened." (someone opened it on purpose)

Note the verb difference: 開いている uses the intransitive verb 開く (to open by itself), while 開けてある uses the transitive verb 開ける (to open something). てある always takes transitive verbs because it implies a human agent.

More contrasts:

てある often carries an implication that the resulting state was created for a reason — someone prepared or arranged things intentionally.

夕飯の　材料が　もう　買ってある。 "The ingredients for dinner have already been bought." (I took care of it)

27.6 Aspect as a Coherent System

The five patterns in this chapter are not isolated grammar points. They form an interconnected system for expressing how actions relate to time, direction, and state. Understanding them as a system will help you choose the right one instinctively.

The System at a Glance

How They Interact

These patterns can work together in the same narrative. Consider a story about preparing for a party:

パーティーの　ために、ケーキを　作っておいた。飲み物は　もう　買ってある。部屋も　きれいに　掃除してある。でも、料理を　作りすぎてしまった。友達が　少しずつ　集まってきた。夜に　なっていくと、だんだん　にぎやかに　なってきた。

This short passage uses ておいた (prepared in advance), てある (resulting state of preparation), てしまった (overdid it — regret), and なってきた (change arriving at the present). Each aspect marker adds a specific shade of meaning that would be lost without it.

Common Combinations to Recognize

Some aspect markers appear together with other grammar patterns:

• ていってしまう — going away and unfortunately completing: 友達が　引っ越していってしまった "My friend moved away (and is gone now)."
• てきている — a change that started in the past continues now: 最近、日本語が　分かるように　なってきている "Recently, I've been coming to understand Japanese."
• ておいてほしい — want someone to prepare in advance: 資料を　コピーしておいてほしい "I want you to copy the documents in advance."

27.7 Reading Passage

パーティーの　準備

来週の　土曜日に、友達の　誕生日パーティーを　することに　なった。場所は　私の　アパートだ。十人ぐらい　来る　はずだから、いろいろ　準備しておかなければ　ならない。

まず、部屋を　きれいに　掃除した。テーブルの　上の　物を　全部　片付けてしまって、床も　掃除機を　かけておいた。壁に　きれいな　飾りを　貼っておいた。これで　部屋の　準備は　できた。

次に、買い物だ。飲み物と　お菓子を　買いに　スーパーに　行ってきた。ビールと　ジュースを　たくさん　買ってきて、冷蔵庫に　入れておいた。お菓子は　テーブルの　上に　並べてある。

料理は　当日に　作る　つもりだったが、仕事が　忙しくなってきたので、前の　日に　作っておくことに　した。カレーなら　前の　日に　作っておいた　ほうが　おいしくなる。サラダの　野菜も　切っておいた。

一つ　心配な　ことが　ある。先週、友達の　山田さんに　パーティーの　日を　間違えて　教えてしまった。土曜日なのに、金曜日だと　言ってしまったのだ。すぐ　メッセージを　送って　直しておいた。届いているだろうか。山田さんは　メッセージを　読んでくれただろうか。来なかったら　困る。

だんだん　準備が　進んできた。あとは　当日を　待つだけだ。みんなが　楽しんでくれると　いいな。パーティーが　終わった　後は、片付けが　大変に　なっていくだろうけど、それは　その　時に　考えよう。

Translation:

Next Saturday, it's been decided that we'll have a birthday party for a friend. The location is my apartment. About ten people should be coming, so I have to prepare various things in advance.

First, I cleaned the room. I put away all the things on the table and vacuumed the floor in advance. I put pretty decorations on the wall ahead of time. With that, the room preparation is done.

Next, shopping. I went to the supermarket to buy drinks and snacks. I bought a lot of beer and juice and put them in the refrigerator in advance. The snacks have been arranged on the table.

I had planned to cook on the day itself, but since work has been getting busy, I decided to cook the day before. If it's curry, it actually gets tastier if you make it the day before. I also cut the salad vegetables in advance.

There is one thing I'm worried about. Last week, I accidentally told my friend Yamada the wrong day for the party. It's Saturday, but I ended up saying Friday. I immediately sent a message and corrected it. I wonder if it arrived. I wonder if Yamada read it. It would be a problem if he doesn't come.

The preparations have been gradually coming along. All that's left is to wait for the day. I hope everyone enjoys themselves. After the party is over, the cleanup will probably become a big task, but I'll think about that when the time comes.

Reading Passage 2 — 台風の　準備

Read the following passage about preparing for a typhoon. Notice how the aspect markers ている, てある, ておく, and てしまう each contribute a distinct nuance.

天気予報に　よると、明日の　夜、大きな　台風が　来るそうだ。わたしは　いろいろ　準備しておかなければ　ならない。

まず、外に　出ている　ものを　ぜんぶ　家の　中に　入れておいた。ベランダの　植木鉢は　もう　中に　入れてある。自転車も　たおれないように　かべに　つないでおいた。

食べ物と　水は　おととい　買っておいた。パンと　カップめんが　たなの　上に　並べてある。水は　六本　買ってきて、台所に　置いてある。懐中電灯と　電池も　だいぶ前に　準備してあるから、だいじょうぶだ。

ひとつ　しまったと　思った　ことが　ある。ラジオの　電池が　なくなっていることに　気が　ついた。新しい　電池を　買いに　行こうと　思ったが、もう　みせが　閉まってしまっていた。となりの　山田さんに　聞いてみたら、電池を　分けてくれた。たすかった。

窓には　テープを　貼っておいた。お風呂にも　水を　ためておいた。これで　準備は　全部　終わった。

外では　もう　風が　強くなってきている。空も　だんだん　暗くなっていく。今夜は　たいへんな　夜に　なりそうだ。安全に　すごせるように、早めに　家に　入っておこう。

Translation

According to the weather forecast, a large typhoon is coming tomorrow night. I have to prepare various things in advance.

First, I brought everything that was outside into the house ahead of time. The flower pots on the balcony have already been brought inside. I also tied the bicycle to the wall in advance so it would not fall over.

I bought food and water the day before yesterday. Bread and cup noodles are arranged on the shelf. I bought six bottles of water and they are placed in the kitchen. The flashlight and batteries were also prepared a while ago, so that is fine.

There is one thing where I thought "oh no." I noticed the radio's batteries had run out. I was going to go buy new ones, but the stores had already closed. When I tried asking my neighbor Yamada, he shared some batteries with me. That was a relief.

I put tape on the windows in advance. I also filled the bathtub with water ahead of time. With this, all the preparations are finished.

Outside, the wind has already been getting stronger. The sky is also gradually getting darker. Tonight looks like it will be a tough night. So I can stay safe, I will go inside the house early.

Notes on the passage

台風（たいふう）— "typhoon." Japan's typhoon season runs from late summer through autumn.

植木鉢（うえきばち）— "flower pot." ベランダ means "balcony, veranda."

懐中電灯（かいちゅうでんとう）— "flashlight." 電池（でんち）means "battery."

しまった — An exclamation meaning "oh no!" Related to てしまう — the feeling that something unfortunate has happened.

分ける（わける）— "to share, to divide." 分けてくれた — "shared with me" (using the てくれる giving pattern).

ためる — "to fill, to accumulate." お風呂に水をためる means "to fill the bathtub with water," a common typhoon preparation in case water service is interrupted.

Note the aspect markers: ておいた (advance preparation), てある (resulting states of preparation), てしまっていた (unfortunate completed state), てきている (ongoing change toward the present), ていく (change progressing into the future).

27.8 Vocabulary List