10.2 Verb Conjugation: Te-Form

What is the ‘te-form’?

The te-form is a verb conjugation in Japanese that serves as a versatile and essential building block in the language. It’s called the ‘te-form’ because it typically ends with て (te) or で (de) in Japanese.

The te-form does not indicate tense; instead, tense is conveyed by the ending of the sentence, which will be explained in the following modules. Additionally, politeness and tense are determined by the final verb or expression in the sentence, not by the te-form itself.

The te-form is used in a variety of grammatical structures. This chapter will focus on its four primary usages:

 

How to form the te-form

The table below outlines the te-form conjugation patterns for ru-verbs, u-verbs and irregular verbs.

Ru-verbs		U-verbs		Exception		Irregular verbs
Verb stem + て		う つ る	って	行く	行って	する	して
		む ぶ ぬ	んで			来（く）る	来（き）て
		す	して
		ぐ	いで
		く	いて

 

 

Here’s a breakdown of the conjugation patterns for ru-verbs, u-verbs and irregular verbs.

 

1. Ru-verbs

Ru-verbs are characterised by their stem ending in る. To conjugate into the te-form:

• Remove る: Take off the る from the dictionary form of the verb.
• Add て: Attach て to the end of the verb stem.

Example:

• 食（た）べる (taberu: to eat) → 食べ (tabe) + て → 食べて (tabete)

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2. U-verbs

U-verbs typically end in う, つ, る, む, ぶ, ぬ, す, く or ぐ. To conjugate into the te-form:

• Change the final sound: Replace the final sound with the corresponding te-form: って, んで, して, いで and いて.

Let’s take a closer look at how each ending group is conjugated.

 

(1) For u-verbs ending in う, つ, る:

• Drop the final syllable and replace it with って (tte).
• Example:
  • 買（か）う (kau: to buy) → 買って (katte)
  • 待（ま）つ (matsu: to wait) → 待って (matte)
  • 撮（と）る (toru: to take [photos]) → 撮って (totte)

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As explained in Module 6.2, Some verbs ending in る can be classified as u-verbs rather than ru-verbs. The following verbs are all u-verbs despite ending in iru or eru, which are typically indicators of ru-verbs. These verbs include:

• 帰 （かえ）る (kaeru: to return)
• 入（はい）る (hairu: to enter)
• 喋（しゃべ）る (shaberu: to chatter)
• 要（い）る (iru: to need)
• 知（し）る (shiru: to know)

 

(2) For u-verbs ending in む, ぶ, ぬ:

• • Drop the final syllable and replace it with んで (nde).
  • Example:
    • 読（よ）む (yomu: to read) → 読んで (yonde)
    • 呼（よ）ぶ (yobu: to call) → 呼んで (yonde)
    • 死（し）ぬ (shinu: to die) → 死んで (shinde)

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(3) For u-verbs ending in す:

• • Drop the final syllable and replace it with して (shite).
  • Example:
    • 話（はな）す (hanasu: to speak) → 話して (hanashite)

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(4) For u-verbs ending in く:

• • Drop the final syllable and replace it with いて (ite).
  • Example:
    • 書（か）く (kaku: to write) → 書いて (kaite)
  • Exception:
    • 行（い）く (iku: to go) → 行って (itte)

There is only one exception. 行くbecomes 行って in its te-form. This is because 行いて is hard to pronounce.

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(5) For u-verbs ending in ぐ:

• • Drop the final syllable and replace it with いで (ide).
  • Example:
    • 泳（およ）ぐ (oyogu: to swim) → 泳いで (oyoide)

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3. Irregular verbs

• 来（く）る (kuru: to go) → 来（き） (ki) + て → 来て (kite)
• する (suru: to do) → し (shi) + て → して (shite)
• 勉強（べんきょう）する (benkyou suru: to study) → 勉強し (benkyou shi) + て → 勉強して (benkyou shite)

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Mastering the te-form conjugations allows you to connect actions, make requests, and express various nuances in Japanese conversation effectively. Practise these conjugations regularly to enhance your fluency and confidence in using Japanese verbs.