Japanese te form has four important roles, explained

What is the Japanese te form?

When we say “te form”, it normally refers to the combination of a word and the conjunctive particle, “te”. The word can be either a verb, i-adjective, or auxiliary verb. This form has four important roles in the Japanese language. In this blog post, therefore, I will explain them in detail, one by one. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand the Japanese te form more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Te form to join two words
  • Example #1: how to join two i-adjectives
• Te form to make a cause-and-effect structure
  • Example #2: how to make a cause-and-effect structure
• Te form to make a chronological order
  • Example #3: how to make a chronological order
• Te form to make a smooth connection
  • Example #4: how to make a smooth connection with an auxiliary verb
• Summary

Te form to join two words

Let me start with the very basic role of the Japanese te form. We can join two words by changing the first one to its te form. The second one can remain unchanged. Their parts-of-speech often need to match grammatically: if the first one is a verb, so is the second one; if the first one is an i-adjective, so is the second one. In this regard, this role is similar to that of the English conjunction, “and”, I think. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to join two i-adjectives

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “momo” to say “this peach” in Japanese.
• momo – 桃 (もも) : a noun meaning ‘peach’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kono momo” to make the subject in the sentence.
• amaku – 甘く (あまく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “amai“, which means ‘sweet’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “amaku” to make its te form, “amaku te”.
• oishii – 美味しい (おいしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘delicious’ in Japanese.

In English, we can link two adjectives by using “and” like “sweet and delicious”. Unfortunately, this method doesn’t work well in Japanese. The Japanese case particle, “to“, is often translated into English as “and”, but we cannot say “amai to oishii” to mean ‘sweet and delicious’ in Japanese. As I explained, the first adjective needs to be changed to its te form to make a smooth connection. In this example, “amai” has been changed to its te form, “amaku te”, to have the smooth connection with the following adjective, “oishii”. I’ve used two adjectives in this example, but we can take the same method for two verbs.

Te form to make a cause-and-effect structure

Next, let me explain the second role. When we want to make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence, we can use the te form effectively. In principle, the word in front of the conjunctive particle, “te”, refers to a cause; the word after the particle refers to an effect. Let me explain this usage in detail through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to make a cause-and-effect structure

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• samuku – 寒く (さむく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “samui“, which means ‘cold’ in Japanese.
• furueru – 震える (ふるえる) : a verb meaning ‘to shake’, ‘to shiver’, or such in Japanese.

This example looks quite similar to the last one. It’s not easy to understand that this has a cause-and-effect structure, not a parallel expression. In fact, Japanese native speakers often use a reason marker like “node” instead to make everything clear. Still, using the te form is a very good approach as shown in this example. The word in front of “te”, “samuku”, refers to the cause – it’s cold. The word after the particle, “furueru”, refers to the effect – I’m shivering.

Te form to make a chronological order

Let me explain the third role. When we want to make a chronological order in a sentence, we can use the te form. The word in front of the conjunctive particle, “te”, refers to an event happening earlier; the word after the particle refers to an event happening later. Let me explain this usage in detail through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to make a chronological order

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “gakkou” to say where the speaker will go.
• it – 行っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku“, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• benkyou suru – 勉強する (べんきょうする) : a verb meaning ‘to study’ in Japanese. This can be considered as the verb form of “benkyou“.

Going to school is an event happening before studying there. In the example, therefore, “iku” has been changed to its te form, “it te”, and “benkyou suru” remains unchanged. When we want to make a chronological order in a sentence, we can use the te form like this.

Te form to make a smooth connection

Lastly, let me explain the fourth role. When we want to connect a verb, i-adjective, or auxiliary verb with an auxiliary verb, we should change the preceding word to its te form. Normally, the auxiliary verb supports the meaning of the preceding word. Let me explain this usage in detail through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to make a smooth connection with an auxiliary verb

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• oshie – 教え (おしえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “oshieru”, which means ‘to tell’, ‘to teach’, ‘to inform’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’.

In the example, “oshieru” has been changed to its te form, “oshie te”, to have the smooth connection with the following auxiliary verb, “kudasai”. When we want to connect a verb, i-adjective, or auxiliary verb with an auxiliary verb, we need to change the preceding word to its te form.

Sometimes, Japanese learners use te-formed words, especially verbs, as command forms. This usage can be considered as a special case of this fourth usage. Japanese native speakers often omit the auxiliary verb following a verb or adjective. For example, they say “watashi ni oshie te” instead of this example sentence. As a result of this kind of omission, the te-formed verb, “oshie te”, appears to be a command form. This is why te-formed verbs can work like command forms.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the Japanese te form and how it works in detail with the example sentences. Let me summarize its main roles as follows:

We can use the Japanese te form to:

1. Join two words
2. Make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence
3. Make a chronological order in a sentence
4. Make a smooth connection with an auxiliary verb

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.