Japanese Grammar Bank

CONNECTING SENTENCES WITH て FORM

In English, there are basically two ways to connect sentences, either using the word “and” or “once”.

But Japanese has a slightly different way of connecting two or more sentences. Let’s see different patterns one by one.

INTRODUCTION TO て FORM

The main point of this lesson is to learn how to use one of the verb conjugations called te-form. Te-form is a very very important topic to learn for Japanese learners. Why? Because te-form is used for various different purposes. For example, they can be used in…

・ Making requests

・ Giving and asking for permissions

・ Stating that something is forbidden

・ Forming a sentence that describes two or more events

In this lesson, we are going to focus on the fourth use of te-form, which can be used to combine 2 events or activities to form longer sentences.

The conjugation pattern of te-form is more complicated than other conjugations. So, let’s learn separate rules for 3 different groups such as verbs, い-adjectives, and な-adjectives.

て FORM CONJUGATION FOR VERBS

First of all, let’s look at how to conjugate verbs into te-form. There are different ways to conjugate depending on the verb group.

U-verbs

U-verbs are divided into 5 subcategories based on the final syllable of their dictionary forms.

U-verbs ending with う, つ, and る:

To meet会う / au会って / atte
To wait待つ / matsu待って / matte
To take取る / toru取って / totte

U-verbs end with む, ぶ, and ぬ:

To read読む / yomu読んで / yonde
To play遊ぶ / asobu遊んで / asonde
To die死ぬ / shinu死んで / shinde

U-verbs end with く:

To write書く / kaku書いて / kaite
To listen聞く / kiku聞いて / kite
To sweep掃く / haku掃いて / haite

*There is an exception. The word 行く(to go) ends with く, but it becomes 行く(iku) → 行って(itte).

U-verbs end with ぐ:

To swim泳ぐ / oyogu泳いで / oyoide
To earn稼ぐ / kasegu稼いで / kaseide
To pedal漕ぐ / kogu漕いで / koide

U-verbs end with す:

To speak話す / hanasu話して / hanashite
To give渡す / watasu渡して / watashite
To reveal明かす / akasu明かして / akashite

Ru-verbs

Ru-verbs are much simpler! Just take る off and replace it with て.

PATTERN

Remove る + replace with て

Ru-verbs:

To sleep寝る / neru寝て / nete
To eat食べる / taberu食べて / tabete
To sit座る / suwaru座って / suwatte

Irregular verbs

Irregular verbs conjugate as follows.

Irregular verbs:

To doする / suruして / shite
To come来る / kuru来て / kite

Now, let’s consider how to connect different verb sentences.

PATTERN

V te-form 1, V te-form 2, ~

When two or more actions take place in succession, the actions are mentioned in the order of occurrence by using the te-form.

 レストランに行って、昼食を食べます。Resutoran ni itte, gohan wo tabemasu.I go to restaurant and eat lunch.
学校に行って、勉強します。Gakkou ni itte, benkyou shimasu.I go to school and study.
View More Examples:
座って、本を読みます。Suwatte, hon wo yomimasu.I sit and read the book.
走って、会社に行きます。Hashitte kaisha ni ikimasu.I run and go to my office.
友達と会って、一緒にコーヒーを飲みました。Tomodachi to atte, issho ni koohii wo nomimashita.I met my friend and had a cup of coffee together.
明日は家の掃除をして、美味しいご飯を作ります。Ashita wa ie no souji wo shite, oishii gohan wo tsukuri masu.Tomorrow I will clean my home and will cook delicious food.

て FORM CONJUGATION FOR ADJECTIVES

You can also conjugate adjectives. Let’s see the difference between い-adjectives and な-adjectives.

い-adjectives

To conjugate い-adjectives, take い off and replace it with くて

PATTERN

Remove い + replace with くて

Big大きい / ookii大きくて / ookikute
Small小さい / chiisai小さくて / chiisakute
Cuteかわいい / kawaiiかわいくて / kawaikute

な-adjectives

な-adjectives don’t conjugate themselves. You can simply take な or だ off, and add で

PATTERN

Remove な or だ + add で

Beautifulきれいな / kireinaきれいで / kireide
Famous有名な / yuumeina有名で / yuumeide
Useful便利な / benrina便利で / benride

Let’s consider how to connect different adjective sentences.

PATTERN

[い adjective] ~くて、 ~ です。

今日は天気が良くて、暑いです。Kyou wa tenki ga yokute, atsui desu.Today’s weather is good and hot.
私の彼女はかわいくて、おしゃれです。Watashi no kanojo wa kawaikute, oshare desu.My girlfriend is cute and fashionable.
このレストランのとんかつは大きくて、美味しいです。Kono resutoran no tonkatsu wa ookikute, oishii desu.This restaurant’s tonkatsu is big and delicious.
PATTERN

[な-adjective]~で、~です。

 この町は静かで、きれいです。Kono machi wa Shizuka de kirei desu.This town is quiet and clean.
私の彼氏はハンサムで、親切です。Watashi no kareshi wa hansamu de, shinsetsu desu.My boyfriend is handsome and sweet.
日本の新幹線は便利で、早いです。Nihon no shinkansen wa benri de, hayai desu.The Japanese bullet train is useful and fast.  

Learn Japanese with FlexiClasses

Book online classes with the best teachers in the industry.

REGISTER

FAQs

What is the て-form used for in Japanese?

The て form is used to connect verbs and clauses in a sentence, express sequential actions, and provide explanations.

It allows the speaker to link multiple actions or states in a fluid way.

How do you form the てform for different verbs?

The て form varies based on the verb group:

For -ru verbs, replace -ru with -te (e.g., 食べる → 食べて).

For -u verbs, the final consonant changes (e.g., 飲む → 飲んで).

Irregular verbs like する become して and 来る becomes きて.

Can I use the て form for polite sentences?

Yes, you can still use polite forms while connecting with the て form.

For example, 食べます (tabemasu) in the て form becomes 食べて, and you can continue the sentence using another polite verb.

How do I express sequential actions using the て form?

To express actions happening in sequence, you connect verbs using the て form. For example: 朝ご飯を食べて、学校に行きます (I eat breakfast and then go to school).

Can I study Japanese in Japan with LTL?

Absolutely! We offer group and individual classes in Tokyo.

If you’d prefer to learn Japanese from the comfort of your home, you should have a look at our online lessons on Flexi Classes (we even have a 7 day free trial!)

Where can I learn more Japanese grammar?

We regularly update our Japanese Grammar Bank with more free lessons like this one.

MORE FREE LESSONS