Japanese Grammar Bank

JAPANESE CONTINUOUS TENSE

In Japanese, the て形 tekei te form is a crucial verb conjugation that is used in various grammatical constructions, including connecting sentences, giving commands, expressing requests, and more.

The て形 tekei te form is created by conjugating verbs in specific ways, and it’s important to understand the different groups of verbs that exist in Japanese. 

GROUP 1 VERBS // う U VERBS

Group 1 verbs, also known as Godan verbs, are the most common type of verbs in Japanese.

They end in various syllables like う u, く ku, ぐ gu, す su, つ tsu, ぬ nu, ぶ bu, or む mu.

To form the て形 tekei te form for Group 1 verbs, you generally follow these rules:

FOR VERBS ENDING INREPLACE WITHFINAL FORM
う u
(e.g., 歌う utau to sing)		replace う u with って tte 歌って
utatte
くku
(e.g., 聞くkiku to ask)		replace く ku with いて ite 聞いて
kiite
ぐ gu
(e.g., 泳ぐ oyogu to swim)		replace ぐ gu with いで ide 泳いで
oyoide
すsu
(e.g., 話す hanasu to speak)		replace すsu with して shite 話して
hanashite
つ tsu
(e.g., 待つ matsu to wait)		replace つ tsu with って tte 待って
matte
ぬ nu
(e.g., 死ぬ shinu to die)		replace ぬ nu with んで nde死んで
shinde
ぶ bu
(e.g., 遊ぶ asobu to play)		replace ぶ bu with んで nde遊んで
asonde
む mu
(e.g., 飲む nomu to drink)		replace む mu with んで nde飲んで
nonde

GROUP 2 VERBS // る RU VERBS

Group 2 verbs, also known as Ichidan verbs, all end in いる iru or える eru.

To form the て形 tekei te form for Group 2 verbs, you generally follow this rule:

PATTERN

Remove る ru from the verb stem + て te

見る miru
to see		 →見て mite
食べる taberu
to eat		 →食べて tabete

IRREGULAR VERBS

Irregular verbs do not follow the same patterns as Group I or Group II verbs.

Some common irregular verbs include 来 るkuru to come and する suru to do.

The て形 tekei te form for irregular verbs are as follows:

来る kuru
to come 		 →来て kite 
する suru
to do		 →して shite

WITH ている / ています

Now you can form the て形 tekei te form, making the present/past continuous tense (-ing) is super easy.

PATTERN

いる iru (casual) / います imasu (polite) + verb

If you need to express the past continuous tense, you conjugated the いる iru (casual) o rいますimasu (polite) approriately.

Present Continuous

Nihongo o benkyou shiteimasu.

日本語を勉強しています。

I am studying Japanese.
Koko de matteimasu.

ここで待っています。

I am waiting here.
View More Phrases
JAPANESEROMAJIENGLISH
彼女は本を読んでいます。Kanojo wa hon o yondeimasu.She is reading a book.
今、昼食を食べています。Ima, chuushoku o tabeteimasu.I am eating lunch now.
彼らは散歩している。Karera wa sanpo shiteiru.They are taking a walk.
このレポートを書いています。Kono repooto o kaiteimasu.I am writing this report.
彼は音楽を聞いています。Kare wa ongaku o kiiteimasu.He is listening to music.
彼女はテレビを見ています。Kanojo wa terebi o miteimasu.She is watching TV.
今、授業に出席しています。Ima, jugyou ni sseki shiteimasu.I am attending the class now.
私たちは映画を見ています。Watashitachi wa eiga o miteimasu.We are watching a movie.

Past Continuous

Kinou, hon o yondeimashita.

昨日、本を読んでいました。

I was reading a book yesterday.
Karera wa sanpo shiteimashita.

彼らは散歩していました。

They were taking a walk.
View More Phrases
JAPANESEROMAJIENGLISH
その時、彼は寝ていました。Sono toki, kare wa neteimashita.He was sleeping at that time.
彼女は昨日テレビを見ていました。Kanojo wa kinou terebi o miteimashita.She was watching TV yesterday.
昨晩、友達と話していました。Sakuban, tomodachi to hanashiteimashita.Last night, I was talking with friends.
彼は一日中働いていました。Kare wa ichinichijuu hataraiteimashita.He was working all day.
あの時、彼女は笑っていました。Ano toki, kanojo wa waratteimashita.She was laughing at that moment.
私たちは昨夜映画を見ていました。Watashitachi wa sakuya eiga o miteimashita.We were watching a movie last night.
その頃、私は勉強していました。Sono koro, watashi wa benkyou shiteimashita.I was studying around that time.
昨日、ここで待っていました。Kinou, koko de matteimashita.I was waiting here yesterday.

NOTE || This is how you form the continuous tense in Japanese. To form sentences like, “I like singing,” you have to use a different form. Don’t think that all English -ing situations are equivalent to this grammar point.

SUMMARY

Here is a summary of all grammar points mentioned in this lesson:

  • The て形 tekei te form is an essential form to learn in order to make the continuous tense. 
  • The て形 tekei te form construction changes depending on the type of verb in question. 
  • Adding いる iru (casual)orいます imasu (polite) to the て形 tekei te form is how the continuous tense is formed.
  • Don’t use this construction to express things like, “I like running.”

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FAQs

How to use the て形 tekei te form ?

You just add いる iru (casual) or います imasu (polite).

If you need to express the past continuous tense, you conjugated the いる iru (casual) o rいますimasu (polite) approriately.

Present Continuous

日本語を勉強しています。 Nihongo o benkyou shiteimasu. I am studying Japanese.

Past Continuous

昨日、本を読んでいました。Kinou, hon o yondeimashita. I was reading a book yesterday.

What is the Japanese Te form used for?

It has multiple uses, from connecting actions to indicating an ongoing action.

Make sure to check our lesson about the て-form here.

What is the Japanese plain form of verbs?

The Japanese plain form of verbs is a way to conjugate verbs that is different from the polite form (i.e. です).

It can be used in different contexts.

Check out our full article about plain form verbs in Japanese here.

What is the Japanese negation form?

The most common Japanese negation form is the one with the verb です.

The present/future negation of the verb です (desu), is ではありません (dewa arimasen).

The past tense negation form is ではありませんでした (dewa arimasen deshita).

Check out our full lesson on Japanese Negative Form here.

What is the most basic sentence structure?

The most basic Japanese sentence structure is:

Subject + は + Object + です.

This sentence structure is used for generalised things or stating facts.

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