Japanese Te-Form: Rules, Conjugation Chart and Examples

Te-Form Formation Rules

Group 1 — Godan verbs (5 ending rules)

Look at the final syllable of the dictionary form and apply the matching rule.

Group 2 — Ichidan verbs

Drop the final る and add て. That's it.

Group 3 — Irregular verbs

The 行く Exception

The only irregular Group 1 verb

行く (to go) ends in く, which should give 行いて by the normal rule. It does not. 行く is the single historical exception — its te-form is 行って, not 行いて.

Every other く-ending verb follows the rule: 書く→書いて, 聞く→聞いて, 歩く→歩いて. Only 行く→行って.

• Correct: 駅まで歩いていきます。 — I will walk to the station.
• Correct: スーパーへ買い物に行って、帰りました。 — I went shopping at the supermarket and came back.

20-Verb Conjugation Practice Table

Dictionary form → te-form — with group labels

Note on 帰る: it ends in る but is a Group 1 godan verb (not ichidan). Its te-form is 帰って, not 帰て. Context — or a dictionary — will tell you whether a る-ending verb is Group 1 or Group 2.

6 Grammar Patterns That Use Te-Form

The patterns most tested at N5

1. 〜てください — Polite request

Ask someone to do something. Add ください directly after the te-form.

• ここに名前を書いてください。 — Please write your name here.
• ゆっくり話してください。 — Please speak slowly.
• 窓を開けてください。 — Please open the window.

2. 〜てもいいです — Permission

Say that something is permitted, or ask if it is (add か to make a question).

• ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか。 — May I take a photo here?
• もう帰ってもいいですよ。 — You may go home now.
• このケーキを食べてもいいですか。 — Is it okay if I eat this cake?

3. 〜てはいけません — Prohibition

Say that something must not be done. Stronger than a request — used for rules and prohibitions.

• ここでタバコを吸ってはいけません。 — You must not smoke here.
• 図書館で大きい声で話してはいけません。 — You must not speak loudly in the library.
• 授業中にスマホを使ってはいけません。 — You must not use your phone during class.

4. 〜てから — After doing X, then Y

Describe a sequence: first do X, then do Y. The two actions must be in order.

• ご飯を食べてから、勉強します。 — After eating, I will study.
• シャワーを浴びてから、寝ます。 — After taking a shower, I will sleep.
• 学校に行ってから、図書館へ行きました。 — After going to school, I went to the library.

5. 〜ています — Ongoing action or resulting state

With action verbs: describes an ongoing action. With state verbs: describes a resulting state that is still true.

• 今、音楽を聴いています。 — I am listening to music right now. (ongoing action)
• 田中さんは結婚しています。 — Tanaka-san is married. (resulting state)
• 雨が降っています。 — It is raining.

6. 〜てみます — Try doing X

Express an attempt to try something, often for the first time.

• この料理を作ってみます。 — I will try making this dish.
• 日本語で話してみました。 — I tried speaking in Japanese.
• その本を読んでみてください。 — Please try reading that book.

5 Common Mistakes with Te-Form

• Applying the く→いて rule to 行く: writing 行いて instead of 行って. This is the single most common te-form error. Memorise 行く→行って as a standalone exception.
• Confusing Group 1 and Group 2 る-ending verbs: 食べる (ichidan, G2) gives 食べて, but 帰る (godan, G1) gives 帰って. The ending looks the same; the group is different.
• Using てから and ています interchangeably: てから is a sequence (A then B), while ています is an ongoing state or action at the present moment. They cannot be swapped.
• Forgetting て-form for する compounds: 勉強する→勉強して, 練習する→練習して. All 〜する verbs follow the irregular する→して pattern.
• Conjugation-only practice: converting verbs to te-form without using them in sentences leaves you unable to recognise the patterns under exam conditions. Always attach each converted verb to a full grammar pattern sentence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Five-Second Te-Form Drill

Say the dictionary form, identify the verb group, then produce the te-form before checking the answer. Follow with negative te-form and te-form compounds once these patterns feel automatic.

Practice Te-Form with YoruLearn

The YoruLearn app drills te-form conjugation for all three verb groups with adaptive spaced repetition — it identifies which sub-patterns you keep getting wrong and targets them, so you build accurate recall before exam day.

What to Study Next