Tuesday, September 20, 2011

て-form made easy!

So, in Japanese grammar, one of the most basic verb conjugations always seems to be the most confusing. I get lots and lots of students from all levels of Japanese asking me how the hell they can conjugate to て-form.
Here's how!

IF YOU DO NOT KNOW DICTIONARY FORM YET:
Sorry, it's harder for you guys...

First, you need to know the difference between a う-verb and an る-verb:

う-verbs end in います sounds: いきます、あそびます、かきます、so on and so forth.

While る-verbs end in えます sounds: たべます、いれます、かけます
THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS: みます、おきます、and あびます are all る-verbs even though they end with an います sound!

Now on to CONJUGATION!

Irregular verbs:
します→して
きます→きて
NOTE: Any nouns that get します added to them are IRREGULAR. Ex: べんきょうします、りょうりします all conjugate to して

る-verbs:
ます→て
Examples:
いれます→いれて
みます→みて
たべます→たべて
かけます→かけて
おきます→おきて

Easy, right?

Now on to the verbs that confuse the hell out of everyone...

う(u)-verbs:
There are quite a few sub-categories of う-verbs, so I will separate them:

Ends with します→して
Examples:
はなします→はなして

Ends with きます→いて
Examples:
ききます→きいて
かきます→かいて
はきます→はいて
NOTE: If the き before ます is VOICED (ぎ), then the て becomes voiced as well (で)
Example:
およぎます→およいで

Ends with ります or います→って
Examples:
とります→とって
つくります→つくって
いいます→いって
かいます→かって

Ends with みます or びます→んで
Examples:
よみます→よんで
のみます→のんで
あそびます→あそんで
よびます→よんで

EXEPTION!!!
いきます, although it ends in きます, conjugates into いって. REMEMBER THIS!
いきます→いって

IF YOU KNOW DICTIONARY FORM:
It's a LOT easier for you!

る-verbs
Drop る and add て.
Ex: たべる→たべて、おきる→おきて、みる→みて

う-verbs:
Ends with す→して
Ex: はなす→はなして

Ends with く→いて
Ex: かく→かいて、きく→きいて
NOTE: If it ends with ぐ, then the て becomes voiced. Ex: およぐ→およいで

Ends with る or う→って
Ex: とる→とって、つくる→つくって、かう→かって、いう→いって

Ends with む or ぶ→んで
Ex:よむ→よんで、のむ→のんで、あそぶ→あそんで、よぶ→よんで

EXCEPTION!!! Even though いく ends with く、it gets conjugated as if it was る or う
いく→いって
Please memorize this~

And that is て-form in a nutshell! Please let me know if you have any questions (or found any typos...)

2 comments:

  1. Nice work vicki. Can you put this on a resume? I mean, it's instructional and all that, and helpful for Japanese.

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  2. Lol, thanks Sean...I don't think I have enough on the blog to put it on a resume quite yet tho~ Right now I'm just giving the link to DVC students~

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