Activity 2
て Form
In Japanese, there’s a verb form that ends with て or で. You use the て form with ください to give requests!
If a verb has an e sound before ‑ます, remove ‑ます and add ‑て.
ハンバーガーを食べます。
(I) eat a hamburger.
(I) eat a hamburger.
夕飯を食べてください。
Eat (your) dinner please.
Eat (your) dinner please.
If a verb ends in ‑みます or ‑びます, remove the ending and add ‑んで.
ときどき本を読みます。
(I) sometimes read books.
(I) sometimes read books.
本を読んでください。
Please read a book.
Please read a book.
There are a few other patterns and exceptions, as well. For example, します becomes して.
掃除してください。
Please clean up.
Please clean up.
What are you doing!?
To say what you’re doing right now, take the て form and put います on the end!
朝ご飯を食べています。
(I) am eating breakfast.
(I) am eating breakfast.
本を読んでいます。
(I am) reading books.
(I am) reading books.
兄はシャワーを浴びています。
My older brother is taking a shower.
My older brother is taking a shower.
And then what!?
We can use the て form to connect short sentences! In English, we say I sit down and watch TV. In Japanese, you'd say 座ってテレビを見ます. The て verb is what happened first!
お弁当を食べて、外に行きましょう。
Let’s eat the lunchbox and go outside.
Let’s eat the lunchbox and go outside.
窓を閉めて、家を出ました。
(I) closed the window and left the house.
(I) closed the window and left the house.