To make the te-form, first find the verb group, then change the ending. Godan verbs follow a chart based on their last kana: 書く → 書いて, 飲む → 飲んで. Ichidan verbs drop る and add て: 食べる → 食べて. The two irregular verbs become して and 来て (きて). And one godan verb breaks the chart: 行く → 行って.
You need the te-form everywhere: to make requests (書いてください), to describe what is happening (読んでいます) and to link actions (起きて、食べて、出かけた).
Step 1: find the verb group
| Group | How to recognise it | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Godan (Group 1) | Most verbs. Apart from する and 来る, every verb that does not end in -iru or -eru is godan | 書く, 飲む, 話す |
| Ichidan (Group 2) | Always ends in -iru or -eru (but see the warning below) | 食べる, 見る, 起きる |
| Irregular (Group 3) | する and 来る (and noun + する verbs such as 勉強する) | する, 来る, 勉強する |
Careful: ending in -iru or -eru does not prove a verb is ichidan. 帰る (かえる), 入る (はいる), 走る (はしる) and 切る (きる, to cut) are godan. If you already know the masu-form, it gives the group away: 帰る becomes 帰ります (る turns into り), while 食べる becomes 食べます (る simply drops).
Step 2: godan verbs follow the ending chart
| Dictionary ending | Te-form ending | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| う・つ・る | って | 買う → 買って; 立つ → 立って; 帰る → 帰って |
| ぬ・ぶ・む | んで | 死ぬ → 死んで; 呼ぶ → 呼んで; 飲む → 飲んで |
| く | いて | 書く → 書いて |
| ぐ | いで | 泳ぐ → 泳いで |
| す | して | 出す → 出して |
Many learners memorise this chart as a chant or song: "う、つ、る → って; ぬ、ぶ、む → んで; く → いて; ぐ → いで; す → して". 死ぬ is the only common verb that ends in ぬ.
Ichidan and irregular verbs
| Group | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Ichidan | Drop る, add て | 食べる → 食べて; 着る → 着て |
| する | Becomes して | する → して; 勉強する → 勉強して |
| 来る | Becomes 来て, read きて | 来る (くる) → 来て (きて) |
The main exception: 行く → 行って
行く (いく, to go) is a godan verb ending in く, so the chart predicts 行いて. The real te-form is 行って (いって). The same goes for the past tense: 行った.
Only the te-form and ta-form (and forms built on them, such as 行ったら and 行ったり) are special. Its other forms follow the rules: 行かない, 行きます, 行ける. The exception also does not spread to other く verbs: 書く is still 書いて and 働く is still 働いて. Compounds of 行く do follow it: 持って行く → 持って行って.
Te-form in sentences
- 名前を書いてください。Please write your name.
- 先に教室に行ってください。Please go to the classroom first.
- シャツを着てください。Please put on a shirt.
All three use te-form + ください, but each te-form comes from a different rule: 書いて follows く → いて, 行って is the exception, and 着て is ichidan (drop る, add て).
Three common mistakes
- ✗ 行いて → ✓ 行って: 行く is the one common exception to the く → いて rule. Learn it on its own.
- ✗ 泳いて → ✓ 泳いで: ぐ becomes いで. Keep the dakuten (゛): ぐ gives で, not て.
- ✗ 食べって → ✓ 食べて: 食べる is ichidan. Drop る and add て; don't apply the godan る → って rule.
Quiz: four new verbs
Cover the answers below and change these verbs into the te-form.
- 待つ (まつ, to wait)
- 遊ぶ (あそぶ, to play)
- 貸す (かす, to lend)
- 歩く (あるく, to walk)
Answers
- 待って (まって): godan, つ → って
- 遊んで (あそんで): godan, ぶ → んで
- 貸して (かして): godan, す → して
- 歩いて (あるいて): godan, く → いて. The 行く exception does not apply to other verbs ending in く
If you missed question 4, you stretched the 行く exception too far. If you missed 1 to 3, go back to the chart and match each ending again.
To make the te-form automatic, open Free practice in Katachi, choose verbs and the te-form, and run a few rounds.
Sources
The short challenge tests 書く, 飲む and 行く again, then one new verb.