If you’re like me and mostly want to speak Japanese, not read or write it, this post is for you. Everything here is written in romaji (the Romanized version of Japanese). If you’re interested in learning hiragana, katakana, or kanji, I recommend using other resources, or even asking ChatGPT for a custom plan.
(Feel free to check out the r/languagelearning and r/LearnJapanese subreddits for extra resources or recommendations).
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Every week I post a page with:
- A short speaking video or update
- My test assessment
- Notes and improvements
- What rank I’m at (from Bronze to Grandmaster)
👉 Check out the Language Progress Glossary Here
The -te form is one of the most important verb forms in Japanese. Think of it as the trunk of a tree, it’s the base for building many different grammar structures, including making requests, combining actions, giving permissions, and more.
🔧 What Is the -Te Form?
The -te form is used to:
- Make a request: “Please do something”
- Connect actions: “I ate and drank”
- Give permission: “You may enter”
- Ask someone to do something: “Please wait”
The main focus is on the request form for this page, the others will be for later grammar pages.
To make -te form formal, simply add “kudasai” (please) after the -te form of the verb:
📌 [verb in -te form] + kudasai
e.g. Tabete kudasai = Please eat
Matte kudasai = Please wait
🧠 Verb Groups & How to Conjugate to -Te Form
Japanese verbs fall into three main groups:
- Ichidan verbs (aka ru-verbs or Group 2)
- Godan verbs (u-verbs or Group 1)
- Irregular verbs
1. ✅ Ichidan Verbs (る-ending with -iru or -eru)
These are the simplest. Just remove the -ru and add -te.
| Verb | Meaning | -Te Form |
|---|---|---|
| Taberu | to eat | Tabete |
| Miru | to see/watch | Mite |
| Okiru | to wake up | Okite |
| Yaseru | to lose weight | Yasete |
| Neru | to sleep | Nete |
🗣️ Examples:
- Sushi wo tabete kudasai – Please eat Sushi.
- Watashi wo mite kudasai – Please look at me.
2. 🔄 Godan Verbs (U-verbs)
These change depending on the final syllable before “-u.”
🔸 Verbs ending in -u / -tsu / -ru → -tte
| Verb | Meaning | -Te Form |
|---|---|---|
| Kau | to buy | Katte |
| Matsu | to wait | Matte |
| Tatsu | to stand | Tatte |
| Au | to meet | Atte |
| Iu | to say | Itte (⚠️ exception!) |
| Naru | to become | Natte |
🗣️ Examples:
- Watashi wo matte kudasai – Please wait for me.
- Kanojo wo atte kudasai – Please meet my girlfriend.
- Yoi hito ni natte – Be a good person.
Yoi is an irregular, conjugated from ii (good), more on this in latter pages.
🔸 Verbs ending in -mu / -bu / -nu → -nde
| Verb | Meaning | -Te Form |
|---|---|---|
| Nomu | to drink | Nonde |
| Yomu | to read | Yonde |
| Asobu | to play/hangout | Asonde |
| Shinu | to die | Shinde (only verb ending in -nu) |
Shinu is the only -nu ending in Japanese, a bit of a grim one.
🗣️ Examples:
- O-Cha wo nonde kudasai – Please drink tea.
- Kono hon wo Yonde kudasai – Please read this book
🔸 Verbs ending in -ku → -ite
| Verb | Meaning | -Te Form |
|---|---|---|
| Kaku | to write | Kaite |
| Kiku | to listen | Kiite |
| Naku | to cry | Naite |
🗣️ Examples:
- Kanji de kaite kudasai – Please write in Kanji.
- Sensei ni kiite kudasai – Please listen to the teacher.
🔸 Verbs ending in -gu → -ide
| Verb | Meaning | -Te Form |
|---|---|---|
| Oyogu | to swim | Oyoide |
| Kagu | to sniff | Kaide |
| Isogu | to hurry | Isoide |
🗣️ Example:
- Isoide kudasai – Please hurry.
🔸 Verbs ending in -su → -shite
| Verb | Meaning | -Te Form |
|---|---|---|
| Kesu | to erase/turn off | Keshite |
| Osu | to push | Oshite |
| Naosu | to fix | Naoshite |
| Kasu | to lend | Kashite |
🗣️ Example:
- Denki wo Keshite kudasai – Please turn off the light.
3. 🧩 Irregular Verbs
| Verb | Meaning | -Te Form |
|---|---|---|
| Suru | to do | Shite |
| Kuru | to come | Kite |
| Benkyou suru | to study | Benkyou shite |
| Ryokou suru | to travel | Ryokou shite |
| Tsurete kuru | to bring someone | Tsurete Kite |
| Motte kuru | to bring something | Motte Kite |
Some words have “Suru” as sort of a suffix at the end, such as Benkyou suru and Ryokou suru, you’ll conjugate them the same as if “Suru” was alone.
This is the same for “Kuru”, you’ll conjugate the “Kuru” part the same as if it were alone.
🗣️ Example:
- Nihongo wo benkyou shite kudasai – Please study Japanese
- Tomodachi wo tsurete kite kudasai – Please bring your friend
⚠️ Common Exceptions:
These don’t follow the usual rules and must be memorized:
| Verb | Meaning | -Te Form |
|---|---|---|
| Iku | to go | Itte |
| Kaeru | to return/go home | Kaette |
| Kiru | to cut | Kitte (⚠️ Not to be confused with Kiru = to wear, which is regular |
🗣️ Example:
- Gakkou ni Itte kudasai – Please go to school.
- Kami wo kitte – Please cut my hair.
✅ Summary Chart: -Te Form + Kudasai
| Verb | Meaning | -Te Form | Request Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taberu | to eat | Tabete | Tabete kudasai |
| Kiku | to listen | Kiite | Kiite kudasai |
| Nomu | to drink | Nonde | Nonde kudasai |
| Oyogu | to swim | Oyoide | Oyoide kudasai |
| Kesu | to erase | Keshite | Keshite kudasai |
| Iku | to go | Itte | Itte kudasai |
| Suru | to do | Shite | Shite kudasai |
| Kuru | to come | Kite | Kite kudasai |
🧩 A Note on Hiragana, the Small “Tsu”, and Pronunciation in Romaji
Even though I only study Japanese using romaji, I’ve still learned a few things about how words are written in hiragana, especially when it comes to the -te form.
Here’s what I found:
🔹 The Small “Tsu” (っ) and Conjugation Strength
In Japanese writing (hiragana), there’s something called a small tsu (っ). You’ll usually see it when a verb is being conjugated to -te or -tte form, especially for verbs ending in -u, -tsu, or -ru.
For example:
- Matsu (to wait) → Matte
- Kau (to buy) → Katte
- In hiragana: まつ → まって
This small tsu represents a “pause” or doubling of the next consonant, which you say a little stronger. like a quick stop before the “t”.
In romaji, we just write it as tte, and honestly, you don’t have to stress about saying it perfectly, especially if you’re not writing in hiragana or kanji.
🎤 It’s not like Chinese tones, where a slight mistake can completely change the meaning. Japanese is much more forgiving in terms of pronunciation, especially for beginners or non-native speakers.
So if you’re speaking and say “mate” instead of “matte”, people will almost definitely still understand what you’re trying to say. The context usually fills in the blanks.
✅ Quick Takeaway:
- If you’re just speaking Japanese and using romaji:
→ Don’t worry too much about the small tsu or the exact doubling - If you ever move on to writing in hiragana, then you’ll need to learn the small tsu rules
- But for speaking? You’re fine just saying the verb in the -te or -tte form as-is
🧠 Practice Tips:
- Make flashcards with verbs + their -te forms
- Use ChatGPT to quiz you on which conjugation to use
- Try making your own sentences and get feedback!
🧱 Why I Learn This Way
While I continue learning Japanese and other languages, I also make money online through beermoney apps. It’s not much, but it helps me feel like I’m turning my free time into something more productive and fun.
👇 Check out my glossaries below
💸 Beermoney Glossary:
Curious how much money you can realistically make online from surveys, games, ads, and small tasks? Check out my Beermoney Glossary page, where I break down every app and site I’ve tried with videos, payment proof, and my personal experiences. I always recommend doing beermoney while watching shows, anime, gaming, or handling small tasks around the house.
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🌍 Language Learning Glossary:
Curious what languages I’m learning? Check out my Language Learning Glossary for weekly progress updates. I post short speaking videos, track my progress, share my personal study notes, and break down the rank criteria I follow.
👉 Language progress