Lesson 36: 見て・見て ください・見て から

N5 · Lesson 36 · 20 min — Link actions: please do 〜, do 〜 and then 〜

In the last lesson you used the dictionary form to say "can do 〜", "like doing 〜" and "before doing 〜". Today you learn the most useful verb change in Japanese: the て-form. With it you can ask for help (Please look! Please wait!) and say "first this, then that". Let's start with the comic!

After this lesson, you can:

• Change verbs into the て-form: 買かう → 買かって、飲のむ → 飲のんで、行いく → 行いって
• Use 〜て ください to politely ask someone to do something: ちょっと 待まって ください。
• Use 〜て、〜 and 〜て から to say the order of actions: 手てを 洗あらって から、食たべます。

Lantern in Asakusa!?

Rin learned the lantern is called ちょうちん. Now he brings Grandpa's photo to Kaminarimon in Asakusa! (写真しゃしん＝photo; ちょうちん＝lantern; 雷門かみなりもん＝Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate); おまいり＝visiting a shrine or temple to pray; 探さがします＝look for; 洗あらいます＝wash)

The て-form links actions: 〜てください = please do 〜; 〜てから = after 〜. Next: in an Asakusa shop, may we take photos?

Words in this lesson

• 雷門かみなりもん (kaminarimon): Kaminarimon (the outer gate of Sensoji Temple; official name Fuurai-jin-mon)
• おまいりします (omairi shimasu): visiting a shrine or temple to pray
• 探さがします (sagashimasu): to look for, to search
• 名前なまえ (namae): name
• 書かきます (kakimasu): to write
• 聞ききます (kikimasu): to listen; to ask
• 急いそぎます (isogimasu): to hurry
• 話はなします (hanashimasu): to speak, to talk
• 遊あそびます (asobimasu): to play, to hang out
• 座すわります (suwarimasu): to sit
• 洗あらいます (araimasu): to wash
• 写真しゃしんを 撮とります (shashin o torimasu): to take (a photo)
• メロンパン (meronpan): melon pan (sweet bun)

Grammar 1 / 3: て-form

て-form: a "linking form" of the verb that connects actions one after another

• What is the て-form?: The て-form is a "linking form" of the verb. It does not end a sentence by itself. Other actions can follow it (〜て、〜), and so can ください, から and more, which gives you many sentence patterns. The 安やすくて in Lesson 24 was also a て-form! Today you learn how to make the て-form of verbs first, then its three main uses.
• Group II and Group III: the easy ones: For Group II, replace る in the dictionary form with て: 食たべる → 食たべて、見みる → 見みて、寝ねる → 寝ねて. For Group III, just memorize: する → して、来くる → 来きて (く becomes き!). おまいりする and 勉強べんきょうする also become 〜して.
• Group I (1): う・つ・る → って; む・ぶ・ぬ → んで: If the dictionary form ends in う・つ・る, change it to って: 買かう → 買かって、待まつ → 待まって、帰かえる → 帰かえって、座すわる → 座すわって. If it ends in む・ぶ・ぬ, change it to んで: 飲のむ → 飲のんで、読よむ → 読よんで、遊あそぶ → 遊あそんで (the only verb ending in ぬ is 死しぬ "to die", and the rule is the same: 死しんで).
• Group I (2): く → いて; ぐ → いで; す → して: Verbs ending in く change to いて: 書かく → 書かいて、聞きく → 聞きいて. Verbs ending in ぐ do the same, but the two small marks move onto で: 急いそぐ → 急いそいで. Verbs ending in す change to して: 話はなす → 話はなして、探さがす → 探さがして.
• Exception: 行いく → 行いって: By the rule, く should become いて, but 行いく becomes 行いって. Within N5, this is the only exception in Group I. Just memorize it.

• 買かう → 買かって — buy (う → って)
• 飲のむ → 飲のんで — drink (む → んで)
• 書かく → 書かいて — write (く → いて)
• 行いく → 行いって — go (exception)

Grammar 2 / 3: 〜てください

〜てください: politely ask someone to do an action

• Vて ください = please do 〜: Change the verb into the て-form and add ください to politely ask someone to do something: 見みて ください (please look), 待まって ください (please wait), 座すわって ください (please sit). Adding "すみません" in front makes it even more polite.
• Don't mix it up with Nを ください: You already know メロンパンを ください (melon pan, please). There, a thing comes before ください. In today's pattern, an action (て-form) comes before ください. To buy something, just say メロンパンを ください. If you say メロンパンを 買かって ください, it means "please (go) buy melon pan for me".
• What you will hear most in daily life: In Japan you will hear these all the time: ちょっと 待まって ください (please wait a moment), ここに 名前なまえを 書かいて ください (please write your name here), 急いそいで ください (please hurry). Teachers, shop staff and strangers often say them. Small note: besides "there is 〜 here (あります)", ここに can also go before 書かく or 座すわる to show where the action happens: ここに 書かきます＝I write it here, ここに 座すわります＝I sit here. Staff and announcements use a more polite version (you'll learn it later) that means the same "please wait a moment".
• A polite request, also used for instructions: 〜て ください is a polite request, and it is also used for instructions (teachers to students, service counters and signs all use it). It is common with shop staff and strangers. When asking a teacher or an older person for a favor, it is better to add "すみません" first; a more polite way comes later. You can also use it to ask others for help: 日本語にほんごで 話はなして ください (please speak in Japanese). A great helper for practicing Japanese!

• ちょっと 待まって ください。 — Please wait a moment.
• ここに 名前なまえを 書かいて ください。 — Please write your name here. (ここに＝where to write: here)
• 日本語にほんごで 話はなして ください。 — Please speak in Japanese.
• ここに 座すわって ください。 — Please sit here. (ここに＝where to sit: here)
• 急いそいで ください！ — Please hurry!

Grammar 3 / 3: 〜てから

〜て、〜 = link actions in order; 〜てから = do A, and after that, B

• 〜て、〜: link actions in order: Change the earlier verb into the て-form to link actions in order: 朝あさごはんを 食たべて、学校がっこうへ 行いきます (I eat breakfast, and then go to school). Note: time and politeness come from the last verb. If it ends in 〜ました, the whole sentence is past. The て-form itself is neither past nor present.
• Vて から、B = after doing A, do B: Add から after the て-form to mean "only after A is done, do B": おまいりして から、店みせを 探さがしましょう (after we pray, let's look for the shop). The point is the order: A is always finished before B.
• How it differs from 〜て、〜: 〜て、〜 lines up several actions in order, like describing a routine. 〜て から stresses "wait until A is done, then B", and is often used for reminders, rules and promises: 手てを 洗あらって から、食たべて ください (please wash your hands before you eat).
• Don't mix up the three から: ① Nから = from 〜 (九時くじから: from nine o'clock) ② 〜ますから・〜ですから = because 〜 (Lesson 28) ③ Vて から = after doing 〜 (today). Check what comes before から: if it is a て-form, it means "after".
• A pair with "前まえに" from last lesson: 寝ねる 前まえに 勉強べんきょうします (I study before sleeping) = 勉強べんきょうして から 寝ねます (I sleep after studying). 前まえに follows the dictionary form, and から follows the て-form. Don't mix them up! The end of the sentence sets the time: 〜て から 〜ました is a past event.

• 朝あさごはんを 食たべて、学校がっこうへ 行いきます。 — I eat breakfast, and then go to school. (朝あさごはん＝breakfast)
• 浅草あさくさへ 行いって、メロンパンを 買かいました。 — I went to Asakusa and bought melon pan. (The sentence ends in 〜ました, so both actions are in the past.)
• おまいりして から、店みせを 探さがしましょう。 — After we pray, let's look for the shop.
• うちに 帰かえって から、日本語にほんごを 勉強べんきょうします。 — I'll study Japanese after I get home.
• 手てを 洗あらって から、食たべて ください。 — Please wash your hands before you eat.
• 日本にほんに 来きて から、メロンパンが 好すきに なりました。 — Since coming to Japan, I've come to like melon pan.