N4#te-form#grammar#permission#prohibition

Te-Form & Connecting Lesson 5

Mastering the versatile Te-form for expressing permission, prohibition, and ongoing states.

Context

Rules and States in Daily Life

When you visit a museum or a library in Japan, you will often see signs explaining what you can and cannot do. You might also notice people describing the state of a room or a situation.

Understanding how to connect verbs allows you to navigate these situations. Whether you are asking if it is okay to take a photo or describing that a window is currently open, the Te-form is your essential tool for connecting actions and states.

Explanation

Te-Form Structures

The Te-form is the foundation for several key N4 structures. Here are the primary patterns for permission, prohibition, and state.

Verb-Teもいいです

Use [Verb-Te] もいいです to ask for or grant permission (e.g., 'May I do...'). To express prohibition, use [Verb-Te] はいけません (e.g., 'You must not do...').

Verb-Teはいけません

Tip

Remember that 'はいけません' is quite strong. In casual conversation, people often use '〜ちゃだめ' instead.

Examples

Seeing it in Action

Observe how these structures function in natural sentences.

ここで写真(しゃしん)を撮って(とって)もいいですか。

May I take a photo here?

ここここhereででat写真しゃしんphoto撮ってとってtake (te-form)もいいですかもいいですかis it okay?

ここでタバコ(たばこ)を吸って(すって)はいけません。

You must not smoke here.

タバコたばこcigarette吸ってすってsmoke (te-form)はいけませんはいけませんmust not

Which sentence correctly expresses 'You must not enter'?

入ってもいいです
✓ 入ってはいけません
入りますはいけません

The correct pattern for prohibition is [Verb-Te] + はいけません.

Usage

Nuance and Register

Choosing the right level of politeness is crucial when setting rules or asking for permission.

Permission Levels

〜てもいいですか

Polite, standard request

入ってもいいですか

〜てもいい？

Casual, used with friends

入ってもいい？

Which form is more appropriate when speaking to a teacher?

✓ 〜てもいいですか
〜てもいい

Adding 'ですか' makes the sentence polite and suitable for superiors.

Deep dive

Deep Dive: Te-form States

Beyond permission, the Te-form is used to describe states.

Te-iru vs Te-aru

〜ている describes an ongoing action or a state resulting from an action (e.g., 'the window is open'). 〜てある describes a state that resulted from someone's deliberate action (e.g., 'the window has been left open by someone').

Summary

Lesson Recap

The Te-form is essential for connecting verbs to express rules, permission, and states. Practice these patterns to sound more natural in daily interactions.

写真

しゃしんnoun

photo

撮る

とるverb

to take (a photo)

吸う

すうverb

to smoke/inhale

入る

はいるverb

to enter