Joining actions with the te-form

～て、～ ~te, ~ Do A and then B

The te-form joins actions in order: 起きて、顔を洗います. Only the last verb shows the tense, so the te-form itself has no past or present.

Level: JLPT N5, beginner
Type: The te-form
English links: past simple, conjunctions, sequencing

What it means

The te-form can join two or more actions in the order they happen. 家に帰って、晩ごはんを食べます: "I go home and eat dinner."

Only the last verb shows the tense. In 図書館に行って、本を借りました, the ました at the end makes both actions past. The て part has no tense of its own.

You can chain three or four actions this way, and Japanese often does. 帰って、食べて、寝ました is natural.

Adjectives can join too. An い-adjective changes い to くて: 安くて、おいしい. A な-adjective or a noun adds で: 静かで、きれい.

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
Verb te-form + 、 + verb (起きる → 起きて、～) okiru → okite, ~	The last verb carries the tense.
帰って、食べて、寝ます kaette, tabete, nemasu	Three actions in order. Only 寝ます shows the tense.
い-adjective: い → くて (安い → 安くて) yasui → yasukute	Joins two descriptions.
な-adjective or noun + で (静か → 静かで) shizuka → shizuka de	Joins two descriptions.

Examples

朝起きて、シャワーを浴びます。 asa okite, shawaa o abimasu. I get up in the morning and take a shower.
駅まで歩いて、電車に乗ります。 eki made aruite, densha ni norimasu. I walk to the station and take the train.
昨日は図書館に行って、本を借りました。 kinou wa toshokan ni itte, hon o karimashita. Yesterday I went to the library and borrowed a book.
家に帰って、晩ごはんを食べて、寝ました。 ie ni kaette, bangohan o tabete, nemashita. I went home, had dinner and went to bed.
この店は安くて、おいしいです。 kono mise wa yasukute, oishii desu. This restaurant is cheap and good.

How English says it

English joins actions with "and" or "and then". Every verb shows its own tense: "I went to the library and borrowed a book." Both verbs are past.

In a list of three or more, English uses commas and puts "and" before the last one: "I went home, had dinner and went to bed." "Then" alone cannot join two sentences; it needs "and" or a full stop.

Why it can make English hard

In Japanese only the last verb shows the tense. Many students mark the first verb and leave the second in the base form: "went and borrow".
Japanese can chain many actions in one sentence. In English, students often repeat "and then" again and again.
Some students join sentences with "then" and a comma, which is a punctuation error in written English.

Mistakes you will hear

Yesterday I went to the library and borrow a book. Yesterday I went to the library and borrowed a book. In English, every verb shows the tense. In Japanese, only the last one does.
I got up and then I washed my face and then I ate breakfast and then I went to school. I got up, washed my face, had breakfast and went to school. A copy of the te-form chain. English uses commas and one "and".
I went home, then I ate dinner. I went home, and then I ate dinner. "Then" is not a joining word. Add "and", or use a full stop.

In the classroom

Ask students to describe their morning in three actions. First in Japanese with て, then in English. Underline every English verb and check that each one has the tense.
Give students a long "and then" story. They rewrite it with commas and one "and". It is a good editing task for older students.
Use a comic strip with four pictures. Students tell the story in one English sentence, then in two or three. Talk about which reads better.

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Fill the gap: 家に帰っ＿、テレビを見ました。 (I went home and watched TV.)

Answer: て

帰る is Group 1, so its te-form is 帰って.
2. Join the two sentences: 起きます。顔を洗います。

Answer: 起きて、顔を洗います。

Change the first verb to the te-form. The last verb keeps the tense.
3. A student writes "Last Sunday I went to Osaka and buy shoes." Fix it.

Answer: Last Sunday I went to Osaka and bought shoes.

Both actions are past, so both English verbs need the past form.
4. Translate: 駅に行って、電車に乗りました。

Answer: I went to the station and took the train.

ました makes both actions past. English shows the past on both verbs.