If you could only master one conjugation before the JLPT N5, the て-form would be the one. It sits underneath ～てください (please do), ～ている (is doing), ～てもいい (may), ～てから (after doing), and the simple act of linking two actions in one sentence. Learners who stumble on て-form tend to stumble on all of those patterns at once.
The good news: the rules are mechanical. Once you know which group a verb belongs to, you can produce the て-form without guessing.
Step 1: Identify the verb group
If you are not sure how verbs are grouped, sort every verb into one of three buckets first:
- Group 1 (godan, "five-step" verbs): every verb that does not end in る, plus some that do, for example 書く, 話す, 読む, 買う, 帰る.
- Group 2 (ichidan verbs): the dictionary form ends in -iru or -eru and the verb drops る cleanly, for example 食べる, 見る, 起きる.
- Group 3 (irregular): only する and 来る.
A handful of verbs end in -iru/-eru but behave like Group 1, such as 帰る, 入る, 走る, 切る, 知る. Learn these as exceptions the first time you meet them.
Step 2: Apply the rule for your group
Group 2: drop る, add て
This is the easy one.
- 食べる → 食べて
- 見る → 見て
- 起きる → 起きて
Group 3: memorize two forms
- する → して
- 来る (くる) → 来て (きて)
Group 1: the ending decides everything
Group 1 verbs change depending on the last kana. There are five patterns, and they are worth saying aloud until they feel automatic.
| Ending | Becomes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| う, つ, る | って | 買う → 買って, 待つ → 待って, 帰る → 帰って |
| む, ぶ, ぬ | んで | 読む → 読んで, 遊ぶ → 遊んで, 死ぬ → 死んで |
| く | いて | 書く → 書いて, 歩く → 歩いて |
| ぐ | いで | 泳ぐ → 泳いで, 急ぐ → 急いで |
| す | して | 話す → 話して, 貸す → 貸して |
Notice the logic: sounds that are produced in a similar way (the う/つ/る group, the む/ぶ/ぬ group) end up in the same bucket. Many learners remember the table as a chant: u-tsu-ru → tte, mu-bu-nu → nde, ku → ite, gu → ide, su → shite.
The one exception: 行く
Following the く → いて rule, 行く would become 行いて. It does not. The correct form is 行って. This is the only common Group 1 exception, and it is a favorite for test writers because it checks whether you have memorized the rule or understood it.
Quick practice: say these out loud
Try converting each of these before reading the answers.
- 飲む
- 聞く
- 待つ
- 食べる
- 行く
- 呼ぶ
Answers: 飲んで, 聞いて, 待って, 食べて, 行って, 呼んで.
If any of these felt slow, that is normal. Speed comes from repetition, not from rereading the table.
Where the て-form shows up
Once you can form it reliably, you can start using it right away:
- Requests: 見てください — Please look.
- Ongoing action or state: 食べています — I'm eating / 結婚しています — I'm married.
- Permission: ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか — May I take a photo here?
- Sequence: 朝起きて、顔を洗って、ご飯を食べます — I wake up, wash my face, and eat breakfast.
- Order of events: 宿題をしてから遊びます — I'll play after doing my homework.
For a broader view of what N5 expects you to know, see the JLPT N5 grammar checklist.
Mistakes to watch for
- Mixing up つ/る with む/ぶ. 待つ is って, not んで. If you hear "nde" in your head for a verb ending in つ, slow down.
- Treating 帰る like Group 2. 帰って, not 帰て.
- Forgetting 行って. Write it on a sticky note if you have to.
- Dropping the small っ in writing. 買て and 買って are not the same word; the small っ is part of the conjugation.
How to practice efficiently
Flashcards that show the dictionary form and ask for the て-form work better than flashcards that show the て-form alone, because they force retrieval rather than recognition. This is the same principle explained in active recall vs rereading. Aim for short, frequent sessions: even a few minutes a day, as described in studying 20 minutes a day, builds the automatic response you need on test day.
When you are ready for the full picture of what to study and in what order, the JLPT preparation guide lays out the path from N5 to N1.
Put it into practice
In JLPT Ready's Learn section, grammar is organized by chapter with plain-language explanations and links to the practice questions that test each point, and Practice mode explains every answer so you see why a form is right or wrong. If you want to test your て-form speed on real exam-style questions, start free with N5, no card required.