Once you know how to make the te-form, you immediately unlock several incredibly useful sentence patterns. This article covers three: making requests, asking for / granting permission, and saying something is not necessary. They all build on the verb's te-form.
~てください: Please do...
Verb te-form + ください
This is the most basic request/instruction pattern. It's polite but direct — equivalent to "Please do..."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ここに立ってください。 | Please stand here. |
| 名前を書いてください。 | Please write your name. |
| ちょっと待ってください。 | Please wait a moment. |
| この本を読んでください。 | Please read this book. |
| 窓を開けてください。 | Please open the window. |
Key points:
- Whatever the te-form of the verb is, that's what goes before ください. Remember godan verb sound changes (立つ → 立って, 読む → 読んで).
- Ichidan verbs just drop る and add て: 食べる → 食べてください, 開ける → 開けてください.
~てもいいです: You may do... / It's OK to do...
Verb te-form + もいいです
This expresses permission or allowance — "it's fine to do..." or "you may do..."
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ここで弁当を食べてもいいです。 | You may eat your bento here. |
| 写真を撮ってもいいです。 | You may take photos. |
| 帰ってもいいです。 | You may go home. |
Asking for permission: ~てもいいですか
Turn the pattern into a question and you can ask for permission:
Verb te-form + もいいですか
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ここに座ってもいいですか。 | May I sit here? |
| お風呂に入ってもいいですか。 | May I take a bath? |
| テレビを見てもいいですか。 | May I watch TV? |
How to respond:
| Response | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Granting | はい、いいですよ。 | Sure, go ahead. |
| Refusing | すみません、ちょっと…… | Sorry, that's a bit... |
In Japanese culture, a flat-out refusal feels rude. People often trail off with 「ちょっと……」 to politely decline without finishing the sentence.
~なくてもいいです: You don't have to do...
Verb nai-form → change ない to なくて + もいいです
This means "it's fine not to do..." or "you don't have to do..."
How to form it:
- Conjugate the verb into its nai-form (negative)
- Drop the い from ない, add くて
- Follow with もいいです
| Verb | nai-form | なくて-form | Full pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| 行く | 行かない | 行かなくて | 行かなくてもいいです |
| 食べる | 食べない | 食べなくて | 食べなくてもいいです |
| する | しない | しなくて | しなくてもいいです |
| 来る | こない | こなくて | こなくてもいいです |
Example sentences
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 明日会社に行かなくてもいいです。 | You don't have to go to work tomorrow. |
| 全部食べなくてもいいです。 | You don't have to eat all of it. |
| 無理しなくてもいいですよ。 | You don't have to push yourself. |
Comparing the Three Patterns
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ~てください | Please do... | 座ってください (Please sit down) |
| ~てもいいですか | May I do...? | 座ってもいいですか (May I sit down?) |
| ~なくてもいいです | You don't have to... | 座らなくてもいいです (You don't have to sit) |
All three patterns are built on the te-form at their core. The difference is what comes after:
- ください → request
- もいいですか → asking permission
- なくてもいいです → releasing obligation (note: this one uses the なくて derived from the nai-form)
Summary
- ~てください = please do something (verb te-form + ください)
- ~てもいいです = it's OK to do something (verb te-form + もいいです)
- ~てもいいですか = may I do something? (question form, for asking permission)
- ~なくてもいいです = you don't have to do something (verb nai-form → なくて + もいいです)
- To politely refuse, Japanese speakers often say 「ちょっと……」 and trail off
Practice Quiz
Q1. How do you say "Please open the window" in Japanese?
Show Answer
窓を開けてください。
開ける is an ichidan verb: drop る, add て → 開けて, then add ください.
Q2. Translate 「ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか」 into English.
Show Answer
May I take photos here?
ここで = here, 写真を撮って = take photos (te-form), もいいですか = is it OK?
Q3. How do you say "You don't have to come tomorrow" in Japanese?
Show Answer
明日来なくてもいいです。
来る → nai-form: 来ない → change ない to なくて → 来なくて → add もいいです → 来なくてもいいです.