Te Form Japanese: 40 Practice Exercises with Answers
The te form (て形) is one of the first conjugations Japanese learners study — and one of the last to become fully automatic. The rules are straightforward, but the Group 1 verb patterns require enough repetition that most learners still hesitate a year in.
These 40 exercises cover every verb group and the most common te-form combinations. Work through each set before looking at the answers.
Quick reference: te-form rules
| Verb group | Ending | Te-form change | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group 2 (る-verb) | ～る | る → て | 食べる → 食べて |
| Group 1 (う-verb) | ～く | く → いて | 書く → 書いて |
| Group 1 | ～ぐ | ぐ → いで | 泳ぐ → 泳いで |
| Group 1 | ～す | す → して | 話す → 話して |
| Group 1 | ～む/ぬ/ぶ | → んで | 飲む → 飲んで |
| Group 1 | ～う/つ/る* | → って | 買う → 買って |
| Irregular | する | → して | 勉強する → 勉強して |
| Irregular | くる | → きて | くる → きて |
*る ending in Group 1 (乗る, 帰る, 走る, 知る) conjugates → って, not て.
Set A: Group 2 (る-verbs) — 8 exercises
These are the “easy” te-form verbs. Simply remove る and add て.
| Verb | Reading | Meaning | Te-form |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べる | taberu | to eat | 食べて |
| 見る | miru | to see / watch | 見て |
| 起きる | okiru | to wake up | 起きて |
| 寝る | neru | to sleep | 寝て |
| 教える | oshieru | to teach | 教えて |
| 考える | kangaeru | to think / consider | 考えて |
| 着る | kiru | to wear (upper body) | 着て |
| 借りる | kariru | to borrow | 借りて |
Set B: Group 1 (う-verbs) — 19 exercises
Group 1 verbs follow sound-based rules. The final mora determines the te-form ending. Watch for the Group 1 る-verbs — they end in る but conjugate with って, not て.
| Verb | Reading | Meaning | Te-form | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 書く | kaku | to write | 書いて | く → いて |
| 聞く | kiku | to listen / ask | 聞いて | く → いて |
| 泳ぐ | oyogu | to swim | 泳いで | ぐ → いで |
| 急ぐ | isogu | to hurry | 急いで | ぐ → いで |
| 話す | hanasu | to speak | 話して | す → して |
| 貸す | kasu | to lend | 貸して | す → して |
| 飲む | nomu | to drink | 飲んで | む → んで |
| 読む | yomu | to read | 読んで | む → んで |
| 遊ぶ | asobu | to play | 遊んで | ぶ → んで |
| 運ぶ | hakobu | to carry | 運んで | ぶ → んで |
| 死ぬ | shinu | to die | 死んで | ぬ → んで |
| 買う | kau | to buy | 買って | う → って |
| 会う | au | to meet | 会って | う → って |
| 待つ | matsu | to wait | 待って | つ → って |
| 持つ | motsu | to hold / have | 持って | つ → って |
| 乗る | noru | to ride / board | 乗って | る (Group 1) → って |
| 知る | shiru | to know | 知って | る (Group 1) → って |
| 帰る | kaeru | to return home | 帰って | る (Group 1) → って |
| 走る | hashiru | to run | 走って | る (Group 1) → って |
Set C: Irregular verbs — 4 exercises
Only two truly irregular verbs exist in Japanese: する and くる. All their compounds follow the same pattern.
| Verb | Meaning | Te-form |
|---|---|---|
| する (suru) | to do | して |
| くる (kuru) | to come | きて |
| 勉強する (benkyou suru) | to study | 勉強して |
| 運動する (undou suru) | to exercise | 運動して |
Set D: Te-form combinations — 5 sentence exercises
Fill in the blank using the verb in brackets with the correct te-form combination. Answers and explanations are shown.
今、ご飯を____。(食べる＋ている)
Answer: 今、ご飯を食べている。
ている = ongoing action
部屋を____おいた。(掃除する＋て)
Answer: 部屋を掃除しておいた。
ておく = advance preparation
財布を____しまった。(忘れる＋て)
Answer: 財布を忘れてしまった。
てしまう = completion with regret
窓を____ください。(開ける＋て)
Answer: 窓を開けてください。
てください = polite request
電気が____いる。(つく＋て)
Answer: 電気がついている。
ている = resultant state
Common te-form mistakes to avoid
- 書くて ✗ → 書いて ✓ (く → いて, not くて)
- 帰るて ✗ → 帰って ✓ (Group 1 る → って)
- するて ✗ → して ✓ (irregular)
- くるて ✗ → きて ✓ (irregular)
- 死ぬて ✗ → 死んで ✓ (ぬ → んで)
Practice writing te-form in context
The best way to lock in te-form conjugation is to write it in real sentences — then check immediately. Use ZISTICA MOJIIQ's free grammar checker to catch te-form errors in your writing and get plain-English explanations of exactly what went wrong.
Frequently asked questions
What is te form in Japanese?
The te form (て形) is a verb conjugation used to connect clauses, express ongoing actions (ている), make requests (てください), and form compound expressions like ておく (advance preparation) and てしまう (regret/completion).
How do you know if a verb is Group 1 or Group 2?
Group 2 (る-verbs) end in いる or える, e.g. 食べる, 見る, 起きる. Group 1 (う-verbs) end in any う-sound, including some る-endings (帰る, 走る, 乗る). When in doubt, check a dictionary for verb group — it is usually listed.
What is the difference between ている and てある?
ている describes an ongoing action (“I am eating”) or a state resulting from natural change (“the window is open”). てある describes a state that exists because someone deliberately did something (“the window has been opened [by someone]”).