Grammar

Japanese て-Form Combinations: ている、ておく、てしまう and More

連N5–N3

The て-form combines with auxiliary verbs to create dozens of useful compound expressions. These are among the most frequently used — and most frequently confused — patterns in daily Japanese.

ている — ongoing action or resultant state

ている has two meanings: (1) an action in progress right now, like English "-ing"; (2) a state that results from a completed action.

今、ご飯を食べている。いま、ごはんをたべている。I am eating right now. (ongoing action)

窓が開いている。まどがあいている。The window is open. (resultant state — someone opened it)

彼は結婚している。かれはけっこんしている。He is married. (resultant state of having gotten married)

ておく — advance preparation

ておく (often contracted to とく in speech) means doing something in advance or leaving something in a certain state for a future purpose.

旅行前に予約しておいた。りょこうまえによやくしておいた。I made a reservation in advance before the trip.

このままにしておいてください。このままにしておいてください。Please leave it as it is.

てしまう — completion or regret

てしまう (contracted to ちゃう/じゃう in casual speech) expresses: (1) completion — "ended up doing"; (2) regret or unintended consequence.

ケーキを全部食べてしまった。ケーキをぜんぶたべてしまった。I ended up eating all the cake. (completion, possibly with regret)

財布を忘れてしまった。さいふをわすれてしまった。I (regrettably) forgot my wallet.

てくる / ていく — directional aspect

てくる means an action comes toward the speaker or a state develops up to now. ていく means an action moves away from the speaker or a state continues going forward.

雨が降ってきた。あめがふってきた。It has started to rain. (change coming toward present)

日本語が上手になっていく。にほんごがじょうずになっていく。My Japanese keeps getting better. (ongoing progress going forward)

弁当を買ってきた。べんとうをかってきた。I went and bought a bento (and am back). (went away and came back)

Common mistakes

Wrong

結婚している = "is in the middle of getting married"

Right

結婚している = "is married" (resultant state)

結婚する is a change-of-state verb. ている with change-of-state verbs expresses the resulting state, not an ongoing action.

Wrong

持ってきた when you mean something was taken away

Right

持っていった = took (something) away

てくる = toward speaker / toward present; ていく = away from speaker / into future. 持ってきた = brought here. 持っていった = took away.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ている and てある?

ている describes an ongoing action or state resulting from any change. てある specifically describes a state that exists because a person deliberately did something: 窓が開いている (the window is open — naturally) vs 窓が開けてある (the window has been opened — by someone on purpose).

What does てしまう mean in casual Japanese?

In casual speech, てしまう contracts to ちゃう (for verbs making て) and じゃう (for verbs making で). 食べてしまった → 食べちゃった. The meaning is the same: completion or mild regret.