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Minna no Nihongo - Lesson 14 · JLPT N5

The て-form: Asking, Doing, Offering

Learn the three verb groups, how to build the all-important , and your first three uses: (please do), (doing right now), and (shall I…?).

How to use this lesson: This is the most important lesson in Part 1. The て-form is used in dozens of patterns from here to Lesson 50. Spend extra time on the conversion table and say the forms out loud until they're automatic. Many learners memorise them with a song — any trick is fine, as long as it sticks.

Lesson 14 at a glance

1. Verb groups

Group I, II, III.

2. て-form

The rules for making it.

3. Vてください / Vています

Please do / am doing.

4. Vましょうか

Shall I…? Offering help.

1. The three verb groups

Look at the sound just before .

GroupHow to spot itExamples
Group Iい-sound before ます (い, き, し, ち, に, び, み, り…)
Group IIえ-sound before ます (and a few い-sound ones)
Group IIIIrregular — only two
have an い-sound but are Group II. The textbook marks them — just memorise them as they appear.

2. Making the て-form

Group I — depends on the last sound

Before ます→ て-formExamples
The only exception in Group I

Group II — just swap ます for て

Group III

A memory trick: say it like a chant — “い・ち・り → って, み・び・に → んで, き → いて, ぎ → いで, し → して, and 行きます is 行って.” Repeat it until you can do it without looking.

3. Vてください — “Please do…”

V て ください。

Asks, instructs, or invites someone to do something. Teachers, doctors, and shop staff use it all day.

Sumimasen ga, mou sukoshi yukkuri hanashite kudasai.

Sorry, but could you speak a little more slowly, please?

Please write your name and phone number on this form. (instruction)

Please come and visit! (invitation)

(“sorry, but…”) before a request makes it much softer. Use it with strangers.

4. Vています — “am / is doing (right now)”

V て います。

Tomu-san wa ima shawaa o abite imasu.

Tom is taking a shower right now.

Is it snowing now? — No, it isn't.

What are you doing? — I'm making dinner.

= I eat / I will eat.   = I'm eating (right now). Lesson 15 will add more meanings of 〜ています.

5. V-stem ましょうか — “Shall I…?”

V-stem ましょうか。

Offers to do something for the listener.

Mado o shimemashou ka.

Shall I close the window?

Yes please, thank you.

No, it's fine, thanks.

Shall I call a taxi?

= Let's (do it together).   = Shall I (do it for you)?

6. Real life: helping before a meeting

Sorry, could you give me a hand?

Sure. What shall I do?

Please copy these documents.

OK, got it. Shall I turn on the air conditioner too?

Yes, please. Where's Ms. Nakamura?

She's on the phone right now.

Three Lesson 14 patterns in one short exchange: (asking), (offering), and (happening now). = “understood / OK” — the standard reply to an instruction at work.

7. Common mistakes

Mistake 1: 行きます → 行いて

Mistake 2: treating 見ます / 起きます as Group I

Mistake 3: mixing up かえります and かえます

(go home, Group I) → . (change, Group II) → .

8. Cheat sheet

Group I endingて-form
Group II
Group III

please do ・ am doing ・ shall I?

9. Practice

A. Make the て-form

B. Translate into Japanese

  1. Please wait a moment.
  2. Please write it in hiragana.
  3. What is Sara doing now? — She's reading a book.
  4. Shall I carry your bag?

Final memory map

Find the group

Build the て-form

Ask ・ Right now

Offer help