This て form is a conjunctive particle(接続助詞), which is used to connect sentences to sentences. It can have various meanings and roles depending on the context. For how to make て form, read this article below:
How to Make V+て(te) Form
8 major meanings of て form
て form would be attached to the end of a verb or adjective to connect more than two sentences.
Example:
朝起きて、歯磨きをして、化粧をした。
“I woke up, then brushed my teeth, and then put on makeup.”
[Verb A]て、[verb B]て、[verb C]た。
て form doesn’t contain tense information. So when you connect verbs, the last verb (in this case [verb C]) shows you if it’s talking about a current or past, or future situation.
1. Succession
This form is used to order the verbs when several actions are to be performed in succession.
家に帰ってきて、手を洗いました。
“I come back home” “I washed my hands”
“I washed my hands after I came back home.”
彼氏と待ち合わせして、映画を観に行きます。
“I’m meeting up with my boyfriend” “I’m going watch a movie”
“I’m going to meet up with my boyfriend and then go see a movie.”
2. Parallel
This form is used to parallelize things of the same level. Since they are on the same level, switching the order does not affect the meaning.
彼は英語が上手くて、面白い人です。
“He is good at English” “funny”
“He is good at English and funny.” (= He is funny and good at English.)
うちの息子は背が高くて、重たいです。
“Our son is tall” “heavy”
“Our son is tall and heavy.” (=Our son is heavy and tall.)
3. Comparison
It is used to describe two or more things in contrast or comparison.
私は料理を担当して、夫は掃除を担当しています。
“I’m in charge of cooking” “my husband is in charge of cleaning”
“I’m in charge of cooking and my husband is in charge of cleaning.”
この指輪は安くて、このネックレスは高いです。
“This ring is cheap” “this necklace is expensive”
“This ring is cheap and this necklace is expensive.”
4. Incidental situation
It is used to describe a state or situation when performing an action.
息子は扉を開けて眠る。
“My son opens the door” “to sleep”
“My son sleeps with the door open.”
サングラスをかけて運転する。
“I wear sunglasses” “to drive”
“I drive in sunglasses.”
5. Means and Method
It describes the means or method of performing a certain action.
貯金をして、海外旅行をする。
“I save money [method]” “to travel abroad”
“I save money to travel abroad.”
ハサミを使って、袋を開ける。
“I use scissors [means]” “to open the bag”
“I open the bag by using scissors.”
6. Cause and Reason
It is used to add a cause or reason for a thing.
手が痛くて、勉強ができません。
“my hand hurts [reason]” “I can’t study”
“My hand hurts, so I can’t study.”
スープが熱くて、舌を火傷しました。
“The soup is hot [cause]” “tongue was burnt”
“The soup was so hot that my tongue was burnt.”
7. Starting point
It is used to indicate the starting point of a time or place.
結婚して、5年になります。
“I get married [starting time]” “it’s been 5 years”
“It’s been five years since we got married.”
6時に家を出て、ここまで歩いてきました。
“I leave my house [starting place] at 6:00” “I walked all the way here”
“I left the house at 6:00 and walked all the way here.”
8. Purpose
It is used to describe the purpose of doing something.
綺麗な写真を撮りたくて、東南アジアへ旅に出た。
“To take beautiful pictures [purpose]” “to I went on a trip to Southeast Asia”
“I went on a trip to Southeast Asia to take beautiful pictures.”
1位になることを目指して、必死に勉強した。
“To aim to get first place [purpose]” “I studied hard”
“I studied hard to get to first place.”
Others
I first mentioned that this form is used to connect sentences to sentences, but it is also used to connect verbs to verbs and treat them as if they were one verb.
*It is called 補助動詞 (directly translated, a support verb), which is a kind of auxiliary verb, and the verb in the back loses its original meaning and adds meaning to the verb in the front. In this case, the verb in the back is written in hiragana, not kanji.
-してみる (-する+見る→してみる[見る])
「～てみる」
(-する+見る)
“to try to do …”
今日は新しい靴を履いてみる。
“I’m going to try on a new pair of shoes today.”
ちょっと味見してみてもいい？
“Can I taste this a little?”
「～てください」
(-する+くださる)
“please do …”
起きてください。
“Please wake up.”
走ってください。
“Please run.”
「～ている」
(-する + いる)
“to be doing …”
*Progressive (continuous) form in Japanese can express not only the continuation of action but also habits and states.
妹は友達と電話で話している。
“My sister is talking with her friend on the phone.”
私は毎朝運動している。
“I work out every day.”
「～てほしい」
(-する + ほしい)
“to want someone to do …”
*Strictly speaking, this and the following one are 補助形容詞 (support adjective) because 欲しい is an adjective. (It means “to want”, though.)
書いてほしい。
“I want someone to write.”
見てほしい。
“I want someone to see.”
「～て」
(-する+ほしい [omit])
“to ask/order/wish someone to do …”
早く来て！
“Come quickly!”
あれを見て！
“Look at that!”
お願いだから買って！
“Please! Buy it!”
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