Beginning Japanese for Professionals: Book 2

53 2. To combine two or more sentences into one, change each verb to a 〜て form except for the final verb. 京都 きょうと に行 い きます。お寺 てら を見 み ます。 Kyouto ni ikimasu. Otera o mimasu. I’ll go to Kyoto. I’ll see temples. → 京都 きょうと に行 い って、お寺 てら を見 み ます。 Kyouto ni itte, otera o mimasu. I’ll go to Kyoto and see temples. It may sound repetitive and immature if more than three sentences are combined in this manner. How do you make the ~ te form of a verb? The conversion rules will be explained in later lessons. For now, memorize the ~ te forms of the verbs that have been introduced so far. Type 1: ~ te ( tabete, mite, kite, shite, dekite, dete, hanashite, norikaete, orite, ) Type 2: ~ tte (ikimasu-itte, kaimasu-katte, tsukaimasu-tsukatte, norimasu-notte, arimasu-atte, aimasu-atte, wakarimasu-wakatte, kaerimasu-kaette, tsukurimasu-tsukutte, tsukaimasu-tsukatte, hashirimasu-hashitte, ) Type 3: ~ite (kakimasu-kaite, kikimasu-kiite, tsukimasu-tsuite, arukimasu-aruite) Type 4 : ~ ide (isogimasu-isoide) Type 5: ~ nde (nomimasu-nonde, yomimasu-yonde) 7-3-2 Verb ~ te form + motion verbs We say itte kimasu when we leave home in the morning or leave the office for a meeting. It literally means ‘I’ll go and come back.’ Similarly, Koohii, katte kimasu means ‘I’ll buy coffee and come back.’ When a ~te form is combined with the kimasu , it has the same meaning as the English phrase ‘go (and) do something.’ In English the going is mentioned and the coming back is assumed. On the other hand, in Japanese the going is assumed and the coming back is mentioned: 昼 ひる ご飯 はん 食 た べてきます。 Hirugohan Tabete kimasu. I’ll go and have lunch. ちょっと見てきます。 Chotto mite kimasu . I’ll just go (and) take a look. In this pattern, the two activities are seen as one sequence, and the negative form negates usually the first activity, not the last. Note the following. おみやげ、買 か ってきませんでした． Omiyageu katte kimasen deshita. I (went there) but didn't buy gifts. (I forgot to buy gifts.) 宿題 しゅくだい してきませんでした． Shukudai shite kimasen desita. I didn’t do my homework before I came.