Usages of the "te" forms of verbs.

[Kris19642]

I deeply apologize that I'm not able to use hiragana, as I am currently using a school computer.

So, from what I can tell. There are three usages of the "te" form of verbs (both ichidan and Godan)

Te: imperative form.

Te: Presently happening/doing form

Te: te miru (tried to do) form.

Other than the obvious (tried to do) verb form, how do I tell the difference between the usages of te?

 

[nekojita]

What learning materials are you using? (Textbook, website?) Your source doesn't seem very good. There are a lot more uses of the te-form, and by itself it can't mean "presently happening/doing". You need to add iru (or imasu) for that.

Don't worry about trying to do something like learn "all" ways to use the te-form at once, though, because that would be a bit overwhelming. Learn them as you go, and make sure you understand how to use each properly. For example, do you know what the difference is between just te form, and te form + kudasai, in asking someone to do something?

 

[lanthas]

If a verb is in the -te form, it means that it is connected/related to what comes after it. This can be another verb or an entire sentence. The places where you can use it are virtually endless; just to give a few extra examples:
...-te okimasu: do ... in preparation
...-te sumimasen: I'm sorry for ...
...-te arigatou: thanks for ...
...-te shimaimashita: sadly enough, ...
... wo motte kimasu: bring ... (where motte is the -te form of motsu, to carry)

This is certainly not an exhaustive list... And also, this "-te verb." sentence pattern is not the only way to use it. But, you'll come across the other ways as you learn.

 

[Mike Cash]

"Sadly enough" is not going to be appropriate in every situation involving "shimau". You might want to reexamine that one.

For example:
住宅ローンの返済が終わってしまいました。

No one would think "sadly enough" about their home mortgage being paid off.

 

[lanthas]

Indeed, it can also mean "completely". The list I gave is simplified and incomplete, it was just meant to demonstrate that there's more to the -te form than what was listed by the OP.

 

[Toritoribe]

Japanese verb conjugation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You can see "Usage".

 

[Kris19642]

Okay, thanks for all the responses.

I'm not using any particular source. Just self-teaching using whatever I can find online. (I've been lurking this forum for like two years)

Thanks for the help. Now that I've actually made an account, you'll probably see more of me. :L