JLPT N4 Lesson 2: て-Form Compound Actions

Master six essential て-form compound patterns: 〜てしまう, 〜ておく, 〜てみる, 〜てくる, 〜ていく, and 〜てから — each expressing a distinct nuance of how actions relate in time, intention, and consequence.

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Overview

The て-form (te-form) of Japanese verbs is one of the most productive grammatical structures in the language. At N5 you learned its core uses: connecting sequential actions (食べて寝る), forming the 〜ている progressive, making requests with 〜てください, and expressing permission or prohibition. At N4, you unlock six powerful て-form compound patterns that each attach a grammatical auxiliary verb to the te-form, adding a layer of nuance about completion, preparation, experimentation, direction, continuation, or sequence.

These six patterns — 〜てしまう, 〜ておく, 〜てみる, 〜てくる, 〜ていく, 〜てから — are among the most frequently tested N4 grammar points and among the most frequently used structures in natural spoken and written Japanese. Mastering them means you can express not just what you did, but how you felt about it (regret, completion), why you did it (preparation), whether you had tried it (experimentation), and how an action relates to movement in time or space. A side-by-side comparison of all six patterns is provided to help you keep their distinct nuances clear.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you can:

  • Produce and distinguish all six て-form compound patterns with correct nuance in context.
  • Recognize the colloquial contracted forms 〜ちゃう and 〜とく in natural speech.
  • Choose the correct pattern based on whether an action involves completion/regret, advance preparation, attempting, coming/going with a change, or sequential ordering.
  • Use all six patterns in both polite and casual speech registers.

New Vocabulary

Japanese Reading Romaji English Part of Speech
食べてしまう たべてしまう tabete shimau to end up eating; to finish eating Verb compound
準備する じゅんびする junbi suru to prepare Verb (suru)
予約する よやくする yoyaku suru to make a reservation Verb (suru)
試す ためす tamesu to try, to test Verb (u)
変わる かわる kawaru to change, to alter Verb (u)
増える ふえる fueru to increase Verb (ru)
続ける つづける tsuzukeru to continue Verb (ru)
持っていく もっていく motte iku to take (something with you) Verb compound
持ってくる もってくる motte kuru to bring (something here) Verb compound
残す のこす nokosu to leave (something) behind Verb (u)
うっかり うっかり ukkari carelessly, absentmindedly Adverb
ちゃんと ちゃんと chanto properly, correctly Adverb
あらかじめ あらかじめ arakajime in advance, beforehand Adverb
だんだん だんだん dandan gradually, little by little Adverb
そのまま そのまま sono mama as is, without change Expression
結局 けっきょく kekkyoku in the end, after all Adverb

Grammar Points

Deep Contrast Table: All 6 て-Form Compound Patterns

Pattern Core Meaning Emotional Tone Typical Context Colloquial Form
〜てしまう completion / regret Regret, surprise, finality Accidentally doing something; completing something fully 〜ちゃう / 〜じゃう
〜ておく do in advance Preparatory, deliberate Preparing for future events 〜とく
〜てみる try doing Exploratory, tentative Testing something for the first time —
〜てくる come back after doing / gradual change from past Direction toward speaker, change Going and returning; things that started changing —
〜ていく continue going / gradual change toward future Direction away, continuation Moving away; things that will keep changing —
〜てから after doing (sequence) Neutral sequential Ordering steps; making after-sequences explicit —

1. 〜てしまう / 〜ちゃう (Completion with Regret or Finality)

Structure: [て-form] + しまう → 〜てしまう Casual spoken contraction: て + しまう → 〜ちゃう; で + しまう → 〜じゃう

Explanation:

〜てしまう expresses two closely related meanings: (1) an action was completed fully, often with an emphasis on finality; (2) the action happened accidentally or regrettably — something the speaker didn't intend or wishes hadn't occurred. Context determines which meaning is primary. In casual speech, 〜てしまう almost always contracts to 〜ちゃう (for て-connection) or 〜じゃう (for で-connection).

When you say 全部食べてしまった, the emphasis is on completion ("I ate it all up"). When you say うっかり財布を忘れてしまった, the emphasis is on the regretted accident. Both are the same grammar point; the emotional weight is supplied by context and adverbs like うっかり.

Examples:

Japanese Reading Romaji English
ケーキを全部食べてしまった。 けーきをぜんぶたべてしまった。 Kēki o zenbu tabete shimatta. I ate up all the cake (and now it's gone).
うっかり財布を忘れてしまいました。 うっかりさいふをわすれてしまいました。 Ukkari saifu o wasurete shimaimashita. I carelessly left my wallet behind.
もう全部読んじゃった。 もうぜんぶよんじゃった。 Mō zenbu yonjatta. I've already read it all. (casual)
電車に乗り遅れちゃった！ でんしゃにのりおくれちゃった！ Densha ni nori okurechatta! I missed the train! (casual, regret)
レポートを出し忘れてしまった。 れぽーとをだしわすれてしまった。 Repōto o dashi-wasurete shimatta. I forgot to submit the report.

Common mistake:

❌ 宿題をしてしまいたいです → ✓ 宿題をしてしまいたい (〜てしまいたい is unusual; say 宿題を終わらせたい for "I want to finish my homework") The pattern expresses results that happened, not desired future completions.

2. 〜ておく / 〜とく (Do in Advance / Preparation)

Structure: [て-form] + おく → 〜ておく Casual spoken contraction: て + おく → 〜とく

Explanation:

〜ておく describes an action done deliberately in preparation for some future situation. The key nuance is intentionality and forward-thinking: you do something now so that something will be ready later. It is the grammar of the well-prepared person. Because it implies deliberate preparation, 〜ておく cannot naturally be used for accidental or unintentional actions. The casual contraction 〜とく is extremely common in spoken Japanese.

Examples:

Japanese Reading Romaji English
旅行の前にホテルを予約しておきます。 りょこうのまえにほてるをよやくしておきます。 Ryokō no mae ni hoteru o yoyaku shite okimasu. I'll reserve a hotel in advance before the trip.
冷蔵庫に食べ物を入れておいた。 れいぞうこにたべものをいれておいた。 Reizōko ni tabemono o irete oita. I put food in the fridge (ahead of time).
辞書を調べといたよ。 じしょをしらべといたよ。 Jisho o shirabe toita yo. I looked it up in the dictionary in advance. (casual)
パーティーの前に部屋を掃除しておこう。 ぱーてぃーのまえにへやをそうじしておこう。 Pātii no mae ni heya o sōji shite okō. Let's clean the room before the party.
あとで読むから、そこに置いておいて。 あとでよむから、そこにおいておいて。 Ato de yomu kara, soko ni oite oite. Leave it there, because I'll read it later.

Common mistake:

❌ 明日のために勉強てしまった → ✓ 明日のために勉強しておいた (Preparation use = ておく, not てしまう)

3. 〜てみる (Try Doing — Experimentation)

Structure: [て-form] + みる → 〜てみる

Explanation:

〜てみる literally means "do and see," expressing the idea of trying something out to see what happens or what it's like. The nuance is exploratory — you haven't done it before (or haven't done it this way), and you're experimenting. Unlike English "try" (which can mean trying hard to accomplish something with difficulty), 〜てみる focuses on the attempt as an experiment, not on difficulty. For "try hard," Japanese uses 〜ようとする or がんばる.

Examples:

Japanese Reading Romaji English
この料理、食べてみてください。 このりょうり、たべてみてください。 Kono ryōri, tabete mite kudasai. Please try eating this dish.
日本語で話してみます。 にほんごではなしてみます。 Nihongo de hanashite mimasu. I'll try speaking in Japanese.
その映画を見てみたけど、面白くなかった。 そのえいがをみてみたけど、おもしろくなかった。 Sono eiga o mite mita kedo, omoshirokunakatta. I tried watching that movie, but it wasn't interesting.
新しいレストランに行ってみよう！ あたらしいれすとらんにいってみよう！ Atarashii resutoran ni itte miyō! Let's try going to that new restaurant!
もう一度やってみます。 もういちどやってみます。 Mō ichido yatte mimasu. I'll try doing it one more time.

Common mistake:

❌ 宿題をしてみました (if you just did your homework normally — no experimental nuance) → ✓ 宿題をしました Only use 〜てみる when the "trying" or "experimenting" nuance is genuinely present.

4. 〜てくる (Come Back After Doing / Gradual Change from Past)

Structure: [て-form] + くる → 〜てくる

Explanation:

〜てくる has two main uses. First, the directional use: the speaker leaves, performs an action, and then comes back — or the action involves movement toward the speaker. Second, the change use: something has been gradually changing up to the present moment (a change that "came" to the current state). In both cases, the direction of くる (toward the speaker, toward now) is the key.

Examples:

Japanese Reading Romaji English
コンビニに行って買ってくる。 こんびににいってかってくる。 Konbini ni itte katte kuru. I'll go to the convenience store and come back (with it).
雨が降ってきた。 あめがふってきた。 Ame ga futte kita. It started raining (the rain came).
日本語が上手になってきた。 にほんごがじょうずになってきた。 Nihongo ga jōzu ni natte kita. My Japanese has been getting better (change up to now).
だんだん寒くなってきましたね。 だんだんさむくなってきましたね。 Dandan samuku natte kimashita ne. It's gradually been getting colder, hasn't it.
弁当を作ってきました。 べんとうをつくってきました。 Bentō o tsukutte kimashita. I made a bento and brought it (came with it made).

Common mistake:

❌ 寒くなっていく (if you mean "it has gotten cold up to now") → ✓ 寒くなってきた (Change toward now = てくる; change going forward = ていく)

5. 〜ていく (Going Forward / Gradual Change Continuing into Future)

Structure: [て-form] + いく → 〜ていく

Explanation:

〜ていく is the directional mirror of 〜てくる. The directional use describes performing an action and moving away from the speaker, or taking something away. The change use describes a change that is expected to continue into the future — a trend moving forward from now. The direction of いく (away from speaker, toward the future) is the defining feature.

Examples:

Japanese Reading Romaji English
弁当を持っていきます。 べんとうをもっていきます。 Bentō o motte ikimasu. I'll take the bento with me (going away).
人口がだんだん減っていくと思う。 じんこうがだんだんへっていくとおもう。 Jinkō ga dandan hette iku to omou. I think the population will gradually decrease (going forward).
これからも日本語を勉強していきます。 これからもにほんごをべんきょうしていきます。 Korekara mo Nihongo o benkyō shite ikimasu. I will continue studying Japanese from here on.
気温が上がっていくでしょう。 きおんがあがっていくでしょう。 Kion ga agatte iku deshō. The temperature will probably keep rising.
お金を少しずつ貯めていくつもりだ。 おかねをすこしずつためていくつもりだ。 Okane o sukoshi zutsu tamete iku tsumori da. I intend to keep saving money little by little.

Common mistake:

❌ 気温が上がってきます (if referring to future trend) → ✓ 気温が上がっていきます (Future continuation = ていく)

6. 〜てから (After Doing — Explicit Sequence)

Structure: [て-form] + から → 〜てから

Explanation:

〜てから explicitly states that one action is completed before the next one begins. It emphasizes sequence and order — Action A must be finished first, then Action B happens. This is stronger than simply using て (which also can show sequence) because てから stresses that the first action is a prerequisite or prior step. Compare: 食べてから寝る (sleep after finishing eating) vs. 食べて寝る (eat and then sleep — less emphasis on completion).

Examples:

Japanese Reading Romaji English
宿題をしてから、ゲームをします。 しゅくだいをしてから、げーむをします。 Shukudai o shite kara, gēmu o shimasu. I'll play games after I finish my homework.
シャワーを浴びてから寝ました。 しゃわーをあびてからねました。 Shawā o abite kara nemashita. I went to sleep after taking a shower.
日本に来てから3年が経った。 にほんにきてから3ねんがたった。 Nihon ni kite kara san-nen ga tatta. Three years have passed since I came to Japan.
ご飯を食べてからにしましょう。 ごはんをたべてからにしましょう。 Gohan o tabete kara ni shimashō. Let's do it after eating.
よく考えてから決めます。 よくかんがえてからきめます。 Yoku kangaete kara kimemasu. I'll decide after thinking it over carefully.

Common mistake:

❌ 食べてから後で寝ます → ✓ 食べてから寝ます (〜てから already includes the "after" meaning; 後で is redundant here)

Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Preparing for a Trip

Mika (M) and Haruto (H) are planning a weekend trip and discussing preparations.

# Japanese Romaji English
1 M: ハルト、旅行の準備できてる？ Haruto, ryokō no junbi dekiteru? Haruto, have you prepared for the trip?
2 H: うーん、まだ全部はしてない。ホテル予約しといた？ Ūn, mada zenbu wa shite nai. Hoteru yoyaku shtoita? Hmm, not everything yet. Did you reserve the hotel?
3 M: うん、昨日予約しておいたよ。ちゃんとしといてよかった！ Un, kinō yoyaku shite oita yo. Chanto shtoite yokatta! Yeah, I reserved it yesterday. Good thing I did it in advance!
4 H: さすが！じゃ、電車の時間も調べといてくれる？ Sasuga! Ja, densha no jikan mo shirabe toite kureru? As expected! Can you look up the train times too?
5 M: もう調べてきたよ。朝9時発だって。 Mō shirabete kita yo. Asa ku-ji hatsu datte. I already looked it up (and came back with the info). It departs at 9am.
6 H: 早いね。じゃ、お弁当作っていこうか？ Hayai ne. Ja, obentō tsukutte ikō ka? That's early. Shall we make bento and take them?
7 M: いいね！じゃ、前の日に作っておこう。 Ii ne! Ja, mae no hi ni tsukutte okō. Sounds good! Let's make them the day before.
8 H: あ、でも食べてしまわないように気をつけてよ。 A, demo tabete shimawanai yō ni ki o tsukete yo. Ah, but be careful not to eat them up beforehand!
9 M: 笑！大丈夫。旅行が楽しみだね。 Wara! Daijōbu. Ryokō ga tanoshimi da ne. Haha! It's fine. Looking forward to the trip.
10 H: 早く行ってみたい！ Hayaku itte mitai! I want to try going already!
11 M: 私も！じゃ、明日の夜ちゃんと準備してから寝てね。 Watashi mo! Ja, ashita no yoru chanto junbi shite kara nete ne. Me too! Well then, make sure to sleep after properly preparing tomorrow night.

Dialogue 2: Trying New Things

Tomoko (T) and her coworker Keisuke (K) are at lunch, talking about food.

# Japanese Romaji English
1 K: トモコ、このカレー食べてみた？ Tomoko, kono karē tabete mita? Tomoko, have you tried eating this curry?
2 T: まだ。辛そうだから、ちょっと怖い。 Mada. Karasō dakara, chotto kowai. Not yet. It looks spicy, so I'm a little scared.
3 K: 大丈夫だよ！俺、昨日食べてみたけどそんなに辛くなかったよ。 Daijōbu da yo! Ore, kinō tabete mita kedo son'na ni karakunakatta yo. It's fine! I tried it yesterday and it wasn't that spicy.
4 T: 本当に？じゃ、少しだけ食べてみようかな。 Hontō ni? Ja, sukoshi dake tabete miyō kana. Really? Then maybe I'll try eating just a little.
5 K: 最近、辛い食べ物が好きになってきたんだ。 Saikin, karai tabemono ga suki ni natte kita n da. I've recently been getting to like spicy food.
6 T: えー、そうなんだ。変わったね。 Ē, sō na n da. Kawatta ne. Ooh, really. You've changed.
7 K: これからももっといろんな食べ物を試していくつもりだよ。 Korekara mo motto iron'na tabemono o tameshite iku tsumori da yo. I plan to keep trying all kinds of food going forward.
8 T: いいね！あ、このカレー、辛くなかったよ！美味しい！ Ii ne! A, kono karē, karakunakatta yo! Oishii! Nice! Ah, this curry wasn't spicy! It's delicious!
9 K: でしょ！食べてみてよかったね。 Desho! Tabete mite yokatta ne. Right! It was good that you tried it.
10 T: うん、もうちょっと食べてこようかな。 Un, mō chotto tabete koyō kana. Yeah, maybe I'll go get a bit more and come back.
11 K: あ、食べすぎてしまわないようにね！ A, tabesugite shimawanai yō ni ne! Ah, be careful not to eat too much!

Grammar Drills

Fill in the blank with the most natural て-form compound pattern. Answers below.

  1. 会議の前に資料を印刷し___おいた。（て・とく）→ ___
  2. 電話番号を書き忘れ___しまった。（て・ちゃった）→ ___
  3. 新しいカフェに行っ___みよう！ → ___
  4. 日本に来___から、日本語が上手になってきた。→ ___
  5. だんだん日が短くなっ___いる。（てきた・ていく）→ ___
  6. 財布を持っ___くるのを忘れた。（て・てき）→ ___
  7. 夕食を食べ___から、映画を見ました。→ ___
  8. 宿題は全部し___ちゃった！（て・じゃった）→ ___
  9. これからも日本語の勉強を続け___いきたい。→ ___
  10. このボタンを押し___みてください。→ ___

Answer Key:

  1. て (しておいた) — preparation in advance
  2. て (書き忘れてしまった) — regretted accident
  3. て (行ってみよう) — try doing
  4. て (来てから) — after coming
  5. ていく — future gradual change
  6. て (持ってくる) — bring here
  7. て (食べてから) — explicit sequence
  8. て (してしまった) — completion/finality
  9. て (続けていきたい) — continue into future
  10. て (押してみて) — try doing

Translation Practice

English → Japanese

  1. I accidentally deleted the file. (use てしまう)
  2. Let's buy some food in advance before the guests come. (use ておく)
  3. Please try using these chopsticks. (use てみる)
  4. I'll go buy drinks and come right back. (use てくる)
  5. I will continue studying Japanese from now on. (use ていく)

Answers:

  1. うっかりファイルを消してしまった。
  2. お客さんが来る前に食べ物を買っておこう。
  3. これらのお箸を使ってみてください。
  4. 飲み物を買ってきます。
  5. これからも日本語を勉強していきます。

Japanese → English

  1. 財布を家に忘れてきてしまった。
  2. 試験の前に教科書をよく読んでおきます。
  3. この薬、飲んでみましたか？
  4. 最近、日本語が難しくなってきました。
  5. ご飯を食べてから話しましょう。

Answers:

  1. I accidentally left my wallet at home when I came out.
  2. I'll read the textbook carefully in advance before the exam.
  3. Have you tried taking this medicine?
  4. Japanese has been getting more difficult lately.
  5. Let's talk after eating.

Cultural Note

The contraction of 〜ておく into 〜とく and 〜てしまう into 〜ちゃう / 〜じゃう is an important feature of natural spoken Japanese (口語, kōgo). Written Japanese, formal speech, and reading passages will typically use the full uncontracted forms. However, in listening comprehension sections of the JLPT, in dramas, anime, and real conversations, you will encounter the contracted forms far more often. Training your ear to recognize とく as ておく and ちゃう as てしまう is essential for N4 listening ability.

The pattern 〜ておく also reflects a distinctly Japanese cultural value: preparation and consideration for others (気配り, kikubari). Saying 準備しておきました (I prepared in advance) signals not just competence but thoughtfulness — you acted ahead of time so that others would not be inconvenienced. This proactive preparation mindset is highly valued in Japanese workplace and social contexts, and the grammar encodes this cultural expectation directly.

Self-Check

  1. What is the key emotional nuance that distinguishes 〜てしまう from a simple 〜た past tense?
  2. Why would you choose 〜ておく rather than 〜てしまう to describe buying extra food for a party?
  3. A classmate says すごく日本語が上手になってきたね. Is the change described moving toward now, or away from now? Which pattern confirms this?
  4. Convert the following to natural casual speech: 宿題をしてしまいました and ホテルを予約しておきました.
  5. What is the difference between 食べてみた and 食べた? Provide a context where each would be more appropriate.