N494/179

Verb[て]

Verb + て

Meanings

  • Casual request for someone to do something
  • Ask someone to perform an action for you in a casual tone
  • Imperative-like use of the て-form in friendly speech

About this pattern

Explanation

The て-form of a verb can be used in casual speech to ask someone to do something for you. This is a direct, familiar way to request an action, usually among friends, family, or people of the same age/status. It sounds abrupt if used with strangers or in formal situations, so it often carries a sense of closeness or casual expectation. To soften a request in more formal contexts, you would use てください or てくださ(い). In casual speech, you can simply drop the ending politeness and use the て-form alone when the listener is understood to help or act.

Learn in context

Example sentences

これ、片付けて。

Please tidy this up.

ちょっと見てて。

Just watch over it for a moment.

明日までに資料、見せて。

Show me the documents by tomorrow.