て-Form Requesting/Giving Permission

The て-form (て形) is one of the most important verb conjugations in Japanese, allowing speakers to make requests, ask for permission, grant permission, and express prohibitions. This article will cover all major て-form structures used for requesting and giving permission, along with explanations and example sentences.

Making Requests with the て-Form

In Japanese, the て-form is used to politely ask someone to do something. There are different levels of politeness depending on the situation.

Casual Requests (て-form alone)

For informal speech among close friends or family, simply use the て-form of the verb.

ちょっと待って！ 
(Chotto matte!) 
"Wait a moment!"

手伝って！ 
(Tetsudatte!) 
"Help me!"

This form is very direct and can sound rude if used in the wrong context.

Polite Requests (て-form + ください)

For standard polite speech, use て-form + ください (kudasai).

窓を開けてください。 
(Mado o akete kudasai.)
"Please open the window."

写真を撮ってください。 
(Shashin o totte kudasai.) 
"Please take a picture."

ください (kudasai) is polite, but still a request, not a question.

Very Polite Requests (て-form + いただけますか？)

For formal situations or when speaking to a superior, use て-form + いただけますか？ (itadakemasu ka?).

この資料を見せていただけますか？
(Kono shiryō o misete itadakemasu ka?) 
"Could you please show me this document?"

Indirect or Soft Requests (てもらえますか？ / てもらえませんか？)

For softer or indirect requests, use てもらえますか？ (temoraemasu ka?) or the more polite てもらえませんか？ (temoraemasen ka?).

ペンを貸してもらえますか？ 
(Pen o kashite moraemasu ka?) 
"Could you lend me a pen?"

ドアを閉めてもらえませんか？ 
(Doa o shimete moraemasen ka?) 
"Could you please close the door?"

Difference Between ください and てもらえますか？

ください sounds more direct and is often used in instructions.
てもらえますか？ sounds softer and more polite because it asks if the other person is willing to help.

Asking for Permission with the て-Form

Asking Permission (Formal)

When you want to ask if you are allowed to do something, use てもいいですか？ (te mo ii desu ka?).

ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか？
(Koko de shashin o totte mo ii desu ka?) 
"May I take a photo here?"

トイレに行ってもいいですか？
(Toire ni itte mo ii desu ka?) 
"May I go to the bathroom?"

Asking Permission (Casual)

If you want so say it casually, just use てもいい? (te mo ii).

行ってもいい？ 
(Itte mo ii?) 
"Is it okay if I go?"

Granting Permission with the て-Form

Granting Permission (Formal)

When giving permission, use てもいいです (te mo ii desu).

ここに座ってもいいです。
(Koko ni suwatte mo ii desu.)
"You may sit here."

食べてもいいですよ。
(Tabete mo ii desu yo.) 
"You may eat."

Granting Permission (Casual)

If you want so say it casually, just use てもいい? (te mo ii).

座ってもいいよ。 
(Suwatte mo ii yo.)
"You can sit."

Prohibiting Actions (てはいけません / ちゃダメ)

To prohibit an action, use てはいけません (te wa ikemasen) for formal situations, or ちゃダメ (cha dame) for casual speech.

Formal Prohibition (てはいけません)

ここでタバコを吸ってはいけません。
(Koko de tabako o sutte wa ikemasen.)
"You must not smoke here."

試験中に話してはいけません。
(Shikenchuu ni hanashite wa ikemasen.)
"You must not talk during the test."

Casual Prohibition (ちゃダメ / じゃダメ)

For casual speech, change ては → ちゃ and では → じゃ and add ダメ (“no good”).

ここでタバコを吸っちゃダメ！
(Koko de tabako o sutchya dame!) 
"You can’t smoke here!"

飲んじゃダメ！
(Nonja dame!) 
"You can’t drink!"

ちゃダメ is used in spoken Japanese and sounds very casual.

Summary Table: Requesting and Giving Permission with the て-Form

Making Requests

Expression	Meaning	Politeness Level	Example
て	“Do it!” (casual)	Casual	待って！ (“Wait!”)
てください	“Please do it.”	Polite	待ってください。 (“Please wait.”)
てもらえますか？	“Could you do it?”	Polite & Indirect	待ってもらえますか？ (“Could you wait?”)
ていただけますか？	“Would you kindly do it?”	Very Polite	待っていただけますか？ (“Would you kindly wait?”)

Asking for and Granting Permission

Expression	Meaning	Politeness Level	Example
てもいいですか？	“May I…?”	Polite	食べてもいいですか？ (“May I eat?”)
てもいい？	“Can I…?”	Casual	食べてもいい？ (“Can I eat?”)
てもいいです。	“You may do it.”	Polite	食べてもいいです。 (“You may eat.”)
てもいいよ。	“It’s okay to do it.”	Casual	食べてもいいよ。 (“You can eat.”)

Prohibiting Actions

Expression	Meaning	Politeness Level	Example
てはいけません	“You must not…”	Polite	入ってはいけません。 (“You must not enter.”)
ちゃダメ	“No doing that!”	Casual	入っちゃダメ！ (“No going in!”)

Table of Contents