Page 134 - Basic Japanese

3.10. Use of the gerund (or te-form)

The gerund is often called the te-form. It is used before kudasai
‘please’ to make a polite request, for example:

もう一度言ってください。

Mōichido itte kudasai.

Please say it again.

The gerund is used with the particle kara to mean ‘after

(do)ing.’ For example:

ご飯を食べてから新聞を読みました。
Go-han o tabete kara shinbun o yomimashita.
After eating, I read my newspaper.

The gerund is also used alone at the end of a clause to mean

‘does/did/will do … and…,’ for example:

オフィスへ行って, メールを読みます。
Ofisu e itte, mēru o yomimasu.
I go to the office and read my e-mails.

The gerund is used in verb phrases with some form of the

verb imasu to mean ‘is (do)ing,’ expressing a kind of “process”
or “continuing action” and focusing on the fact that the action
lasts for a while. For example:

今ご飯を食べています。
Ima go-han o tabete imasu.
I’m eating now.

The simple verb form, on the other hand, focuses our

attention on the action itself, either a specific act (Nani o
tabemasu ka ‘What do/will you eat?’; Sakuban benkyō shimashita