Adjective Te-Form
Use the te-form to say "cheap and delicious" or "quiet and clean." It connects two adjectives in one sentence. Our lesson on adjectives covers the basics, and the conjugation guide shows how the te-form fits into the full picture.
い-Adjectives
Drop い, add くて:
| Plain | Te-Form |
|---|---|
| 高い | 高くて |
| 安い | 安くて |
| おいしい | おいしくて |
いい becomes よくて.
Negative te-form: drop the い from くない, add くて → くなくて.
| Negative | Negative Te-Form |
|---|---|
| 高くない | 高くなくて |
な-Adjectives
Add で after the stem:
| Plain | Te-Form |
|---|---|
| 元気 | 元気で |
| 静か | 静かで |
| きれい | きれいで |
Negative te-form: じゃなくて.
| Negative | Negative Te-Form |
|---|---|
| 元気じゃない | 元気じゃなくて |
Important Rule
When connecting adjectives with the te-form, both adjectives should share the same positive or negative feeling. Two positives or two negatives are fine, but mixing one positive and one negative sounds unnatural.
- おいしくて安い (delicious and cheap) → both positive, OK
- 高くてまずい (expensive and bad-tasting) → both negative, OK
おいしくて高い(delicious and expensive) → mixed, unnatural
For mixed feelings, use のに or けど instead.