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(たか)い	高(たか)くて
安(やす)い	安(やす)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(たか)くない	高(たか)くなくて

な-Adjectives

Add で after the stem:

Plain	Te-Form
元気(げんき)	元気(げんき)で
静(しず)か	静(しず)かで
きれい	きれいで

Negative te-form: じゃなくて.

Negative	Negative Te-Form
元気(げんき)じゃない	元気(げんき)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(やす)い (delicious and cheap) → both positive, OK
高(たか)くてまずい (expensive and bad-tasting) → both negative, OK
~~おいしくて高(たか)い~~ (delicious and expensive) → mixed, unnatural

For mixed feelings, use のに or けど instead.

Example Sentences

彼女(かのじょ)は可愛(かわい)くて頭(あたま)がいい。
She's cute and smart.

この部屋(へや)は広(ひろ)くてきれいです。
This room is spacious and clean.

元気(げんき)で親切(しんせつ)な人(ひと)です。
They're an energetic and kind person.

遠(とお)くなくていいカフェを知(し)っていますか。
Do you know any nice cafes that aren't far?