Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 1: 7/18

~ていくTo ~ and go, To go on, To start

Structure

Verb[て]+ いく

Details

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    Standard

About ていく

This grammar construction is a mix of the conjunction particle , and the verb ()く 'to go'. To use this grammar point, you will need to attach to any verb, and then follow it with いく.

This nuance is usually that '(A) happened and then went', or 'will happen, and then go'. In other words, it will depend on whether いく is in present, or past tense.

ていく can be used when representing time, or when representing a physical place. When representing a physical place, it is more likely that the kanji structure, ()く will be used. However, this is not a set rule, and depends on the writer.

When used in relation to time, the nuance is usually that something has already started/is about to start, and then will continue to progress in the same way.

This is the opposite of てくる, which indicates that something has finally reached a certain state, after progressing in that way for some time.

Fun Fact

When compared to English, ていく is very similar to the phrase 'to go on to (A)', in relation to time. It focuses on the fact that the speaker is required to make some type of journey to arrive at a specific point. For example, 'She went on to become a doctor after university'.

Examples

--:--

    (おお)(おと)(とり)()んでいく

    With a loud noise, the birds will fly away. (fly and go)

    これ先生(せんせい)()っていってください

    Please take this to the teacher. (hold and go)

    友達(ともだち)にプレゼント()っていく

    I am going to buy a present and take it to my friend. (buy and go)

    大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)!お弁当(べんとう)()っていくから

    It's okay! Because I will take a lunch (bento) with me. (hold and go)

    今日(きょう)テスト()けるから鉛筆(えんぴつ)()っていく

    Because I am going to take a test today, I will take a pencil. (hold and go)

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ていく – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (22 in total)

  • Pushindawood

    Pushindawood

    to go on
    to start
    to do and go

    Structure

    • Verb[ ] + いく

    View on Bunpro

  • lorenzosama

    lorenzosama

    I’m not sure when to use this over ていて. For example, why in the below example is this a grammar point for ていく?
    お医者さんに行って、薬をもらっていく

    Thank you all in advance

  • Superpnut

    Superpnut

    Is there any meaningful difference between ていく & にいく?
    They both seem to be the same thing to me
    I tried finding a comparison online between the two and couldn’t find one.
    Is there something different? Am I just stupid and these are nothing alike?
    Please explain to me, if you could, like your speaking to a child

  • wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV

    wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV

    By にいく do you mean 連用形+にいく? E.g., 花を見に行く

  • Superpnut

    Superpnut

    yes that’s now i mean sorry i should have been more clear
    this one

  • wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV

    wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV

    OK, cool. In the 連用形+に行く grammar point, 連用形+に expresses the purpose for which you are going. You are going in order to do “verb.” There’s an intentionality to the going, if you will.

    For ~ていく, the meaning is either a sequence of action (do “verb” and go) or showing the progress, advancement, or continuation of action (started doing “verb” and then went on doing it). Note that this second meaning differs subtly but importantly from ている, which indicates being in a given state (or doing an action) without any progress or advancement being implied.

  • jcancellier

    jcancellier

  • wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV

    wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV

    Good catch! That’s a typo. You can use the Report + button that appears in the lower right-hand corner of the review page to helpfully point things like that out to the staff.

  • Fuga

    Fuga

    You are correct! There should be a の there. Thank you for letting us know about this typo!

  • beliar

    beliar

    The description says “This is the opposite of てくる”, but it just accepted me typing just that for “If you start studying Japanese now, you will go on to become more proficient.”. Are both actually correct for that sentence?

  • nekoyama

    nekoyama

    I think in the Japanese sentence, both -ていく and -てくる work. Maybe -ていく fits the English translation better considering that this is a learning platform and “go on” is a pretty strong hint that we’re supposed to use “go”, but the content of statement is not actually different. The difference is the point of reference.

    With -ていく, the point of reference is in the present or in the future. In this case, I think it makes sense to think of it as the point in time in the future where the person starts studying Japanese. From that point onward, the person will become more and more proficient.

    With -てくる, the point of reference is in the future and the statement is looking at the development up to that point. If the person starts studying Japanese now, then at some point in the future, they will have started to become more and more proficient. (I have to put “started to” because -てくる only means the event has been going on for some time up to the point of reference, but it doesn’t...

  • beliar

    beliar

    Thanks for the explanation.

    Mostly it was because of the context of the review. I think some hint that it may not be what was actually asked should be given, at least.

  • Bugg

    Bugg

    One of the examples for this grammar point is:

    ()()()ください。

    and it is translated as

    Please eat something before you go.

    I have no idea where does before come from. Can someone explain? I can maybe explain this translation with plain て form and it’s ability to order events ( eat then go ). Is it really ていく example?

  • bilowik

    bilowik

    So I understand most of these examples here, except for the very first one in the grammar lesson itself which seems very differently interpreted than the rest and threw me off for awhile, but maybe I’m misunderstanding some nuance of the phrase or translation:

    今日は家で食べていく? which is translated to “Do you want to go and eat at my place tonight?”

    This seems at odds with the rest of the examples since the order of actions is flipped, “go and do (A)” vs “(A) and then go” and the translation seems more akin to: 今日は家で食べ行く? since verb + に行く is usually understood as “to go and do (A).” right?

  • slowflo

    slowflo

    I had the same problem with the first example but I found an answer there : 行く・来る: Japanese Verbs for "Go" and "Come"

    "Japanese :
    夕飯、食べていく?
    English :
    Would you like to have supper here?
    (Literally: Are you going to eat supper and then go?)

    If you look at the literal meaning, it may seem a strange way of asking the question. However, by adding 行く, your friend’s mother can show she is aware that you have to leave at some point. It’s a small additional nuance, but now the question can ask if you are willing to eat dinner while you are still at their place."

    So I think the example is more “do you want to eat and then go (to your home) ?”

  • _czmAvery

    _czmAvery

    Hi there. I’m struggling with the example: 車で行くのは危険なので、電車に乗っていってください。

    is this an "ていく” grammar point because the speaker’s desire for the listener to take a train exists and is growing? Or, maybe, is the speaker asking the listener to regularly take the train?

    I just don’t see the progressiveness/perpetuity that I’ve seen in other examples of this grammar point in this sentence.

  • dharlequin

    dharlequin

    Hello!

    I am really struggling to understand the nuance of this grammar point. How is it different from just using the verb as most of the examples are translated to?

    It’s clear, when the translation is “to go and do something”. But when the translation is just one verb without anyone or anything going anywhere, then I don’t understand why I or anyone would use this longer phrasing.

  • RareRecharge

    RareRecharge

    I’m also struggling with this grammar point despite reading the lesson and previous comments.

    I don’t think I full understand why the example 今日うちで食べて行く? means would you like to eat at my place.

    今日うちで食べにく? makes sense as “tonight, do you want to go and eat at my place” (invitation)

    今日うちで食べていく? to me sounds like "tonight, do you want to eat at my place and go (somewhere). " (invitation)

    I’m not sure how the latter just means Do you want to go and eat at my place tonight?

    Can someone help me understand please?

  • ThiagoIanuch

    ThiagoIanuch

    Hello! I’m also struggling with this grammar point, but I found this video:

    If I understand correctly, the difference between ~ていく and ~に行く would be:

    食べ に行く
    Just says “to go eat”, no place else to go after

    食べていく
    It says “to go eat”, but indicates that there is still somewhere else to go.

    I would appreciate if anyone could tell me if I am correct.

  • nihongo_noob

    nihongo_noob

    Understanding 〜ていくas to do something and then go, it feels like the first example in the lesson isn’t translated very clearly / is translated incompletely.

    今日はうちで食べていく?
    Do you want to go and eat at my place tonight?

    The translation makes it seem that we are only going somewhere (the speaker’s house) with the objective of eating. However, if I understand correctly, the sentence also implies that the suggestion of eating at the speaker’s place should happen before they leave to go somewhere else (depending on the prior context).

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