Grammar Info

N5 Lesson 10: 4/12

～て (Qualities and States)And..., Both and (Conjunctive)

Structure

［い］Adjective［い］ + く + て
［な］Adjective + で + Phrase
Noun + で + Phrase

Details

  • Part of Speech

    Particle

  • Word Type

    Conjunctive Particle

  • Register

    Standard

About Adjective + て + B

The て form of an い-Adjective, or で form of a noun (or な-Adjective) is exactly the same as the て form of a verb, in that it carries the meaning of 'and', and is used for linking.

Building on from the adjective +て, noun + で grammar point, instead of linking adjectives, adjective + て + (B) is used for linking an adjective to an entire phrase. With this construction, the phrase is simply added after て (with い-Adjectives), or で (with nouns and な-Adjectives), without any extra consideration for the phrase following it (this means that the (B) phrase will behave as if it was its own sentence).

As with adjective +て, noun + で, it should be noted that て and で are different structures here. て is the same conjunction particle that is used with verbs (meaning that い-Adjectives are similar to verbs), while で is actually a form of だ that is used for conjugation. It is the same で as the one that is used in the formal version of だ, である. Which we will learn later.

Caution

Like other て forms (ている 1, ている 2, and ている 3), the て (or で) form of other words can have several possible meanings. These meanings are as follows.

Linking - Like 'and' in English.

Reasons - Like 'with (A)', or 'because of (A)' in English.

Manner - Like 'to do (B) in an (A) way' in English.

Caution

As with all other conjugations of いい, remember that it will be よくて, and not いくて.

Related

Examples

--:--

    りさは背(せ)が高(たか)くてかわいいです。

    Risa is tall and cute.

    静(しず)かで平和(へいわ)なところに住(す)みたい。

    I want to live in a quiet and peaceful place.

    ほろさんは親切(しんせつ)で優(やさ)しい。

    Holo is kind and gentle.

    「ルフィさんは明(あか)るくていい人(ひと)ですよね。」
    「そうですよ。」

    'Luffy is a bright and good-natured person, isn't he?'
    'That's right.'

    新田(にった)さんは悲(かな)しくて寂(さび)しかったんです。

    Nitta was (used to be) sad and lonely.

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Adjective + て + B – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (10 in total)

  • Pushindawood

    Pushindawood

    and…
    both and
    conjunctive

    Structure

    • い-Adj.[ て ] → い → く て + B
    • な-Adj.[ で ] + B
    • Noun[ で ] + B
    • Exception: いい → よく て + B

    [The て-form is often used to link qualities/states of someone or something. This particular use of て does not imply a sequence of events/time]
    [When modifying a noun, unlike in English (Order of Adjectives), there is no particular order in which adjectives should be placed, but usually い-adjectives are found closer to the noun]

    View on Bunpro

  • CrisH

    CrisH

    Hi there,

    What is B? I’ve not seen it before and it’s not in the structure legend.

    Thanks

  • Ambo100

    Ambo100

    I’m not sure but I think B just represents the second half of this sentence that the adjective in the て form connects to?

  • sansarret

    sansarret

    I think this grammar point is covered in Genki I (second edition) Lesson 7, page 173:
    “Te-forms for Joining Sentences”.

    Currently it is missing from Genki I path.

  • Disconn3cted

    Disconn3cted

    It’s another adjective. This form is used to make a list of adjectives.

  • Terilian

    Terilian

    grafik748×225 12.6 KB

    Just to clarify this qui...

  • gyroninja

    gyroninja

    Yes, all three adjectives modify apple which makes the apple big, and round, and red. If we were talking about big apples, round apples, and red apples you would need to make list which you can do using particles like と, も, に, etc.

  • Terilian

    Terilian

    Thanks, makes sense. I dont really have any other people to clear stuff like this up with which seem important to get nuances and grammar points right, so I am very thankful for any help.

    Yes, all three adjectives modify apple which makes the apple big, and round, and red. If we were talking about big apples, round apples, and red apples you would need to make list which you can do using particles like と, も, に, etc.

    Now that you say it, this comparison made the use of this grammar point quite a bit clearer, great!

  • Terilian

    Terilian

    months later revising stuff and back here again

    grafik748×615 57.9 KB
  • Daru

    Daru

    You answered your own question: it depends in the context!

    Remember that while it is 3 separate uses, the basic meaning stays the same. So really, its as if the 3 are happening at the same time, yet context define which of the three is happening. So even the same exact sentence can come off differently depending on the context.

  • dollicia

    dollicia

    Hi everyone

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