Talk:連用形

The difference between 連用形 (continuative form) and テ形 (te-form or conjunctive form)

I have noticed that a lot of people say that 連用形 is formal or written language, whereas テ形 is informal or spoken language. However, it turns out that the difference between the two forms is more complex than that. I am going to present what I have found.

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Basically, in “Verb1 in テ形 ~ Verb2” there is a close relationship between the action in Verb1 and that in Verb2. No such relationship exists between Verb1 and Verb2 in “Verb1 in 連用形 ~ Verb2.” Usage restrictions differ depending on the subjects of Verb1 and Verb2.

When the subjects of Verb1 and Verb2 are the same:
1. Verb in テ形
  In general, “Verb1 in テ形 ~ Verb2” is used when the two actions are closely related and the sequence is important. More specifically, Verb in テ形 is used in situations like those in [1] – [3].
  1. When one action (Verb2) cannot take place until another action (Verb1) takes place, as in (a) and (b):
    私(わたし)は今日(きょう)デパートへ行(い)って買(か)い物(もの)をしなければならない。 ― watashi wa kyō depāto e itte kaimono o shinakereba naranai. ― I have to go to the department store to do some shopping today. (行き cannot be used in place of 行って here.)
    実物(じつぶつ)を見(み)て買(か)うかどうか決(き)めたい。 ― jitsubutsu o mite kau ka dō ka kimetai. ― I’d like to decide whether to buy it or not after I see the real thing. (見 cannot be used in place of 見て here.)
  2. When Verb1 represents the cause of Verb2 (a special case of [1]), as in (a) and (b):
    彼(かれ)は働(はたら)きすぎて体(からだ)を壊(こわ)してしまった。 ― kare wa hatarakisugite karada o kowashiteshimatta. ― He damaged his health by overworking. (働きすぎ cannot be used in place of 働きすぎて here.)
    赤(あか)ん坊(ぼう)は私(わたし)の顔(かお)を見(み)て急(きゅう)に泣(な)き出(だ)した。 ― akanbō wa watashi no kao o mite kyū ni naki dashita. ― Seeing my face, the baby suddenly began to cry. (見 cannot be used in place of 見て here.)
  3. When Verb1 represents a means or manner of doing Verb2, as in (a) and (b):
    京子(きょうこ)は毎日自転車(まいにちじてんしゃ)に乗(の)って学校(がっこう)へ行(い)く。 ― kyōko wa mainichi jitensha ni notte gakkō e iku. ― Kyōko goes to school by bicycle every day. (literally, “Kyōko goes to school by riding a bicycle every day.”) (乗り cannot be used in place of 乗って here.)
    私(わたし)は手袋(てぶくろ)をはめてその仕事(しごと)をした。 ― watashi wa tebukuro o hamete sono shigoto o shita. ― I did the work with gloves on. (はめ cannot be used in place of はめて here.)
2. Verb in 連用形
  In general, “Verb1 in 連用形…Verb2” is used when two actions or states are not directly related. More specifically, Verb in 連用形 is used when the times of two independent actions or states overlap, as in [1] and [2].
  1. Overlapping actions
    幸男(ゆきお)はよく働(はたら)き、よく遊(あそ)ぶ。 ― yukio wa yoku hataraki, yoku asobu. ― Yukio works hard and plays hard. (働いて cannot be used in place of 働き here.)
    みんなはその知(し)らせに驚(おどろ)き、悲(かな)しんだ。 ― minna wa sono shirase ni odoroki, kanashinda. ― Everybody was surprised and saddened by the news. (驚いて cannot be used in place of 驚き here.)
  2. Overlapping states
    次郎(じろう)はクラシック音楽(おんがく)を好(この)み、演奏者(えんそうしゃ)もよく知(し)っている。 ― jirō wa kurashikku ongaku o konomi, ensōsha mo yoku shitteiru. ― Jirō likes classical music and knows many performers, too. (好んで cannot be used in place of 好み here.)
    我々(われわれ)は平和(へいわ)を愛(あい)し、戦争(せんそう)を憎(にく)む。 ― wareware wa heiwa o aishi, sensō o nikumu. ― We love peace and hate war. (愛して cannot be used in place of 愛し here.)
3. Additional information before Verb2 and acceptability of Verb1 in 連用形
  When the action of Verb1 precedes that of Verb2, Verb in テ形 is preferred. However, when additional information precedes Verb2, Verb in 連用形 is acceptable even when the action of Verb1 occurs before that of Verb2, as in (a) – (d):
  1. ジョンは日本(にほん)で生(う)まれ、十歳(じっさい)まで日本(にほん)の学校(がっこう)で勉強(べんきょう)した。 ― jon wa nihon de umare, jissai made nihon no gakkō de benkyōshita. ― John was born in Japan and studied at a Japanese school until he was ten.
  2. みんながお金(かね)を出(だ)し合(あ)い、京子(きょうこ)の出産祝(しゅっさんいわ)いを買(か)った。 ― minna ga okane o dashiai, kyōko no shussan'iwai o katta. ― Everybody contributed some money and bought a present for Kyoko’s new baby.
  3. エビは殻(から)をむき、サラダ油(ゆ)で軽(かる)く炒(いた)めます。 ― ebi wa kara o muki, saradayu de karuku itamemasu. ― As for shrimp, you take their shells off and fry them lightly in salad oil.
  4. 日本(にほん)では一週間前(いっしゅうかんまえ)から梅雨(つゆ)に入(はい)り、毎日(まいにち)うっとうしい日(ひ)が続(つづ)いています。 ― nihon de wa isshūkan mae kara tsuyu ni hairi, mainichi uttōshī hi ga tsuzuiteimasu. ― In Japan we’ve been in the rainy season for a week and had gloomy days every day. (literally, “In Japan we’ve been in the rainy season since a week ago and the gloomy days have continued every day.”)
  Compare (a) and (b) in [1] and [2].
  1. エビは殻(から)をむいて炒(いた)めます。 ― ebi wa kara o muite itamemasu. ― As for shrimp, you take their shells off and fry them. (むき cannot be used in place of むいて here.)
    エビは殻(から)をむいて、サラダ油(ゆ)で軽(かる)く炒(いた)めます。 ― ebi wa kara o muite, saradayu de karuku itamemasu. ― As for shrimp, you take their shells off and fry them lightly in salad oil. (むき can be used in place of むいて here.)
  2. これは炭火(すみび)で焼(や)いて食(た)べます。 ― kore wa sumibi de yaite tabemasu. ― You eat this after grilling it over charcoal. (literally, “This, you grill it over charcoal and eat it.”) (焼き cannot be used in place of 焼いて here.)
    これは炭火(すみび)で焼(や)いて、しょう油(ゆ)を付(つ)けて食(た)べます。 ― kore wa sumibi de yaite, shōyu o tsukete tabemasu. ― You eat this with soy sauce after grilling it over charcoal. (literally, “This, you grill it over charcoal, dip it into soy sauce, and eat it.”) (Here, 焼き can be used in place of 焼いて, but 付け cannot be used in place of 付けて.)
  The acceptability of Verb1 in 連用形 in this situation may be due to the fact that when additional information occurs before Verb2, the focus shifts from the relationship between the two verbs to the additional information before Verb2.
4. Stylistic use of Verb in 連用形
  In sentences involving a series of verbs, Verb in 連用形 is often used in situations where either form can occur. This choice is stylistic and avoids the overuse of the Verb in テ形. For example, in [1], Verb1–Verb5 can be テ形 verbs. However, because Verb1, Verb3 and Verb5 must be テ形 (Due to the fact that one cannot do some shopping before going to the department store, that one cannot open a new bank account before stopping by the bank, and that one cannot return a friend’s book before meeting them), the Verb in 連用形 would be more commonly used for Verb2 and Verb4.
  1. 私(わたし)は今日(きょう)、まず、デパートへ行(い)って買(か)い物(もの)をし、その後(あと)、銀行(ぎんこう)に寄(よ)って新(あたら)しい口座(こうざ)を開(ひら)き、帰(かえ)りに喫茶店(きっちてん)で友達(ともだち)に会(あ)って本(ほん)を返(かえ)す予定(よてい)だ。 ― watashi wa kyō, mazu, depāto e itte kaimono o shi, sono ato, ginkō ni yotte atarashī kōza o hiraki, kaeri ni kitchiten de tomodachi ni atte hon o kaesu yotei da. ― Today I’m planning to go to the department store first to do some shopping, then, to stop by the bank to open a new account, and on my way back, to meet a friend of mine at a coffee shop to return her book. (行き, 寄り and 会い cannot be used in place of 行って, 寄って and 会って respectively in this sentence. し and 開き are preferred, but して and 開いて can be used in place of them respectively in this sentence.)
  In conversation, however, such stylistic control is difficult, and, therefore, テ形 often occurs for every verb. This is the reason why in some situations the use of Verb in テ形 sounds colloquial and the use of Verb in 連用形 sounds formal.
5. Verb in テ形/Verb in 連用形 and controllability
  In “Verb1 in テ形 ~ Verb2,” because the action in Verb1 is closely related to the action of Verb2, both verbs must be either controllable or non-controllable, as in [1] and [2]. This is not the case with Verb in 連用形.
  1. 私(わたし)はボブに会(あ)って、ジェーンのことを尋(たず)ねた。 ― watashi wa bobu ni atte, jēn no koto o tazuneta. ― I met Bob and asked him about Jane. (The two verbs are both controllable, hence 会って is used.)
    私(わたし)はたまたまボブに会(あ)い、ジェーンのことを尋(たず)ねた。 ― watashi wa tamatama bobu ni ai, jēn no koto o tazuneta. ― I met Bob accidentally and asked him about Jane. (The first verb is non-controllable and the second verb is controllable, hence 会い is used.)
  2. スリは刑事(けいじ)に見(み)つかって、逮捕(たいほ)された。 ― suri wa keiji ni mitsukatte, taihosareta. ― The pickpocket was found by a detective and was arrested. (The two verbs are both non-controllable, hence 見つかって is used.)
    スリは刑事(けいじ)に見(み)つかり、電車(でんしゃ)から飛(と)び降(お)りた。 ― suri wa keiji ni mitsukari, densha kara tobiorita. ― The pickpocket was found by a detective, and he (i.e., the pickpocket) jumped off the train. (The first verb is non-controllable and the second verb is controllable, hence 見つかり is used.)
When the subjects of Verb1 and Verb2 are different:
When two different subjects are involved in “Verb1 in テ形 ~ Verb2,” the action of Verb1 has not necessarily been completed before that of Verb2, as in [1].
1. 勉(つとむ)がピザを焼(や)いて、利子(としこ)がサラダを作(つく)った。 ― tsutomu ga piza o yaite, toshiko ga sarada o tsukutta. ― Tsutomu baked a pizza and Toshiko fixed a salad.

Makino, Seiichi, and Michio Tsutsui. A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar. Tokyo, The Japan Times, Ltd., 1995, pp. 556-560.

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I hope this helps people to understand the differences between the two forms!

Wise Bridges Fool Walls (talk) 18:14, 31 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The difference between 連用形 (continuative form) and テ形 (te-form or conjunctive form)[edit]