IJ-0088 · FOUNDATION · CONNECTING ACTIONS
And Then · 〜て、〜

A Day Is Made of
More Than One Action.

〜て、〜

We wake. We eat. We leave home. We walk. Japanese can now begin connecting those separate moments into the movement of a real day.

FROM ONE ACTION TO A SEQUENCE
Learning support
01Meet the connector

One action.
Then another.

The て-form lets an action connect forward. Instead of speaking only in isolated sentences, we can begin showing how one thing leads into the next.

~te, ~
do one action, and then another
食べて
eat → and then…
飲んで
drink → and then…
見て
look / watch → and then…
行って
go → and then…
帰って
return → and then…
起きて
wake up → and then…
寝て
sleep → and then…
Action + て
opens the sentence forward
→
Breakfast followed by the beginning of another ordinary action
02One action becomes two

Eat breakfast.
Go to work.
Now connect them.

Asagohan o tabemasu.
I eat breakfast.
Kaisha e ikimasu.
I go to work.
Asagohan o tabete, kaisha e ikimasu.
I eat breakfast and then go to work.
03Watch the sentence move

Two separate sentences
become one flow.

Separate actions
I drink coffee.
I read a book.
→
Connected action
Kōhī o nonde, hon o yomimasu.
I drink coffee and then read a book.

Notice that the first action changes shape. The final action keeps the polite ending and carries the sentence to completion.

An ordinary Japanese morning becoming a sequence of actions
04A morning begins to move

Wake.
Eat.
Walk.
Ride.

Asa rokuji ni okite, asagohan o tabemasu.
I get up at six and eat breakfast.
Asagohan o tabete, eki made arukimasu.
I eat breakfast and walk to the station.
Densha ni notte, kaisha e ikimasu.
I take the train and go to work.
05From work to evening

A whole day
begins to connect.

The grammar is small. What it unlocks is much larger: routines can now become sequences instead of lists.

Shigoto o shite, ie e kaerimasu.
I work and then go home.
Bangohan o tabete, terebi o mimasu.
I eat dinner and watch television.
Hon o yonde, nemasu.
I read a book and go to sleep.
06Beyond the daily commute

Weekends move too.

Shūmatsu ni Kyōto e itte, shashin o torimasu.
On the weekend, I go to Kyoto and take photographs.
Tomodachi to atte, issho ni hirugohan o tabemasu.
I meet a friend and we eat lunch together.
Kafe e itte, kōhī o nomimasu.
I go to a café and drink coffee.
Sūpā de kaimono o shite, ie e kaerimasu.
I shop at the supermarket and go home.
07Reconnect IJ-0086

Connect actions
with what you want.

Nihon e itte, nani o shitai desu ka?
When you go to Japan, what do you want to do?
Kyōto e itte, shashin o toritai desu.
I want to go to Kyoto and take photographs.
Two adults talking naturally about the actions in their day
08Reconnect IJ-0087

Experience can contain
more than one action.

Nihon de nani o shita koto ga arimasu ka?
What have you done in Japan?
Onsen ni haitte, ryokan ni tomatta koto ga arimasu.
I have stayed at a ryokan and experienced an onsen.

Earlier grammar does not disappear. It begins combining. That is how the learner moves from patterns toward real expression.

09Ask what comes next

What do you do
after that?

Asa okite, nani o shimasu ka?
What do you do after getting up in the morning?
Shawā o abite, asagohan o tabemasu.
I take a shower and eat breakfast.
Shigoto no ato, nani o shimasu ka?
What do you do after work?
Sūpā e itte, ie de bangohan o tsukurimasu.
I go to the supermarket and make dinner at home.
Shūmatsu wa nani o shimasu ka?
What do you do on weekends?
Kafe e itte, hon o yomimasu.
I go to a café and read a book.
Ordinary small actions connecting through a Japanese day
10Connected actions become conversation

Ask about someone's day.
Hear what comes next.

The main exchanges use two different voices so the conversation sounds like two people rather than one person reading both sides.

Conversation 01 · Morning
A
Asa okite, nani o shimasu ka?
What do you do after getting up?
B
Shawā o abite, asagohan o tabemasu.
I take a shower and eat breakfast.
Hear the question in another voice
Conversation 02 · After work
A
Shigoto no ato, nani o shimasu ka?
What do you do after work?
B
Sūpā e itte, ie de bangohan o tsukurimasu.
I go to the supermarket and make dinner at home.
Hear the question in another voice
Conversation 03 · Weekend
A
Shūmatsu wa nani o shimasu ka?
What do you do on weekends?
B
Kafe e itte, hon o yomimasu.
I go to a café and read a book.
Hear the question in another voice
Conversation 04 · Kyoto
A
Kyōto e itte, nani o shitai desu ka?
When you go to Kyoto, what do you want to do?
B
Shashin o totte, oishii mono o tabetai desu.
I want to take photographs and eat something delicious.
Language begins to move
“A life is rarely one verb at a time.”

We wake and eat. We walk and ride. We work and return home. Once actions can connect, Japanese begins to sound less like a collection of practice sentences and more like a life being described.

12The Foundation sentence is changing

You are no longer building
only one action at a time.

Earlier lessons expanded what one sentence could contain. IJ-0088 changes something deeper: one action can now lead into another.

WHAT → WHERE → WHEN → WITH WHOM → HOW → HOW OFTEN → HOW LONG → FROM / TO → WHY → WANT → EXPERIENCE → CONNECTED ACTIONS

13Real Japan mission

Tell one small
piece of your day.

Do not search for an impressive story. Connect the ordinary things you actually do.

I wake up and then ______.
I go to ______ and then ______.
I do ______ and then go home.

Two connected actions are enough. The goal is movement, not complexity.

A final thought

A Day
In Motion.

Wake up. Eat breakfast. Take the train. Work. Shop. Come home.

Language begins to connect the same small actions that make a life.