So this is probably the most important thing about Japanese verbs you wanna learn. Even if you forget everything else, that's fine. THIS is the thing you absolutely gotta know:
And that is て form.
The て form is used for a whole bunch of different things. Like, it does so much that I doubt you'd be able to wrap your head around how paramount this little て is. I wish I was playing with you but I'm not.
In the example picture above is the infamous phrase 「やめてください！」which means "Please stop!" The verb やめる- to stop (usually written only in kana but its kanji counterpart looks like this: 止める) seems to be attaching itself to this other word 「ください」which, of course, is the "please" part.
But, there's this て scrunched in the middle here...
て, when glued onto a verb, allows it to be attached to numerous endings that can change a lot about the information you're trying to convey.
食べてください - please eat
来てありがとう - thank you for coming
It can even join two verbs.
行ってきます！ - I'm going (and coming back)!
作りてあげる - to make for someone
て can also serve as "and then."
寿司を食べて、寝ました。
I ate sushi, and then went to sleep.
In another very infamous phrase exists yet another use of て form. 「ちょっと待って」(chotto matte) which means "wait a minute." (Literally "wait a little")
When て is left bare, and nothing follows it, the verb becomes a command.
食べて - eat it!
行って - go!
待って - wait!
Very short, sweet, and simple. Like this very chapter!
You must not forget this, because you will see it everywhere, and it will haunt you.
Anddd that's all for right now bye bye.
