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て has so many uses… ? Is the て form as a conjunction what we see in verb conjugation? Or does that form mean something else? I was under the impression that it was the equivalent to -ing (continuous tense). Thank you.
Yep. It has a few usages and can be a little confusing, but the て form is very useful.
1) As a conjunction to connect verb phrases: 食べて、飲んで、寝る eat, drink, and sleep. [note this also is ordered by time. First, eat, then drink, and then sleep]
2) ~ている expresses and ongoing action (the -ing you mentioned) 走っている running [it can also express actions you do often like 毎日、日本語を勉強しています。 I study Japanese every day.]
3) ~てください is used to make requests
4) ~てもいいですか is used to ask permission
There’s more, but these four usages are super useful.
Thank you so much!
Sure! Please feel free to ask any questions. There’s a good chance other people also have the same question.