In previous lessons you learned how the て-form can be used to join verbs. The て-form can also be used for linking adjectives.
Conjugating adjectives to the て-form depends on whether the adjective is an い-adjective or a な-adjective. For い-adjectives, the final い is replaced by くて. For example, 小さい becomes 小さくて. To connect two or more adjectives together, conjugate all but the last adjective next to the noun into the て-form.
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| That country is small, hot, and beautiful. | その 国 は 小さくて 暑くて きれい です。sono kuni wa chiisakute atsukute kirei desu. |
| My watch is expensive and old. | 私 の 時計 は 高くて 古い です。watashi no tokei wa takakute furui desu. |
For な-adjectives, で is simply placed at the end of the word to make the て-form, so きれい becomes きれいで.
Check out the example sentences below to see this grammar point used in context.
| She wanted a beautiful, red dress. | 彼女 は きれいで 赤い ドレス が ほしかった です。kanojo wa kireide akai doresu ga hoshikatta desu. |
| She is lively and pretty. | 彼女 は 元気で きれい です。kanojo wa genkide kirei desu. |
Finally, note that ない is also an い-adjective.
| It's not a deer, it's a zebra. | シカ じゃ なくて、 シマウマ です。shika ja nakute, shimauma desu. |
