てください — Please Do

Meaning & Usage

てください (te kudasai) means "please do [verb]." It's the default polite request form in Japanese — the one teachers, doctors, shop staff, and flight attendants all reach for. If you only learn one way to ask someone to do something, make it this one.

The pattern splits into two parts: the て-form of a verb, followed by ください (kudasai). The word ください comes from the honorific verb くださる (kudasaru), an elevated form of くれる (kureru, "to give to me"). So てください literally frames your request as "please give me [the act of doing X]" — the listener gives you the favor of performing the action.

てください is direct, not vague. That clarity is exactly why it works in instructional settings: teachers directing students, doctors advising patients, public signs telling you what to do. Written instructions on menus, notices, and official documents use it constantly too.

On the formality scale, it sits in the middle. The bare て-form alone — just saying 食べて — is casual, fine among close friends. At the other end, ていただけますか and ていただけませんか are softer and more deferential, suited to professional situations. Formal written notices step it up further with the honorific お～ください (e.g., お待ちください).

Japanese politeness tracks social relationships — 上下関係 (jōge kankei). てください fits most everyday situations well. Directed upward in a hierarchy, though, it can unintentionally sound commanding. Knowing when to reach for a softer form is part of sounding natural.

Structure & Formation

The structure is:

Verb (て-form) + ください

て-form conjugation is a foundational skill that pays off far beyond this pattern. It appears in ongoing actions (〜ている), in sequential clauses, and across grammar points at every JLPT level. Master it once and it works everywhere.

Japanese verbs fall into three groups, each with distinct te-form rules. Memorize these patterns by group — once they're automatic, forming てください takes no extra thought.

(Group 1 verbs ending in -る are distinguished from Group 2 verbs by the vowel preceding the る. This distinction requires memorization and is a common sticking point for beginners.)

Note that adjectives cannot directly take ください. For な-adjectives, use the adverbial form: adjective + に + してください. For example, 静しずかにしてください means "please be quiet."

Example Sentences

Classroom and Study

ここに名前なまえを書かいてください。

Koko ni namae wo kaite kudasai.

Please write your name here.

教科書きょうかしょを読よんでください。

Kyōkasho wo yonde kudasai.

Please read the textbook.

日本語にほんごで話はなしてください。

Nihongo de hanashite kudasai.

Please speak in Japanese.

答こたえを教おしえてください。

Kotae wo oshiete kudasai.

Please tell me the answer.

Daily Life

ちょっと待まってください。

Chotto matte kudasai.

Please wait a moment.

窓まどを開あけてください。

Mado wo akete kudasai.

Please open the window.

この薬くすりを飲のんでください。

Kono kusuri wo nonde kudasai.

Please take this medicine.

早はやく起おきてください。

Hayaku okite kudasai.

Please wake up early.

Giving Directions

右みぎに曲まがってください。

Migi ni magatte kudasai.

Please turn right.

まっすぐ行いってください。

Massugu itte kudasai.

Please go straight ahead.

ここで止とまってください。

Koko de tomatte kudasai.

Please stop here.

Formal and Work Settings

もう一度いちど言いってください。

Mō ichido itte kudasai.

Please say it one more time.

この書類しょるいに記入きにゅうしてください。

Kono shorui ni kinyū shite kudasai.

Please fill in this document.

明日あしたの会議かいぎに来きてください。

Ashita no kaigi ni kite kudasai.

Please come to tomorrow's meeting.

メールで連絡れんらくしてください。

Mēru de renraku shite kudasai.

Please contact me by email.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using the Dictionary Form Instead of the Te-Form

❌ 食たべるください。

✅ 食たべてください。

Nearly every beginner makes this mistake first. The pattern requires the て-form of the verb, not the dictionary form. You cannot attach ください directly to a plain verb. Always convert first: 食べる → 食べて, then add ください. Thinking of ください as a separate word that follows a connector form helps the habit stick.

Mistake 2: Attaching ください to the Masu-Stem

❌ 飲のみください。

✅ 飲のんでください。

Students who know the masu-stem sometimes attach ください directly to it. The masu-stem of 飲む is 飲み — but ください cannot follow it. The correct te-form is 飲んで, following the Group 1 rule む → んで. Always use the full te-form, never the masu-stem.

Mistake 3: Applying てください Directly to Adjectives

❌ 静しずかてください。

✅ 静しずかにしてください。

Adjectives don't have a て-form, so they can't precede ください directly. For な-adjectives, use the adverbial form (add に) followed by してください. The construction な-adjective + に + してください means "please be [adjective]" or "please make it [adjective]." Two common N5 examples: 静しずかにしてください (please be quiet) and 丁寧ていねいにしてください (please be careful).

Mistake 4: Overusing てください with Superiors

❌ レポートを提出ていしゅつしてください。 (said to your boss)

✅ レポートを提出ていしゅつしていただけますか。

てください can sound commanding when directed upward — toward a supervisor, client, or elder. Professional Japanese calls for softer patterns: ていただけますか (could you please) or ていただけませんか (would you be so kind as to). Politeness in Japanese often means longer structures, not simpler ones — the opposite of what English speakers expect.

Mistake 5: Forgetting that 行く Is an Exception

❌ 行いいてください。

✅ 行いってください。

行く ends in く, which normally follows the く → いて rule. 行く breaks it. Its te-form is 行って, not 行いて — and this is one of the most common N5 test traps. Memorize it as a fixed exception: 行く → 行って → 行ってください.

Cultural Notes

How you phrase a request in Japan signals your social awareness. てください is the workhorse of everyday requests — schools, hospitals, shops, and public transport all run on it.

You encounter it in real life constantly. Flight attendants say シートベルトをおしめください. Hospital receptionists say こちらにお座りください. Teachers open class with 教科書を開けてください. Catching these phrases as they happen is one of the first satisfying moments of real-world comprehension.

ください also works on its own — without a preceding verb — to mean "please give me [this]." Point at something in a shop and say これをください. Attach a verb's て-form, and the meaning shifts entirely: now you're requesting an action, not an object. Same word, two distinct roles.

Among close friends and family, Japanese speakers often drop ください and use just the て-form. 待って (matte) conveys "wait" between friends without any rudeness. With strangers or in formal settings, always keep ください. Until you've built a confident feel for register, it's the safer default.

Printed てください is everywhere: 押してください (push), 引いてください (pull), ここに並んでください (please line up here). Reading these signs quickly and acting on them is one of the most immediate practical benefits of learning this pattern early.

Related Grammar Points

• ないでください — Please Don't (Grammar N5)
• ましょう — Let's Do Something Together (Volitional Polite) (Grammar N5)
• ている — Progressive and Resultant State (Grammar N5)
• ます — Polite Verb Ending (Grammar N5)
• あげる — To Give (Giving to Others) (Grammar N5)
• くれる — To Give (To Me) (Grammar N5)

JLPT Tips

てください appears in every section of the N5 JLPT: listening, grammar, and reading. Recognizing it isn't enough — you need to produce it correctly under timed conditions.

In listening, it turns up in short situational dialogues: a teacher giving instructions, a receptionist directing a visitor, a doctor advising a patient. Catch the te-form verb before ください to identify what's being requested. Watch for distractors — similar-sounding verbs that conjugate differently.

In grammar, expect questions on: selecting the correct te-form, choosing between てください and ていただけますか, and spotting conjugation errors in sample sentences. The irregular 行く → 行って and the Group 1 vs. Group 2 distinction for -る verbs are frequent targets.

In reading, てください appears on notices, instruction sheets, and short passages set in schools, hospitals, and offices. Patterns like 記入してください (please fill in), 提出してください (please submit), and 確認してください (please confirm) recur regularly. Read them quickly and move on.

For study: drill te-form conjugation separately before attaching ください. Start with Group 2 (the most regular), then work through Group 1's ending patterns. Memorize する → して, くる → きて, and 行く → 行って as fixed exceptions. Once conjugation is automatic, てください forms itself. Study ないでください in parallel — N5 expects you to handle both positive and negative request forms.