modality N5 essential casualpolitewritten
てもいい — may ~ / it's okay to ~
てもいい
Builds on て形
Meaning
- may ~ / it's all right to ~ — grants permission, or (as a question) asks for it
Key sentence
ここに座ってもいいですか。
May I sit here?
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (て-form) | V-て + もいい | 帰る → 帰ってもいい |
Variants
てもかまわない — 'I don't mind if you ~' — a touch more formal / reluctant ていい — casual, dropping も: もう食べていい？
Examples
この部屋で写真を撮ってもいいです。
You may take photos in this room.
もう帰ってもいいよ。
You can go home now.
辞書を使ってもいいですか。
Is it okay to use a dictionary?
Easily confused with
Notes
- After verbs whose て-form voices to で (読む → 読んで, 飲む → 飲んで), it becomes でもいい: 読んでもいい, 飲んでもいい. Same grammar as てもいい, just the で-form.
See てもいい in real sentences
Jengo shows てもいい the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.