aspect N4 common casual
〜とく — colloquial contraction of 〜ておく
〜とく ・ とく
Builds on ておく
Meaning
- casual ておく — do ~ in advance / get ~ done ahead of time
Key sentence
飲み物を買っとくね。
I'll grab some drinks ahead of time.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (て-form, with て → と) | V-て → V-とく; V-で → V-どく | 買って → 買っとく; 読んで → 読んどく |
Variants
どく — the form after で-ending て-forms: 読んで → 読んどく
Examples
飲み物を買っとくね。
I'll grab some drinks ahead of time.
試験前に単語を覚えとこう。
I'll memorize the vocab before the exam.
鍵をかけとくのを忘れた。
I forgot to lock up.
予約しとかないと満席になるよ。
If you don't make a reservation, it'll be full.
後で読んどくよ。
I'll read it later (to keep).
Easily confused with
See 〜とく in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜とく 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. Editorial confidence: medium.