Adjectives: The Te-Form

Adjectives can be combined by conjugating them to the te-form. The te-form of an adjective can be conjugated as follows:

I-Adjectives

With i-adjectives, simply remove the final い and then add くて. If the adjective is to be conjugated from the negative, cut the い of the くない and add くて.

	Plain form	te-form
Affirmative	高い	高くて
Negative	高くない	高くなくて

Na-Adjectives

To conjugate affirmative na-adjectives to the te-form, simply use the plain form (minus な or だ) and then add で.

Negative na-adjectives meanwhile, conjugate like i-adjectives, by cutting the い of ない and adding くて

	Plain form	te-form
Affirmative	元気	元気で
Negative	元気じゃない	元気じゃなくて

Connecting the Adjectives

Once in the te-form, adjectives can be connected to make compounds such as:

• 美味しくて安い (delicious and cheap)
• 元気で親切 (energetic and kind)

An important point to note when combining adjectives like this, is that the feeling of the adjectives cannot be opposing (i.e. one adjective describing the thing negatively, and the other positively).

For example, describing something as delicious but expensive (美味しくて高い) would be considered incorrect, as one adjective implies a positive characteristic and one a negative characteristic.

Two positives, ok. Two negatives, ok. A negative and a positive, problematic.

Example Sentences

• 彼女は可愛くて頭が良い。
  She is pretty and smart.

• ここから遠くなくて良いカフェを知っていますか。
  Do you know any nice cafes which aren't far from here?

• 恥ずかしがりで静か。
  Shy and quiet.