Permission — ～てもいい

The te-form keeps revealing new abilities. In episode 40 it made polite requests. In episode 41 it described ongoing actions. Today it asks for permission — and it does so in the most elegantly indirect way possible.

What You'll Learn#

New vocabulary: てもいい (it is okay to, may), もちろん (of course), どうぞ (please go ahead / be my guest)

Review grammar: てください (please do ~, ep. 40), ましょう (let's ~, ep. 37), ている (in progress, ep. 41)

Lesson Transcript#

Flash Review#

Before the main lesson, three quick recall prompts from recent episodes:

The Permission Construction — てもいい#

The pattern has three pieces:

1. Te-form of your verb
2. The particle も (meaning "even" or "also")
3. The word いい (meaning "good")

Literal reading: "Even if you do this — it is good." That indirectness is characteristically Japanese. Instead of demanding permission, you are asking whether, in this situation, things would still be fine.

To ask permission, add the question particle か and polite です:

Te-form + もいいですか = "May I ~?"

Examples — Each Built from the Te-form#

Real-World Example from the Practice Database#

This sentence shows two te-forms stacked together — a common pattern in natural Japanese.

Two te-forms, one sentence: 着て (te-form of 着る, to wear) + みて (te-form of みる, to try) + もいいですか (permission question).

Listener Production — Your Turn#

Prompt: How would you say "may I drink this?"

The verb 飲む (to drink) belongs to the group that uses the voiced te-form ending んで. So its te-form is 飲んで.

Polite vs. Casual Forms#

The structure is identical. The ですか is politeness dressing — remove it in casual situations.

Responding to Permission Requests#

When someone asks てもいいですか, two responses you will hear constantly:

• もちろん — "Of course." Warm, generous, no hesitation.
• どうぞ — "Please go ahead." An open invitation. You will hear this whenever someone holds a door, offers you a seat, or grants permission of any kind.

A complete exchange:

入ってもいいですか。 どうぞ。

May I come in? — Please, come right in.