Grammar Info

N5 Lesson 9: 4/13

～てもいい (Verb)It's okay to, It's alright to, Can/may

Structure

Verb［て］+ も + いい

Details

  • Part of Speech

    Expression

  • Word Type

    Adjective

  • Register

    Standard

About Verb + てもいい

Verb + てもいい is a construction in Japanese used to express that something is 'okay', or 'alright'. It can also be used as a question to ask if you 'can', or 'may' do something.

This phrase is also regularly used without the も, but is considered a bit more direct/casual. It is best to remove the も only when talking to people that you know well.

This expression is simply a construction that literally means て (verb) も (also) いい (is good).

Caution

As this grammar point uses the て form of verbs, it is important to remember that some verbs will use で instead of て.

Examples

--:--

    これを見(み)てもいい？

    Is it alright if I look at this?

    質問(しつもん)をしてもいい？

    May I ask a question?

    暑(あつ)いです。水(みず)を飲(の)んでもいいですか。

    It's hot. Is it alright to drink some water?

    あそこで遊(あそ)んでもいいです。

    You may play over there.

    あそこ でスポーツをしてもいいですか。

    May I play sports over there?

  • Get more example sentences!

    Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

Verb + てもいい – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (21 in total)

  • Unlocked

    Unlocked

    The first example is:
    これを見てもいい？
    Which it says means “is it alright if I look at this?”. However, because the subject isn’t stated, could it also mean “can you look at this?” (as in asking for feedback on something or showing something off), or would that be strange?

  • ljoekelsoey

    ljoekelsoey

    In such a case you would say これを見てもらってもいい？which is far more natural.
    “Can i get you to look at this please?”

  • Unlocked

    Unlocked

    Thanks! Looks like that’s all the way up in N4, so it might have been a while before I reached it normally.

Got questions about Verb + てもいい? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!

Join the Discussion