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にほんごがわかってきた！
Nihongo ga wakatte kita!
I am starting to understand Japanese!
Gradual process
The verbs いく and くる attached to other verbs can express the gradual process of something.
〜ていく will focus on the starting point, while 〜てくる will focus on the end point.
Take these two sentences for instance:
A gaggle of geese flew away.
ガチョウのむれはとんでいった。
Gachou no mure wa tonde itta.
If the geese flew towards you, you can switch the verb to くる.
A gaggle of geese flew in.
ガチョウのむれはとんできた。
Gachou no mure wa tonde kita.
These sentences can also be translated as 'the geese went away flying' and 'the geese came flying in'.
It shows a process of the geese flying away or flying in.
You can also use these expressions with time. Let's say that you have decided to learn 10 kanji a day, you can say....
From now on, everyday, I am going to remember 10 kanji.
これからまいにち、あたらしいかんじをじゅうまいおぼえていくつもりです。
Korekara mainichi, atarashii kanji o juu mai oboeteiku tsumori desu.
This concept might be a little bit hard to grasp, but it will make sense to you in time.
This expression is often used when you are instructing others to do something.
So, let's start first by doing some light stretches.
それでは、まずはかるいストレッチをしていきましょう。
Sorede wa, mazu wa karui sutorecchi o shiteikimashou.
In this sense, it is marking the starting point of something that will be going on for a while.
On the other hand, 〜てくる adds the nuance that an action or a state is getting close to you in time. It means that you are looking back at the continuation of an action or state from a moment in the past up to the current point in time.
We've done light stretches up to this point.
ここまではかるいストレッチをしてきました。
Koko made wa karui sutorecchi o shitekimashita.
If you are still mixed up about these expressions, do not hesitate to contact me!
You will also see these expressions being written in hiragana.
The kanji for いく is 行く and for くる is 来る, but since the meaning is not literal in this case, we write these in hiragana.
To keep writing out (something)
かきだしていく
Kakidashiteiku
To become more visible
みえてくる
Mietekuru
With adjectives + なっていく / なってくる
When you describe a change of state, you will often combine adjectives with the verb なる and plugging in いく or くる.
To become quieter
しずかになっていく
Shizuka ni natteiku
Do not forget that with い-adjectives, it takes く with なる!
To become happier
うれしくなってくる
Ureshiku nattekuru
Some verbs only work with 〜てくる. This is the case for perception verbs, such as きこえる (to hear), においがする (to smell), and みえる (to see), which are verbs that convey your physical experience.
When these verbs are combined with 〜てくる, it expresses the gradual process of perceiving something.
I started to hear the sounds of birds.
とりのおとがきこえてきた。
Tori no oto ga kikoete kita.
If you only say とりのおとがきこえた, it only expresses that you heard the sounds of birds, thus not making it dynamic. The sentence can also be translated as 'sounds of birds came in'.
It started to smell curry.
カレーのにおいがしてきた。
Karee no nioi ga shite kita.
You can view this sentence as the smell left the kitchen, floated in the air and reached your senses.
The island finally came into view!
ついにしまがみえてきたぞ！
Tsuini shima ga miete kita zo!
In this sentence, even in English, it gives something more to the sentence rather than just stating you finally saw the island.
With potential verbs
Another type of verbs that only requires 〜てくる is potential verbs, such as your ability of doing something, like わかる (to understand) and できる (to be able to do). If you pair these with 〜てくる, it shows the process of obtaining a result.
I'm starting to understand Japanese.
にほんごがわかってきた。
Nihongo ga wakatte kita.
〜てくる can also be used with the potential form of verbs.
I'm starting to be able to read kanji.
かんじをよめてきた。
Kanji o yomete kita.
In some circumstances, 〜てくる will change a verb into another.
とる - to take
とってくる - to fetch
もつ - to have (physically in your hands)
もってくる - to bring
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Beforehand
The form 〜ておく signifies that you are doing something in advance in order to get it out of the way or to put it away in your mind.
おく is a verb in itself meaning 'to put'. Attached to verbs, it has the connotation of doing something now for future convenience.
Let's say that you are taking a Japanese class and the teacher tells you what you will learn next lesson. At home, you tell yourself that you will read this chapter in advance for next class. You can then say....
I will read the lesson on Kanji (in advance).
かんじのレッシュンをよんでおく。
Kanji no resshun o yonde oku.
This expression also implies that you are doing something now to achieve a better result later, e.i you eat lunch now so your belly won't growl later, or you are training now to gain muscles, or you read a chapter in advance to be fully prepared for a class.
This expression can also mean that you are taking care of something at hand or even leaving something as is.
Again, this construction uses the 〜て form of verbs.
In casual speech, this expression will sometimes be shortened into 〜とく or 〜どく.
みる -- みて -- みておく -- みとく
よむ -- よんで -- よんでおく -- よんどく
To do something beforehand
I am going to Japan next year, so I am studying right now.
らいねんにほんにいくので、べんきょうしておく。
Rainen nihon ni iku node, benkyou shite oku.
Here, it means that you are studying in preparation for your trip. In this sentence, it is clear that what you say is that you are studying because you are going to Japan next year. But the meaning does not have to be so clear.
Let's say that you are still studying Japanese because you want to, and that you have the time to study right now, you can still use おく.
While I have the time, I should get some studying done.
いまのうちに、べんきょうしておこう。
Ima no uchi ni, benkyou shite okou.
In this case, there is no certainty that you will have time later on to study, so you are doing it now.
Now, let's see the nuance.
Then, I'll make the reservation!
じゃ、わたしがよやくするよ！
じゃ、わたしがよやくしておく！
Here, you can say both in the situation where you and your friends want to go to a restaurant and you will make reservation. The first sentence only means that you will make the reservation. On the other hand, the second option, with おく, it implies the meaning of 'I've got this' and that the reservation will be taken care of well before time.
You can use the expression おく when requesting or suggesting someone else take action in advance.
I'm sorry if it is a bad moment, but could you make the reservation for us?
わるいんだけど、よやくしておいてくれないかな？
Waruin da kedo, yoyaku shite oite kurenai kana?
In this example, you could have only ask if the person could make the reservation without using おく, but when おく is added, it means that the person does not have to hurry to make the reservation, as long as the reservation is done. It is, thus, less direct.
For doing something now
You can also use おく to describe an action you are doing now as a temporary or tentative solution.
For instance, let's say you did make a reservation and you have reached the restaurant, but one friend is missing. The server arrives at your table.
What do we do? Do we order something to get started?
どうしよ？とりあえず、なんかたのんでおく？
Dou shiyo? Toriaezu, nanka tanonde oku?
It is impolite in Japan to start ordering if everyone hasn't shown up yet. In this context, it shows that you are aware that what you order might not be what everyone wants to order, but you are just ordering to get started. とりあえず (for the time being) will often be paired with おく in this matter.
Another example is the uncertainty. Let's say your friend is taking a shower, but forgot to bring a towel with them. You bring the towel to them, but you are unsure where to put it.
I'll put it here, okay?
ここにおいておくね！
Koko ni oite oku ne!
Yes, you can double up the verb! In this case, it shows that you don't know where the best place is to put the towel, but you put it somewhere anyway.
It can also work in situations where we need to end something, even though it isn't the right time to finish it.
It is already this time... Well, let's wrap up the class here (I will finish the class here.)
もうこんなじかん。。。じゃ、じゅうぎょうをおわっておく。
Mou konna jikan... ja, juugyou o owatte oku.
It means that you leave it in suspense for now and will start back where you finished.
For leaving something as is
You can use おく to imply that you leave something as is. It is often used in situation where the action doesn't seem purposeful.
I parked my bike in front of the store, and it got stolen.
みせのまえにじてんしゃをとめておいたら、ぬすまれた。
Mise no mae ni jitensha o tomete oitara, nusumareta.
In this example, you left your bike as is (without the lock or anything) and did not park it there to get it stolen, or at least, you didn't expect it to get stolen there.
ら in おいたら means 'after', 'after I parked my bike in front of the store, it got stolen.
In this situation, this expression is paired well with a phrase that means 'to leave something' 〜のままにしておく.
Let's take the example of the bike that was stolen. Let's say you park your bike without a lock and your friend notices it.
I think it is dangerous if you leave it like that.
それ、そのままにしておくのは、あぶないとおもうよ。
Sore, sono mama ni shite oku no wa, abunai to omou yo.
Nuances
You probably see now that we can nuance things with this sentence structure.
Take these 2 sentences for instance with the verb つけっぱなしにする (to leave something on):
I left the lights on.
でんきをつけっぱなしにした。
Denki o tsukeppanashi ni shita.
でんきをつけっぱなしにしておいた。
Denki o tsukeppanashi ni shite oita.
Can you spot the nuance?
In the first example, it appears that you left the lights on on purpose.
In the second example, it implies that you left the lights on and your forgot to turn them off.
This is why some of my former students were asking me why in anime they seemed to be saying things totally different from what the subtitles meant. Sometimes in English, you cannot convey as much meaning, unless you add something to the sentence.
If, for instance, you would have to translate this sentence でんきをつけっぱなしにしておいた, you would have to translate it as 'I left the lights on and I forgot to turn them off', even though the verb 'to forget' is not part of the sentence.
Here's another example:
I understand. I'll return them for you.
わかりました。へんきゃくしておきますね。
Wakarimashita. Henkyaku shite okimasu ne.
In this context, you are telling the customer that you will take care of something for them. It shifts the responsibility from them to you.
Letting someone continue to do something
The causative form, combined with おく (させておく) gives the meaning that you are letting someone continuing an action.
I should let him sleep.
このままねかせておいてあげよう。
Kono mama nekasete oite ageyou.
A famous expression is used with this structure.
Let's play cat and mouse with him a little bit longer.
あいつはもうすこしおよがせておこう。
Aitsu wa mou sukoshi oyogasete okou.
およがせておく literally means 'letting someone keep swimming' which mean figuratively that you're playing cat and mouse with the person.
〜ておく vs. 〜てある
Like 〜ておく, 〜てある can show someone doing something in preparation for the future. However, the focus is different.
〜ておく is person-centred, whereas 〜てある is object-centred.
Breakfast is already made, okay?
あさごはん、つくっておいたからね！(I prepared breakfast)
あさごはん、つくってあるからね！(Breakfast was made)
In the first sentence, you put the focus on you having made breakfast.
In the second sentence, it is implied you made it, but it is now in the background.
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You have completed lesson 25!
レッシュン25ができた！
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