付ける: attaching or switching on. The examples use polite Japanese in everyday situations.
The idea
付ける is an ichidan verb: remove final る before adding ます or て. The polite non-past, negative and past forms are 付けます、付けません、付けました. The て form is 付けて. The thing affected by the action can be marked by を. For lights, つける (also 点ける) pairs with つく (also 点く); 付ける and 付く describe attachment.
| Dictionary form | Polite non-past | Polite negative | Polite past | て form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 付ける | 付けます | 付けません | 付けました | 付けて |
Examples
- 暗いので、電気をつけます。It is dark, so I turn on the light.
- 部屋に入って、エアコンをつけました。I went into the room and turned on the air conditioner.
- かばんに名札を付けます。I attach a name tag to my bag.
- ノートにシールを付けました。I attached a sticker to my notebook.
- テレビをつけてニュースを見ます。I turn on the TV and watch the news.
- 昼は電気をつけません。I do not turn on the light during the day.
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Watch out
付ける describes an action on something; its intransitive partner 付く describes the change.
Try it yourself
（付ける→ます）＿
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付けます
付けます is the polite non-past form; context can indicate a habit or a future event.
（付ける→て）＿
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付けて
付けて is the て form; it can connect clauses.
名札＿付けます。（が／を）
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を
を marks the direct object of the action.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
（付ける→ます）＿
（付ける→て）＿
名札＿付けます。（が／を）
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Make an original sentence, change it to the polite past and identify its particle. Compare your sentence with the examples.