ていく

Go on Doing/Gradual Change

Level 2Sounds Like teiku

The pattern 〜ていく indicates that an action or state is moving away from the speaker, either physically (going somewhere after doing something) or temporally (a change continuing into the future).

How It Works

The auxiliary verb 〜ていく is attached to the て-form of a verb. It has four primary functions:

1. Physical Movement: Doing an action and then moving away from the current location (e.g., 'making a lunch and taking it with you').
2. Manner of Movement: Describing the specific way in which one moves away from a location, such as walking, running, or flying (e.g., 走っていく - to go running away).
3. Temporal Progression: Describing a change or action that progresses away from a specific point in time. While often used for changes starting now and continuing into the future, it is also used in past-tense narratives (〜ていった) to describe a change that was progressing from a point in the past. It is frequently used with verbs of change like なる (to become) or 増える（ふえる - to increase).
4. Disappearance: Describing something fading away or vanishing from the speaker's sight or awareness.

In casual speech, the 'i' is often dropped, resulting in 〜てく. This also applies to verbs ending in 〜で, which become 〜でく (e.g., 飲んでいく becomes 飲んでく). While it comes from the verb 行く（いく - to go）, it is usually written in hiragana when used as a grammar pattern.

Examples (4)

  1. 明日（あした）はお弁当（べんとう）を作（つく）っていきます。

    I will make a lunch box and take it (with me) tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Tomorrow (topic) lunch box (object) make-and-go.

    Here, the pattern shows a physical action (making lunch) followed by moving away from the current location (going to work/school).

  2. これからもっと寒（さむ）くなっていくでしょう。

    It will probably keep getting colder from now on.

    Word by Word: From now more cold become-go probably.

    This demonstrates a gradual change moving from the present into the future.

  3. 鳥（とり）が空（そら）へ飛（と）んでいった。

    The bird flew away into the sky.

    Word by Word: Bird (subject) sky toward fly-and-went.

    This uses the past tense 〜ていった to show a physical movement moving away from the speaker's field of vision.

  4. 自分（じぶん）の国（くに）の文化（ぶんか）を守（まも）っていきたいです。

    I want to keep protecting my own country's culture.

    Word by Word: Self's country's culture (object) protect-go-want.

    Combined with 〜たい, this expresses a desire to continue an action from now into the future.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the dictionary form instead of the te-form.

    暖かくなるいくでしょう。
    暖かくなっていくでしょう。

    The auxiliary verb must be attached to the て-form of the preceding verb. You cannot attach it directly to the dictionary form.

  • Using 〜ていった for trends that have just reached the present.

    最近、物価が上がっていった。
    最近、物価が上がってきた。

    If a change has been happening up until 'now', you must use 〜てきた. Use 〜ていった only for processes that moved away from a specific point in the past.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ていくLevel 2Go on Doing/Gradual Change

Learn This First

To understand 'te iku', you must first be able to conjugate verbs into the te-form. It is also helpful to understand the concept of 'becoming' (naru) for change-of-state meanings, and the related pattern 'te kuru' to distinguish between changes moving toward or away from the current point in time.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern