てもいい

May/permitted

Level 2Sounds Like temoii

Use 〜てもいい to say 'you may' or 'it's okay to.' It is the standard way to handle permission in Japanese.

How It Works

The pattern 〜てもいい is a versatile expression used in daily life for two main purposes:

1. Granting/Asking Permission: It is the most common way to say 'May I...?' or 'You may...' in Japanese.
2. Concession: It expresses that a specific state is acceptable, even if it isn't perfect. When used with nouns, it often carries a nuance of 'it's not the best or preferred option, but it will do.'

Morphology:

  • Verbs (Affirmative): て form + もいい (e.g., 食べて（たべて）もいい)
  • Verbs (Negative): ない form (remove い) + なくて + もいい (e.g., 食べなくてもいい)
  • い-Adjectives: Remove 〜い, add 〜くてもいい (e.g., 安く（やすく）てもいい)
  • な-Adjectives: Add 〜でもいい (e.g., 簡単（かんたん）でもいい)
  • Nouns: Add 〜でもいい (e.g., 明日（あした）でもいい)

Politeness Note:
In polite speech, use 〜てもいいです. In casual speech, the も is often dropped (〜ていい). While standard, using this with high-ranking superiors can sometimes sound slightly direct; in those cases, 〜てもよろしいでしょうか is preferred.

Examples (4)

  1. ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか。

    May I take a photo here?

    Word by Word: Here at / photo / take (te-form) / even if / is good / ?

    This is the standard way to ask for permission using a verb.

  2. お腹がいっぱいなら、全部食べなくてもいいですよ。

    If you are full, you don't have to eat everything.

    Word by Word: Stomach / subject / full / if, / all / eat-not (te-form) / even if / is good / (particle).

    When used with the negative ない form (〜なくてもいい), it means 'you don't have to.'

  3. 返事は明日でもいいです。

    The reply can be tomorrow (Tomorrow is fine).

    Word by Word: Reply / topic / tomorrow / even if / is good.

    This shows the pattern used with a noun to express that a condition is acceptable.

  4. 少し高くてもいいから、いい辞書が欲しいです。

    I want a good dictionary, so it's okay even if it's a little expensive.

    Word by Word: A little / expensive (te-form) / even if / is good / because, / good / dictionary / object / want.

    This shows the pattern used with an い-adjective to show concession.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the で for nouns and な-adjectives.

    静かてもいいです。
    静かでもいいです。

    Nouns and な-adjectives must use the で form before adding もいい.

  • Using 〜てもいい to a superior to ask for permission in a very formal setting.

    社長、帰ってもいいですか。
    社長、帰ってもよろしいでしょうか。

    Because いい（良い） implies the speaker is judging the action, it can sound slightly condescending to a boss. Using よろしい is more humble.

How It Connects

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

てもいいLevel 2May/permitted

Learn This First

To understand 'てもいい', you must first be able to conjugate verbs into the て-form. You also need to understand the particle 'も' and how the い-adjective 'いい' (good) functions to express that an action is permissible or 'okay' to perform.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

てもいい