ておく

Do in Advance

Level 2Sounds Like teoku

The auxiliary verb ておく is added to the て form of a verb to show that an action is performed with a future goal in mind. It translates to "do in advance," "do for now," or "leave as is."

How It Works

The pattern ておく has three main nuances:

1. Preparation: Doing something now so you don't have to do it later, or to be ready for an event. (e.g., buying tickets in advance).
2. Maintenance: Intentionally leaving a state as it is for a future reason. (e.g., leaving the light on because someone is coming back).
3. Temporary Measure: Doing something as a stopgap for the time being.

Casual Contractions:
In casual speech, ておく often contracts:

  • 〜ておく becomes 〜とく (e.g., 食べておく → 食べとく)
  • 〜でおく becomes 〜どく (e.g., 読んでおく → 読んどく)
  • 〜ておいて (request) becomes 〜といて

Note: While usually written in hiragana, the kanji 置く（おく） means "to place/put," which hints at the meaning of "placing" an action in time for later.

Examples (4)

  1. 旅行の前に、切符を買っておきます。

    I will buy the tickets in advance before the trip.

    Word by Word: Trip's before, tickets (object) buy (te-form) put.

    This shows preparation. The action of buying is done now to ensure the trip goes smoothly later.

  2. お客さんが来るから、部屋を片付けておいたよ。

    Since a guest is coming, I tidied up the room (in advance).

    Word by Word: Guest (subject) come because, room (object) tidy up (te-form) put (past).

    The past tense おいた indicates the preparation is already complete.

  3. 暑いので、窓を開けておいてください。

    It's hot, so please leave the window open.

    Word by Word: Hot because, window (object) open (te-form) put (te-form) please.

    This demonstrates the 'maintenance' usage—leaving the window in its open state for the future benefit of staying cool.

  4. テストの前に漢字を復習しとこう。

    Let's review the kanji before the test.

    Word by Word: Test's before kanji (object) review (casual contraction + volitional).

    This uses the casual contraction 'しとこう' (from しておこう), showing the volitional 'let's' form.

Common Mistakes

  • Using with non-volitional/natural phenomena.

    雨が降っておきます。
    雨が降るでしょう。

    You cannot use ておく for things you cannot control, like the weather. It must be an intentional action.

  • Confusing ておく with てある.

    窓が開けておきます。(to describe a current state)
    窓が開けてあります。

    ておく focuses on the act of preparing for the future. てある focuses on the state that exists right now because someone prepared it earlier.

How It Connects

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

ておくLevel 2Do in Advance

Learn This First

To understand 'ておく', you must first be comfortable with the 'て' form of verbs, as this is the base to which 'おく' is attached. Knowledge of verb groups is necessary to perform this conjugation correctly. Additionally, familiarity with basic verbs like 'ある' helps in understanding how verbs can be used as auxiliaries to add specific nuances to an action.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

置く