Seem to get a lot wrong because I can’t remember if it’s the stem or て form, any tips on how to remember?
I think it’s mostly just a matter of memorization.
All the the giving and receiving verbs come after て form (くれる、あげる、もらう、etc.).
And I know starting and ending are attached to the stem (はじめる、おわる).
But the rest I just try to memorize.
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I don’t know if this always applies, but up to where I’m at there’s always a clear distinction.
When you use て form, there are really two separate actions that just get linked together. So 手伝ってくれた is where I am had helped you AND I did it for you.
When you use the stem, you’re doing a modification of the verb itself, so 食べ終わった is modifying the verb so that the action “to eat” itself is modified to “finished eating”. If this were 食べて終わった that would be more along the lines of “ate and finished”. The same goes for other vocab points like -ながら.
It’s kind of hard to describe, but hopefully you see what I’m getting at.
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Good replies, cheers. I just got てくる wrong and that is definitely two separate actions. いってきます will go and come back. I’ll test these out.
Just done かえりたがる and I guess that going home is just a part of wanting now so it’s a modified verb not two actions. Plus I’d remember if it went te ta, would sound odd.
帰りたがる is a two step conjugation anyway. I don’t think it falls into the stem or て-form categories.
- 帰る --> 帰りたい (verb in たい form).
- 帰りたい --> 帰りたがる (い-adjective changing to がる).
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