てもいいですtemo ii desu“it is OK to; may I”

てもいいです is how you ask for and give permission in Japanese. Add か and it becomes “May I…?”: ここに座ってもいいですか。 Leave the か off and it means “You may…” or “It’s fine to…”. It is JLPT N5 grammar that you will use in class, at work and in every shop or museum with a rule you are not sure about.

て-form + もいいですか — "Is it OK if I…?" The literal meaning is "Even if I do it, is it good?"

What does てもいいです mean?

Break the pattern into pieces and the meaning is easy to see:

• て-form + も — “even if (I) do…”
• いい — “good, fine”
• です(か) — polite ending (plus a question)

So 写真を撮ってもいいですか is literally “Even if I take a photo, is it fine?” Natural English: “May I take a photo?” or “Is it OK to take photos?”

The pattern has two directions:

• Asking permission: 窓を開けてもいいですか。 — May I open the window?
• Giving permission: 窓を開けてもいいですよ。 — Go ahead and open the window. / You can open it.

When you talk about yourself without か, it can also mean “I don’t mind doing it”: 私が行ってもいいです。 — “I can go, if you like.”

How to form てもいいです

Take the て-form of the verb, then add もいいです. Every verb works this way, so the key skill is making the て-form correctly.

Common verbs:

• 使う → 使ってもいいですか (May I use it?)
• 飲む → 飲んでもいいですか (May I drink it?)
• 見る → 見てもいいですか (May I look?)
• 帰る → 帰ってもいいですか (May I go home?)
• する → してもいいですか (May I do it?)

Register ladder, from casual to formal:

• 食べていい？ — casual, も dropped (friends, family)
• 食べてもいい？ — casual
• 食べてもいいですか — polite, the standard form
• 食べてもかまいませんか — more formal, heard in offices and from shop staff

Other word types can take the pattern too, with the meaning “It’s fine even if…”: 高くてもいいです (“It’s fine even if it’s expensive”), 明日でもいいです (“Tomorrow is fine too”). At N5, focus on the verb version first.

When is てもいいです used?

Checking a rule. In a museum, a temple, a classroom: ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか。 This is the safest way to ask whether something is allowed.

Asking a personal favor that affects someone else. Borrowing, sitting, opening, turning things on: このペンを借りてもいいですか, 窓を開けてもいいですか. Japanese speakers ask this even for small things.

Giving permission. Teachers, bosses, hosts and parents use it: もう帰ってもいいですよ (“You can go home now”). The よ makes it friendly.

Accepting a lower option. 安いのでもいいです (“A cheap one is fine”) tells someone you are flexible.

How people answer. When someone asks you てもいいですか, the natural yes is はい、どうぞ or ええ、いいですよ. A polite no is すみません、ちょっと…. Answering with a bare いいえ, or with てはいけません, sounds like a teacher laying down a rule.

てもいいです example sentences

The verb in front of もいい is always in the て-form: 座って, 使って, 撮って, 帰って, 開けて, 食べて. Nouns take でも instead, as in the last sentence.

Nuance of てもいいです

A statement can sound lukewarm. 行ってもいいです about yourself means “I could go”, not “I want to go”. It offers willingness without enthusiasm. If you are happy to go, say 行きたいです or ぜひ行きます.

Giving permission implies authority. When you say 〜てもいいです to someone, you position yourself as the one who decides. That is fine from a teacher to a student, or a host to a guest. Said to your boss, 帰ってもいいですよ sounds as if you were allowing them to leave. For people above you, use a different frame, such as どうぞ or a suggestion.

Asking is always safe. Asking てもいいですか is polite toward anyone, including strangers and superiors. If you want to sound even softer, add すみません in front, or use 〜てもよろしいですか, which you will meet later.

💡 Hearing it in shops: Staff often say 〜てもかまいませんか ("Would you mind if…"). It is the same pattern in a more formal wrapper, and a simple はい、どうぞ is the right answer.

てもいいです vs なくてもいいです

These two look almost the same, but they give permission for opposite things.

The only difference is the verb form before もいい: 脱いで vs 脱がなくて. If you hear a ない inside, the speaker is releasing you from a duty, not granting you a right. See なくてもいい for how to build the negative て-form. The opposite of both is てはいけない: “you must not”.

Common mistakes with てもいいです

Is てもいいです on the JLPT?

A common listening question plays a dialogue where a student asks 辞書を使ってもいいですか and the teacher answers. You then pick what the student is allowed to do. In grammar items, watch for a trap choice with the dictionary form or the ます stem before もいい.

Practice questions for てもいいです

Learning path for てもいいです

Related grammar to review next

• なくてもいい — the negative twin: “you don’t have to”, often confused with てもいい
• てはいけない — the prohibition that answers てもいいですか with a firm no
• てください — the other core て-form pattern, for asking someone else to act
• ましょうか — for offering help, where learners sometimes misuse てもいいですか

Learn てもいいです with Hane

Hane drills てもいい, なくてもいい and てはいけない in pairs, so you hear the difference between “may”, “don’t have to” and “must not” right away. Start practicing with Hane.