JLPT N5 Time, sequence, and te-form actions
ている describes ongoing actions or states, てある a state someone deliberately left, and てから, 前に, and とき place actions in order. もう and まだ contrast "already" with "still/not yet", and たことがある talks about experience. Watch まだ～ていません: "not yet" uses the ている form, not a past negative.
15 N5 grammar points in this group
ている (te iru): ongoing action or current state
ている is built from the te-form of a verb plus the verb いる (“to be, to exist”). Literally, you are saying “I exist in the state of doing X.
今、本を読んでいます。 — I’m reading a book right now.
てある (te aru): has been done; resulting state
When you walk into a room and see that the window is open, the table is set, and a note is stuck on the fridge, てある is how you describe what you see:
ドアが開けてあります。 — The door has been left open.
てから (te kara): after doing
A てから B means "B happens after A is complete".
ご飯を食べてから、勉強します。 — I'll study after I eat.
前に (mae ni): before or in front of
前 is the noun “front” or “before,” and に pins an action or thing to that point.
寝る前に本を読みます。 — I read a book before I go to sleep.
とき (toki): when; at the time
とき is a noun meaning "time".
子どものとき、よく川で泳ぎました。 — When I was a kid, I often swam in the river.
もう (mou): already or anymore
The three meanings all share one idea: the situation has moved past a point.
もう昼ご飯を食べました。 — I've already had lunch.
まだ (mada): still or not yet
Think of まだ as "the situation hasn't changed yet." Something is still in its old state, and a change is expected at some point.
まだ時間がありますから、ゆっくり食べてください。 — There's still time, so take your time eating.
まだ～ていません (mada te imasen): have not yet
まだ～ていません describes the current state: the action has not been done, and you are still expecting it. English uses the present perfect for this ("I haven't sent it yet"). Japanese uses the ている form, because ている can describe the state that results from an action.
まだ昼ご飯を食べていません。 — I haven't had lunch yet.
たことがある (ta koto ga aru): have done something before
The pattern has three pieces: the た-form of a verb (the thing you did), こと (“the fact / the experience”), and がある (“there is”). Put together: “there is the experience of having done X.
日本へ行ったことがあります。 — I've been to Japan.
たり〜たり (tari tari): do such things as A and B
たり〜たり turns actions into a sample list.
週末は映画を見たり、買い物をしたりします。 — On weekends I do things like watch movies and go shopping.
ないで (naide): without doing
ないで has two closely related meanings in N5 Japanese.
朝ご飯を食べないで学校へ行きました。 — I went to school without eating breakfast.
いつも (itsumo): always or usually
いつも tells the listener that something happens every time or is the normal state. It does not have to be literally 100 percent. 私はいつも七時に起きます is true even if you slept in once last month; the point is that seven o'clock is your routine.
私はいつも七時に起きます。 — I always get up at seven.
一緒に (issho ni): together with
一緒に describes a shared action. When you say 友だちと一緒に映画を見ました, you and your friend were both watching the movie, side by side.
一緒に昼ご飯を食べませんか。 — Would you like to have lunch together?
そして (soshite): and; and then
そして links a new sentence to the one before it and says "here is more in the same direction".
彼は親切です。そして、おもしろいです。 — He's kind. And he's funny too.
それから (sore kara): and then; after that
それから has three related meanings. The first is by far the most common at N5.
朝ご飯を食べます。それから、学校へ行きます。 — I eat breakfast. After that, I go to school.