Japanese for Elementary Learners: Asking and Giving Permission with 〜てもいいですか
Learn to ask 'Can I...?' for permission in Japanese using 〜てもいいですか, give and refuse permission politely, and tell permission apart from ability.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Japanese, 'can' splits into two different ideas. Ability (being able to do something) uses the potential form, as in 日本語が話せます (Nihongo ga hanasemasu), 'I can speak Japanese.' Permission (being allowed to do something) uses a different pattern: verb て-form + もいいですか (te-form + mo ii desu ka). This lesson teaches only the permission pattern, so you can ask 'Can I borrow your pen?', give a friendly 'Sure', and refuse politely. You will also learn why 〜てもいいですか is not used for ability, and how to answer without sounding abrupt.
By the end, you can…
- ask permission with verb て-form + もいいですか.
- give permission with どうぞ or いいですよ.
- refuse permission politely with すみません、ちょっと….
- tell permission apart from ability.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
借りてもいいですか。
Can I borrow it?
ka-ri-te mo i-i de-su ka
Use with a specific item already understood from context, such as a pen.
どうぞ。
Sure. / Go ahead.
dō-zo
The shortest friendly way to give permission. Very common in daily life.
いいですよ。
That's fine. / Sure.
i-i de-su yo
Warm and natural. The final よ softens the answer and sounds helpful.
すみません、ちょっと…。
Sorry, that's a bit…
su-mi-ma-sen, cho-tto…
A polite indirect refusal. Leaving the sentence unfinished is normal and soft.
ここに座ってもいいですか。
May I sit here?
ko-ko ni su-wat-te mo i-i de-su ka
Use when pointing to a seat or space. Very useful in trains, cafes and offices.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The permission pattern is: verb て-form + もいいですか。For example, 借ります (karimasu, 'borrow') becomes 借りて (karite), so 'Can I borrow it?' is 借りてもいいですか (karite mo ii desu ka). 座ります (suwarimasu, 'sit') becomes 座って (suwatte), so 'May I sit here?' is ここに座ってもいいですか (koko ni suwatte mo ii desu ka). The verb always comes first, and もいいですか comes after the て-form. To answer yes, say どうぞ (dōzo) or いいですよ (ii desu yo). To say no politely, use すみません、ちょっと… (sumimasen, chotto…).
When to use it
Use 〜てもいいですか when you need someone's permission: borrowing an object, sitting somewhere, entering a room, or taking a photo. It is not used for ability. For ability, use the potential form: 日本語が話せます (Nihongo ga hanasemasu, 'I can speak Japanese'). Compare: ペンを借りてもいいですか (pen o karite mo ii desu ka) asks for permission; ペンを借りられます (pen o kariraremasu) says you are able to borrow a pen. In shops and stations, staff may also ask you 〜てもいいですか to offer help, so listen for the same pattern.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
すみません、ペンを借りてもいいですか。
Excuse me, can I borrow your pen?su-mi-ma-sen, pen o ka-ri-te mo i-i de-su kaはい、どうぞ。
Yes, go ahead.ha-i, dō-zoありがとうございます。ここに座ってもいいですか。
Thank you. May I sit here?a-ri-ga-tō go-za-i-ma-su. ko-ko ni su-wat-te mo i-i de-su kaすみません、ちょっと…。あの席はどうですか。
Sorry, that's a bit… How about that seat?su-mi-ma-sen, cho-tto…. a-no se-ki wa dō de-su kaA little context goes a long way
どうぞ is safe and friendly for giving permission to friends, classmates and strangers. いいですよ is also fine and sounds helpful. For refusals, Japanese speakers often avoid a direct だめです (dame desu, 'no') and prefer すみません、ちょっと… (sumimasen, chotto…), sometimes adding a reason or an alternative. This indirect style protects the other person's feelings. In formal situations, よろしいですか (yoroshii desu ka) can replace いいですか, but beginners can safely use いいですか everywhere.
One thing to watch for
Using 〜てもいいですか to mean ability, as in 日本語を話してもいいですか for 'Can I speak Japanese?'
Try this instead: 〜てもいいですか asks permission, not ability. For ability, use the potential form: 日本語が話せます (Nihongo ga hanasemasu). Say 日本語を話してもいいですか only if you are really asking 'May I speak Japanese (now)?'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Ask your friend for permission to borrow their umbrella.
Show a sample answer
かさを借りてもいいですか。
This uses the て-form 借りて plus もいいですか. かさ (kasa) means umbrella. You could also say かさを借りてもいい？ in casual speech with a close friend.
2Your classmate asks ここに座ってもいいですか。Give a friendly yes.
Show a sample answer
どうぞ。
どうぞ is the standard short way to give permission. いいですよ is also correct and slightly warmer. Both are natural in this situation.
3Refuse politely when someone asks to use your computer.
Show a sample answer
すみません、ちょっと…。
This soft refusal avoids a direct no. You can add a reason, such as 今、使っています (ima, tsukatte imasu, 'I'm using it now'). だめです is grammatically possible but sounds too direct for most situations.
For permission, use verb て-form + もいいですか. Answer yes with どうぞ or いいですよ, and refuse softly with すみません、ちょっと…. Remember: permission is not ability.
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