〜てもいい (te mo ii)

JLPT N5

A friendly way to give or ask for permission — “you may” or “it's okay to.”

Meaning

“You may ~” / “it's okay to ~.” It grants or asks permission to do the action before it.

Formation

• Verb (て-form) + もいい（です）

• Question: 〜てもいいですか

• Casual: 〜てもいい / 〜ていい

Examples

ここに座ってもいいですか。

Koko ni suwatte mo ii desu ka. — May I sit here?

写真を撮ってもいいですよ。

Shashin o totte mo ii desu yo. — You may take photos.

先に帰ってもいい？

Saki ni kaette mo ii? — Is it okay if I leave early? (casual)

このペンを使ってもいいですか。

Kono pen o tsukatte mo ii desu ka. — May I use this pen?

How it works

〜てもいい literally means “even if you do ~, it's good,” which is why it reads as permission. Add ですか to ask, and よ to reassure someone that it's fine.

It's the natural counterpart to 〜てはいけない (prohibition): one opens the door, the other closes it.

Compared with similar expressions

• 〜てもいい — permission. “You may.”

• 〜てはいけない — prohibition. “You must not.” (opposite)

• 〜なくてもいい — “you don't have to.” (permission not to do)

Common mistakes

• Use the て-form: ✗ 行くてもいい → ✓ 行ってもいい

• Ask politely with ですか, not just casual か in formal settings.

Related grammar

• 〜てはいけない — must not

• 〜なくてもいい — don't have to

• 〜てください — please do