An Auxiliary Verb Primer

I've developed a slight fear and loathing of certain auxiliary verbs. How cruelly named they are; "auxiliary" means "giving support; serving as an aid; helpful," and yet I often find that when it comes to -ていく and -てくる, my reference books are most unhelpful. If a sentence contains such a structure and if I don't know what the いく or くる part is really contributing, I often consult a source to see a list of what -ていく and -てくる can mean, only to find no correspondence between my sentence and that list.

I told you last time that I wanted to create a comprehensive guide to the various meanings of -ていく and -てくる so that, once and for all, I could master these auxiliary verbs. I asked one of my proofreaders to compare the lists from several sources, and he found this task incredibly challenging. I understand; after all, I asked him to do it because when I placed the lists side by side, I couldn't tell whether they were saying the same thing in different ways or whether they were actually presenting distinct information.

In the end, after analyzing lots of information on the topic, he found the Daijirin list most comprehensive and trustworthy, so he presented me with that. To round out the picture, I have embellished that list with a few bits of information that Daijirin seemed to lack.

Here is where things stand at the moment (and this list may change over time).

-て行く  (-ていく)

Type 1: indicates that something or someone is parting from the speaker or from something being mentioned

The departure could be physical, temporal, or mental. I previously presented that as Lutlam's explanation of auxiliary verbs. It turns out that all three of those departures fall under Type 1. Here are two more examples (both of physical departures):

船が沖へ出て行く。
The boat pulls away from the coast.

車はどんどん遠ざかって行く。
The car rapidly goes farther away.

Type 2: means “more and more”

風船がだんだんしぼんで行く。
The balloon gradually deflates.

空が明けて行く。
The day is dawning.

これからはますます暖かくなって行きます。
From now on it will become warmer and warmer.

Type 3: indicates that an act or state will continue

次の世代にずっと語り継いで行こう。
Let's forever hand the story down through the generations.

-て来る (-てくる)

Type 1: indicates that something or someone is approaching the speaker

The approach could be physical, temporal, or mental. These two examples are physical:

少年がこっちへ走って来た。
A boy came running this way.

蜂が飛んで来た。
A bee flew this way.

Type 2: means "more and more"

それからはますます暖かくなって来ました。
From then on it became warmer and warmer.

その頃から日本の経済はますます強くなって来た。
From then on, the Japanese economy grew stronger and stronger.

Type 3: indicates that an act has continued or has been repeated until now

生まれてからずっとこの村で暮らして来た。
I’ve lived in this village ever since I was born.

いつも「人に迷惑をかけるな」と言って来たはずだ。
I’ve always told you not to cause people trouble, haven’t I?

Type 4: means "to do something while planning to come back"

ちょっと見て来るよ。
I’ll go and take a look (and come back).

うちへ帰ってカバンを置いて来るよ。
I’ll go home and leave my bag there (and come back).

Type 5: indicates the appearance of a certain state or phenomenon

生まれて来る子供のために頑張ろう。
Let’s work hard for the child we’ll have.
[Note: The sentence indicates that the child will appear.]

なくした本が出て来た。
I found a book that I had lost.
[Note: The sentence indicates that the book appeared.]

Type 6: indicates that a state develops or that something becomes true

眠くなって来た。
I’m getting sleepy.

潮が満ちて来たらしい。
Seems like the tide is getting high.

Type 7: indicates gradual change

テニスをしていたら雨がふってきた。
While we were playing tennis, it began to rain.

午後から頭が痛くなって来ました。
In the afternoon my head began to ache.

Certain examples could go in multiple categories. For instance, if you're playing tennis and it starts to rain, that could be -てくる Type 1 or 6. And if the rain picks up, -てくる Type 2 fits the bill.

In some situations -ていく and -てくる are even interchangeable! That's hard to conceive of in English, as going and coming are definitely opposites. But look at the two sentences about becoming warmer and warmer. One contains -ていく, the other -てくる (both Type 2). The main difference is whether the change will happen in the future or has happened already. 

When working with a particular Japanese sentence and trying to figure out which type of auxiliary verb it has, don't approach this list in too rigid a way or you'll inevitably be frustrated. It's just a guideline, a suggestion, a springboard. I hope it helps in some way!

Let me shift gears and bring your attention to the newest essay:

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