て済む
🃏 Flashcard
て済む
te sumu
Tap to reveal usage
sufficient by; resolve by~
N3
Tap to test your recall · +10 XP
📊 Pattern Stats
JLPT Level
N3
Intermediate · Expressing nuance & contrast
Reading
te sumu
Post ID
50941
Patterns today
0
0 / 10 daily goal
📝 Usage Notes
sufficient by; resolve by~
📖 How to use it
Says that something can be settled or resolved with a lesser action or cost than expected.
Attaches to
Attach to the て-form of a verb (て-form + 済む). For nouns or な-adjectives, use で済む (e.g., タクシーで済む).
This pattern expresses that a problem or obligation can be resolved with a small effort, a small amount of money, or a simple action. It often carries a sense of relief that things didn't turn out worse. For example, if you broke someone's phone but a simple apology fixed it, you'd say 謝って済んだ. The past form 済んだ is common in conversation, and the present form 済む is used for general statements or future. The negative form 済まない means it can't be resolved that way, often implying you need to do more. This is a standard spoken and written pattern, but it's not overly formal. Note that with nouns, you use で済む, not て済む.
謝って済むなら、警察は要らないよ。
Ayamatte sumu nara, keisatsu wa iranai yo.
If an apology would suffice, we wouldn't need the police.
この修理は、一万円で済んだ。
Kono shuuri wa, ichiman-en de sunda.
This repair ended up costing only ten thousand yen.
ちょっと説明を聞けば済む話だ。
Chotto setsumei o kikeba sumu hanashi da.
It's a matter that can be settled just by listening to a brief explanation.
Not 〜ば済む
〜ば済む means 'if you do X, it will be enough' and uses the conditional form, while て済む directly states that doing X was enough. They are similar, but て済む is used for actual outcomes, and 〜ば済む is used for hypothetical solutions.
Register
Standard and used in both conversation and writing; it's not particularly formal or casual.
🎯 Quick Quiz
What does this grammar pattern mean or do?
て済む
📚 How to Master This Pattern
Say It Aloud
Press Hear it and repeat て済む three times. Feel the rhythm — grammar patterns have a natural flow.
Flip Before Reading
Always try to recall the usage before flipping the card. Struggle = learning. Every failed recall makes the next one stick harder.
Write Two Sentences
Compose two original sentences using て済む. One about yourself, one about something you see right now.
Spaced Review
Save this pattern and revisit at 10 min, 1 day, 3 days. Production (writing) beats recognition for grammar.
🔗 More JLPT N3 Patterns
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What does the grammar pattern て済む mean?
▼
Sufficient by; resolve by~
What JLPT level is て済む?
▼
Nihoner currently groups this pattern under JLPT N3 — Intermediate · Expressing nuance & contrast. Use the level label as study guidance rather than a prediction of what will appear on an exam.
How do you use て済む in a sentence?
▼
Attach て済む (te sumu) to the appropriate verb or noun form as described in the usage notes. Then try writing two original sentences — one about yourself and one about something around you.
Is て済む formal or casual Japanese?
▼
て済む is used in both casual and polite contexts. It appears frequently in everyday conversation, textbooks, and simple written materials.
How can I remember て済む long-term?
▼
Use the flashcard on this page for active recall — see the pattern, reconstruct the usage from memory, then flip. Follow with the 4-choice quiz to distinguish it from similar patterns. Review later the same day and again over the following days. Writing original sentences can help you practise using the pattern in context.