〜てみてください: 'Please Give It a Try' (Meaning + Examples)
When you actually need it
〜てみる attaches the verb みる ("to see") to a verb's て-form to mean do the action and see what happens — in other words, try it out. You're not certain how it'll turn out, so you give it a go. Because みる here means "try" rather than literally "look," it's normally written in kana (みる), not 見る.
Adding ください turns it into the request 〜てみてください ("please try doing…"). Reach for this — rather than a bare 〜てください — when you're recommending, coaching, or offering rather than commanding: a teacher nudging a student, a friend passing on a tip, a menu suggesting a dish. The nuance is "give it a go, see what you think," so it lands as encouragement, never pressure.
Building the request
Take the verb's て-form, then add みる (or みてください for the polite request). みる itself conjugates exactly like a る-verb:
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain ("try doing") | て-form + みる | 食べてみる (try eating) |
| Past ("tried doing") | て-form + みた | 食べてみた (tried eating) |
| Negative | て-form + みない | 食べてみない (won't try) |
| Want to ("want to try") | て-form + みたい | 行ってみたい (want to try going) |
| Polite request | て-form + みてください | やってみてください (please try) |
| Casual request | て-form + みて | やってみて (give it a try) |
Notice the て-form itself follows the normal rules: 行く → 行ってみる, 読む → 読んでみる (with だくおん て → で after む/ぶ/ぐ verbs).
In real situations
At its plainest, 〜てみる just frames an action as an experiment — you'll do it and see how it goes:
ヤッタンは納豆を食べてみる。
ヤッタンは なっとうを たべて みる。
Yattan will try eating natto (to see what it's like).
新しいカフェに行ってみたい。
あたらしい カフェに いって みたい。
I want to try going to the new cafe.
〜てみたい = want to try doing.
Add みてください to turn that into a warm invitation. This is the everyday way to gently urge someone to attempt something — common in lessons, recipes, and recommendations:
この本を読んでみてください。
この ほんを よんで みて ください。
Please give this book a read (try reading it).
先生「もう一度やってみてください。」
せんせい「もう いちど やって みて ください。」
The teacher says, 'Please try doing it one more time.'
モチ、この店のラーメンを食べてみてください。
モチ、この みせの ラーメンを たべて みて ください。
Mochi, please try the ramen at this shop.
Among close friends, drop ください and just use 〜てみて:
ヤッタン、これ、聞いてみて。
ヤッタン、これ、きいて みて。
Yattan, give this a listen.
Casual 〜てみて — to a close friend.
Put みる in the past (みた) to report that you tried something — often the result follows:
ヤッタンの弟は一人で漢字を書いてみた。
ヤッタンの おとうとは ひとりで かんじを かいて みた。
Yattan's little brother tried writing kanji by himself.
その薬を飲んでみたけど、よくならなかった。
その くすりを のんで みたけど、よく ならなかった。
I tried taking that medicine, but it didn't get better.
〜てみたけど reports the attempt and what came of it.
Getting the level right
- Writing みる as 見る here. When it means "try," keep it in kana: 食べてみる, not 食べて見る. (Literal "watch and check" can use 見る, but the "try" nuance is kana.)
- Forgetting the て-form changes. It's 読んでみる (not 読んてみる) and 行ってみる — みる just attaches to whatever て-form the verb takes.
- Conjugating みる wrong. みる is a る-verb: past みた, negative みない, て-form みて. So "tried eating" is 食べてみた, not 食べてみました using the wrong stem.
- Treating 〜てみてください like a strict order. It's a soft suggestion to attempt something. For a plain "please do," use 〜てください without みて.
The short version
- 〜てみる = do something and see — try it out: やってみる.
- Form: verb て-form + みる; みる conjugates as a る-verb (みた, みて, みない).
- 〜てみてください = a friendly "please give it a try"; casual is 〜てみて.
- 〜てみた = tried it (often with the result); 〜てみたい = want to try.
Practice it
Choose the correct 〜てみる / 〜てみてください form.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
先生「もう一度、この漢字を＿＿＿。」
Frequently asked questions
What does 〜てみる literally mean?
It combines a verb's て-form with みる ('see'), giving the sense 'do it and see how it goes' — that is, try it out. 食べてみる = 'try eating (to see what it's like).'
Should I write みる as 見る in 〜てみる?
No. When it means 'try,' keep it in kana: 食べてみる, 行ってみてください. The kanji 見る is reserved for the literal 'look/watch' meaning.
How is 〜てみてください different from 〜てください?
〜てください is a plain 'please do it.' 〜てみてください adds the 'give it a try' nuance — a softer, encouraging suggestion to attempt something, common in lessons and recommendations.
How do I say 'I tried it' in the past?
Put みる into the past: 〜てみた. 食べてみた = 'I tried eating it.' You can add a result with けど: 飲んでみたけど、だめだった ('I tried it, but it was no good').
Where 〜てみてください fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
- The て-form · N5 — The て-form is the gateway to dozens of Japanese grammar patterns. Learn the conjugation rules for every verb group, the famous song trick, and see clear examples.
Don't confuse it with
- 〜ておく · N4 — 〜ておく means doing something in advance or leaving something as it is. Learn the formation from the て-form, the past 〜ておいた, 〜ておきたい, and the casual 〜とく contraction.
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜と一緒に — 〜と一緒に means doing something 'together with' someone: 家族と一緒に旅行する. Learn the pattern, why と marks the companion, when 一緒に stands alone, and how it differs from plain と.
- 〜と思う — 〜と思う lets you say what you think: [plain form] + と思う. Learn the quotative と, why the clause stays plain, the 〜ようと思う 'I'm thinking of doing' use, and 〜と思っている.
- 〜とき — とき(時) means 'when' in Japanese: attach plain form + とき. Learn noun+の, な-adj+な, plain verbs, and the key 行くとき vs 行ったとき tense difference.
- で — The particle で marks where an action happens, the means or tool you use, the material, the cause, and the scope of a superlative. Learn each use and how で differs from に.
- が — が marks the grammatical subject and introduces new information. Learn how to use が with question words, existence (ある/いる), ability, and likes such as 好き — plus how が differs from は.
- に vs へ — に and へ both mark where you're going: 学校に行く / 学校へ行く. Learn the small nuance, why へ is read 'e', and how に also marks points in time like 7時に.