JLPT N2Mostly writtenOver and over

～ては～てはA then B, over and over

Two actions take turns, again and again: stack the blocks, knock them down, stack them again. It is not the ては of てはいけない and ては困こまる, "if you do that, there's trouble".

twice

子こどもたちは三さん十じゅっ分ぷんも、積つみ木きを積つんでは崩くずし、崩くずしてはまた積つんで遊あそんでいた。

For a good thirty minutes the children played at stacking the blocks, knocking them down and stacking them again.

once

正しょう月がつは、食たべては寝ねるだけの毎まい日にちだった。

Over New Year, every day was nothing but eating and sleeping.

How to form it

Verb A て-form + は + verb B

積つんでは崩くずす. Said twice, the first half often ends in a ます-stem: 書かいては消けし、書かいては消けす. In casual speech ては can shrink to ちゃ and では to じゃ.

The two verbs: Often do and undo: 書かく and 消けす, 積つむ and 崩くずす, 降ふる and やむ. Or one step and the next: 食たべる and 寝ねる.
Tone: Often a sigh at getting nowhere, or at a lazy routine. It can also simply paint a scene.
Where you'll meet it: Novels, essays and exam reading. Less often in conversation, in full or as ちゃ.

In use

A

昨日きのうのレポート、なかなか終おわらなかったの？

Did yesterday's report take you ages?

B

うん。二に時じ間かんも、書かいちゃ消けし、消けしちゃ書かいてた。

Yeah. For two whole hours I kept writing and deleting, deleting and writing.

天てん気きは朝あさから、晴はれては曇くもり、曇くもっては晴はれるのを繰くり返かえしている。

Since this morning the weather has kept going from sunny to cloudy and back again.

祖そ母ぼは昔むかしの写しゃ真しんを見みては、ため息いきをついている。

My grandmother keeps looking at old photos and sighing.

It kept happening

English "wrote it and erased it" can be one time. 書かいては消けした can't: it went around and round. One ては already says so, and saying it twice just shows the wheel turning. Something done one time is plain て.

名な前まえを書かいて消けした。

I wrote my name and erased it.

Once.

名な前まえを書かいては消けした。

I kept writing my name and erasing it.

Again and again.

Close neighbours

ては・ではN3

One ては with trouble after it is "if": if that happens, it will be no good.

ここで諦あきらめては、これまでの努ど力りょくが無む駄だになる。

If we give up here, all our effort so far will go to waste.

たり～たりするN5

With two opposites, back and forth or on and off, in no fixed order. ては keeps the order: each A is followed by its B.

駅えきの前まえを行いったり来きたりしました。

I walked back and forth in front of the station.

Check yourself

1What does this mean?

弟おとうとはさっきから、冷れい蔵ぞう庫こを開あけては閉しめている。

Choose an answer to see why.

2In which sentence do two actions keep taking turns?

Choose an answer to see why.

More sentences

寄よせては返かえす波なみの音おとを、いつまでも聞きいていた。

I listened on and on to the sound of the waves rolling in and drawing back.

朝あさから夕ゆう方がたまで、原げん稿こうを印いん刷さつしては誤ご字じを見みつけ、修しゅう正せいしてはまた印いん刷さつする作さ業ぎょうが続つづいた。

From morning till evening it was print the draft, find a typo, fix it and print again.

彼かの女じょは一いっ週しゅう間かん、店みせへ通かよっては値ね段だんを確たしかめ、家いえに戻もどっては予よ算さんを計けい算さんしていた。

For a week she kept going to the shop to check the price, then going home to work out her budget.