てしまう・
Something is done, and it can't be undone. Most often that is bad news: you forgot, lost or broke something. It can also just mean all finished. In conversation it shortens to ちゃう or じゃう.
didn't mean to
I lost my umbrella on the train.
all done
I finished the whole novel over the weekend.
in conversation
I accidentally left my key at home.
How to form it
Verb in the て-form + しまう
しまう changes like a godan verb (う-verb): しまいます, しまった, しまって, しまおう.
In conversation
てしまう → ちゃう でしまう → じゃう
食べてしまった → 食べちゃった, 飲んでしまった → 飲んじゃった.
It happened, and you wish it hadn't
This is the use you'll hear most. English has no single word for it: "I went and…", "I ended up…", or just a sigh.
I closed the file before saving it.
I was tired yesterday and fell asleep on the train.
Apologies use it, because of what it adds to the plain past.
I've gone and forgotten my wallet.
The fact, and you feel bad about it.
I'm sorry for the late reply.
All done
With something you meant to do, it says you do the whole of it, or get it out of the way. 全部 often comes with it.
I'll finish my homework before dinner.
I'll finish reading this document by noon.
Let's get the cleaning out of the way first.
Which of the two is it? What happened tells you: nobody wants to lose an umbrella, and nobody finishes a novel by accident. Often it is both at once.
Sorry, I ate the last one too.
All gone, and sorry about it.
In conversation: ちゃう・じゃう
In casual talk people mostly say ちゃう and じゃう. With ます it is still friendly: 忘れちゃいました. A written apology or a talk with a customer keeps the full form.
| Full | In conversation | |
|---|---|---|
| Will | 食べてしまう | 食べちゃう |
| Did | 食べてしまった | 食べちゃった |
| Let's | 食べてしま | 食べちゃ |
| After で | 飲んでしまった | 飲んじゃった |
The て or で goes: not 食べてちゃった. する → しちゃう, 来る → 来ちゃう, 行く → 行っちゃう.
Sorry, I drank all the milk.
Sorry, I got it wrong again.
About to go wrong
When it is something nobody wants and it hasn't happened yet, ちゃう is a worry or a warning.
It's already eight. I'm going to be late for school.
Eat it quickly, or the ice cream will melt.
Things you'll hear
しまったoh no
Oh no. I forgot my homework.
The helper by itself, said the moment you notice a mistake.
やっちゃったI've done it now
Oh, I've done it now. I spilled the coffee.
つい〜ちゃうcan't help doing
When there are sweets around, I can't help eating them.
買っちゃったwent and bought it
It was expensive, but I went and bought it.
Not really sorry: you gave in, and you're pleased.
The other ちゃ
The same ちゃ sound, but here it is short for ては: "must not". What follows tells you which.
You must not run in the hallway.
Close neighbours
終わるN4
A verb stem + 終わる says only that you reached the end. てしまう adds how you feel about it.
I've finally finished writing the report.
Check yourself
1What does this mean?
あ、
Choose an answer to see why.
2Which one is the short form of 読んでしまった?
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
Sometimes the news is good
Something is over sooner than you feared.
The job I'd been worried about was all done before noon, and I was relieved.
しまう and ちまう
By itself, しまう means to put something away. ちまう and じまう are a rougher version heard in films and anime.
Ah, the train's gone.
More sentences
I let the secret slip to a friend.
I got the materials for the meeting done in a single night.
I drank all the juice that was in the refrigerator.
Let's get the difficult problems solved today too.
I'll finish this whole manga tonight.
Why don't we get that job finished today?
Be careful not to delete the important email.
The cleanup is already done.