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てしまう

te-shimau

てしまう is not regret. It is a lid closing.

The picture You put it in a box and shut the lid. It cannot be reopened — which is both 'all done' and 'well, that's that'.

Endings and forms

Where the picture shows up in てしまう

  1. done to the end and shut

    レポートは書いてしまいました

    repōto wa kaite shimaimashita

    I've finished the report.

  2. shut, and no way back

    財布を落としてしまった

    saifu o otoshite shimatta

    I lost my wallet.

  3. the spoken short form

    電車に傘を忘れちゃった

    densha ni kasa o wasurechatta

    I left my umbrella on the train.

    In speech ~てしまう becomes ~ちゃう and ~でしまう becomes ~じゃう: 飲んじゃった.

  4. emptied out and shut

    ケーキを全部食べてしまった

    kēki o zenbu tabete shimatta

    I ate the whole cake.

  5. and so it turned out

    寝坊して、遅刻してしまいました

    nebō shite, chikoku shite shimaimashita

    I overslept and ended up late.

    When apologising, 遅刻してしまいました sounds far more natural than 遅刻しました.

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