sensushiClassroom

ては〜ては

ては〜てはte wa te waneutral

X and then Y, over and over — a two-action loop

原稿げんこうを書かいては消けし、書かいては消けして、とうとう朝あさになった。

genkou o kaite wa keshi, kaite wa keshite, toutou asa ni natta.

I wrote and deleted, wrote and deleted, and in the end it was morning. neutral

あの子こ、おもちゃを買かっては飽あき、買かっては飽あきての繰くり返かえしなんだよ。

ano ko, omocha o katte wa aki, katte wa akite no kurikaeshi nan da yo.

That kid buys a toy, gets bored with it, buys another, gets bored — it's the same thing over and over. casual

All examples3

does X and then Y, again and again — often a wearying cycle

  1. 原稿げんこうを書かいては消けし、書かいては消けして、とうとう朝あさになった。

    genkou o kaite wa keshi, kaite wa keshite, toutou asa ni natta.

    I wrote and deleted, wrote and deleted, and in the end it was morning. neutral

  2. あの子こ、おもちゃを買かっては飽あき、買かっては飽あきての繰くり返かえしなんだよ。

    ano ko, omocha o katte wa aki, katte wa akite no kurikaeshi nan da yo.

    That kid buys a toy, gets bored with it, buys another, gets bored — it's the same thing over and over. casual

  3. 試作品しさくひんは、作つくっては壊こわし、作つくっては壊こわしを繰くり返かえしてまいりました。

    shisakuhin wa, tsukutte wa kowashi, tsukutte wa kowashi o kurikaeshite mairimashita.

    With the prototypes, we built and scrapped, built and scrapped, again and again. formal

How it's formed1

Notes

The second verb drops to the base (書かいては消けし), so the pair
can loop; only the last carries tense. Order is fixed (波なみが
寄よせては返かえす, wave rolling in then back).