〜て済む te sumu

〜て済む（te sumu）means “can get by with just ~; ~ is enough to settle it”. States that a problem or situation can be resolved or gotten through with only the mentioned (often minimal) means — no more is needed. Formation: V-て + 済む／Aい-くて + 済む／Nで + 済む（しばしば〜ないで済む／〜なくて済む）

can get by with just ~; ~ is enough to settle it

N3

Formation

V-て + 済む／Aい-くて + 済む／Nで + 済む（しばしば〜ないで済む／〜なくて済む）

Explanation

States that a problem or situation can be resolved or gotten through with only the mentioned (often minimal) means — no more is needed. Frequently used as 〜ないで済む / 〜なくて済む to mean 'manage without having to do ~'.

Examples

近所のスーパーで買えば、歩いて済む。
きんじょのスーパーでかえば、あるいてすむ。
If I buy it at the local supermarket, I can get by just walking there.
メールで連絡したので、電話しないで済んだ。
メールでれんらくしたので、でんわしないですんだ。
Since I contacted them by email, I didn't have to make a phone call.

Note

済む = 'to be settled/done'. The negative 〜ずに済む is a more formal equivalent of 〜ないで済む.

FAQ

〜て済む — what does it mean and how is it used?

can get by with just ~; ~ is enough to settle it. States that a problem or situation can be resolved or gotten through with only the mentioned (often minimal) means — no more is needed. Frequently used as 〜ないで済む / 〜なくて済む to mean 'manage without having to do ~'.

〜て済む — how do you form it?

V-て + 済む／Aい-くて + 済む／Nで + 済む（しばしば〜ないで済む／〜なくて済む）

〜て済む — any usage notes?

済む = 'to be settled/done'. The negative 〜ずに済む is a more formal equivalent of 〜ないで済む.

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