What is the role of あるいて?

Question

駅からは歩いて十分ぐらいです。
It takes 10 minutes on foot from the station.

The confusing part is the 歩いて.
Is あるいて a noun? What is its role?

Answer 1

歩いて is the te-form of the verb 歩く, and means "on foot". Of course the te-form usually connects to another verb, but the te-form of some words (seem to) have idiomatic usage which can be used on its own. (As a native speaker I haven't learned Japanese grammar systematically, so I may be wrong...)

• もって3日だ。 (Someone can bare/survive) for three days at most.
  (This もって is the te-form of 持つ or 保つ in this sense, and used idiomatically to mean "even if one hangs on")
• まして let alone / not to mention
• 従って therefore

In the case of 歩いて, I think you can also think 行くと or 行けば is omitted after 歩いて (i.e., 歩いて行くと10分です).

Answer 2

駅からは歩いて十分ぐらいです.

[駅]{えき}から This part means "coming from the station"

[歩]{ある}いて this part means "on foot" or "by walking"

The root verb here is 歩く（あるく :to walk） which is then conjugated to the te-form which is the form used to describe how an activity is done.

[十分]{じゅっぷん}ぐらいです means "around 10 minutes"

So the whole statement actually means "From the station, if you walk, it is around 10 minutes."

daijoubuka.com

Answer 3

Is あるいて a noun?

歩いて == on foot,

--- like "caminando" (in Spanish)

         caminar「歩く、歩いて行く」      現在分詞 caminando

I think 歩いて is like 現在分詞 ( "walking" in English ), and it could be an adj. or adverb. ( --> Actually "歩いての" is the adj. form. )

I'm surprised to learn that the large section on the [te-form] in this entry https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_verb_conjugation&oldid=734597386 does not mention the use in question (駅からは歩いて十分ぐらいです。)

The following page is good.

http://www.obtjls.com/extra.html . . . For some verbs that represent an ongoing process, the ~te iru form indicates a continuous or progressive tense as a present participle (a verb form by adding the suffix -ing that functions as an adjectival).

           起きて半畳、 寝て一畳。  天下取っても二合半。

           歩いて10分、 走って7分。  タクシー乗っても6分半。   

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[PDF] 　 日本語の｢て形｣についての研究ノート1:　　｢て形｣は｢現在分詞｣と言えるのか

https://barrel.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=3889&item_no=1&attribute_id=19&file_no=1

高野寿子 著

(5) a.  公園でポピーに会って, ヒューはとても喜んだ｡ 
    b.  [Bumping into] Poppy in the park, [Hugh] was very pleased.

(6) a.  今日は土曜日で, ヒューは学校がある｡ 
    b.  Today being Saturday, [Hugh] has school.

(7) a.  正直に言って, クーは太りすぎだ｡ 
    b.  Honestly speaking, Koo is overweight.