Giving & Receiving Lesson 6
Mastering the usage of giving and receiving verbs in Japanese, specifically focusing on the nuance of 'doing a favor for someone' using the ～てあげる, ～てくれる, and ～てもらう structures.
Doing favors for others
In Japanese, expressing that you did a favor for someone, or that someone did a favor for you, requires specific verbs. It is not enough to just say 'I did X'; you must specify the direction of the action to sound natural.
The Te-form Giving/Receiving structure
To express that an action is done as a favor, we combine the te-form of the main verb with あげる (give), くれる (receive from someone), or もらう (receive/have someone do).
Watch out
Examples in context
See how these verbs change the perspective of the action.
友達に日本語を教えてあげました。
I taught Japanese to my friend (as a favor).
母が料理を作ってくれました。
My mother cooked (a meal) for me.
先生に手紙を直してもらいました。
I had the teacher correct my letter.
友達が宿題を手伝って【くれました】。
Hint: The friend did the favor for me.
My friend helped me with my homework.
Nuance and Register
Choosing the right verb depends on who is the giver and who is the receiver.
Perspective
～てあげる
Subject does favor for someone else.
私がしてあげる
～てくれる
Someone does favor for subject.
彼がしてくれる
Which form is most appropriate when a superior does a favor for you?
- ～てあげる
- ✓ ～てくださる
～てくださる is the humble/polite version of ～てくれる, used when a superior does something for you.
Deep dive: The 'receiving' nuance
Why use ～てもらう instead of ～てくれる?
Lesson Summary
You have learned how to use the te-form with giving and receiving verbs to describe favors. Remember: あげる (give to others), くれる (receive from others), and もらう (have someone do for you).