(2023) ÈÇÓ×ÅÍÈÅ ßÇÛÊΠ| ßÇÛÊÈ ÂÎÑÒÎÊÀ | ßÏÎÍÑÊÈÉ III/422

Languages Study | Languages of the East | Japanese III

ÀÓÄÈÎ 422 | GRAMMAR II - 16.01 : ~te kureru / ageru / morau

     
     

Grammar II - 16.01 | Verbs of giving and receiving II - 14.03 kureru/ageru/morau

...てくれる/あげる/もらう  - ~te kureru / ageru / morau

The verbs くれる、あげる、and もらう describe transactions of things.
When these verbs follow the te-form of a verb, they describe the giving and receiving of services.

te-form + あげる - ageru:
I do something for you,
you do something for others,
I do something for others,
somebody does something for somebody else

te-form + くれる- kureru:
Somebody does something for me,
you do something for me,
somebody does something for you

We use the te-form + あげる - ageru when we do something for the sake of others,
or somebody does something for somebody else.

The addition of the helping verb あげる does not change the basic meaning of the sentences,
but puts focus on the fact that the actions were performed "on demand" or "as a favor"

私は妹にお金を貸してあげました。

I (generously) lent my sister money (to help her out of her destitute conditions).
 

watashi-wa imooto-ni okane-o kashite agemashita.  
私は妹にお金を貸しました。
I lent my sister money.
watashi-wa imooto-ni okane-o kashimashita.  
   
きょうこさんはトムさんを
駅に連れていってあげました。

Kyoko (kindly) took Tom to the station (because he would be lost if left all by himself).

kyooko-san-wa, tomu-san-o
eki-ni tsurete itte agemashita.

 
きょうこさんはトムさんを
駅に連れていきました。
Compare: [an objective statement]:
Kyoko took Tom to the station.

kyooko-san-wa, tomu-san-o
eki-ni tsurete ikimashita.

 
 

Note that in ageru sentences the nouns referring on the beneficiaries are accompanied by whatever particle the main verb calls for.
kasu goes with the particle ni, while tsurete-iku goes with wo [o].
These particles are retained in the ageru sentences.
When you want to add the idea of "doing somebody a favor" to a verb which does not have the place for the beneficiary,
you can use ~no tameni.

私はともこさんのために
買い物に行きました。
I went shopping for Tomoko.
watashi-wa, tomoko-san no tameni
kaimono-ni ikimashita.
 
私は買い物に行きました。 Compare:
I went shopping.
watashi-wa, kaimono-ni ikimashita.  

   
 

We use くれる - kureru when somebody does something for us.

友達が宿題を手伝ってくれます。 A friend helps me with my homework (for which I am grateful).
 
tomodachi-ga shukudai-o tetsudatte kuremasu.  
親戚がクッキーを送ってくれました。

A relative sent me cookies. (I should be so lucky.)

shinseki-ga kukki-o okutte kuremashita.  
   
 

The beneficiary is almost always understood to be the speaker in kureru sentences.
Therefore it usually does not figure grammatically.
If you have to explicitly state who received the benefit,
you can follow the same strategies employed in ageru sentences.
That is, if the main verb has the place for the person receiving the benefit,
keep the particle that goes with it.
The verb tsurete-iku calls for wo [o], while oshieru calls for ni, for example.

  Thus we can say:

きょうこさんが私を
駅に連れていってくれました。

Kyoko took me to the station.
kyooko-san-ga, watashi-o
eki-ni tsurete itte kuremashita.
 
私を駅に連れていく

Compare:
... me to the station take..

watashi-o eki-ni tsurete iku  
   
たけしさんが私に
漢字を教えてくれました。
Takeshi taught me that kanji.

takeshi-san-ga watashi-ni
kanji-o oshiete kuremashita.

 
私に漢字を教える Compare:

watashi-ni kanji-o oshieru

... me kanji teach...

   
 

If the main verb does not have the place for the person, use ~no tamenu.
sooji-suru
is one such verb.

けんさんが私のために
部屋を掃除してくれました。
Ken cleaned the room for me.

ken-san-ga watashi-no tameni
heya-o sooji-shite kuremashita.

 

 

We use the te-form + もらう - morau to say that we get, persuade or arrange for somebody to do something for us.
The person performing the action for us is accompanied by the particle ni.

私は友達に宿題を
手伝ってもらいました。
I got a friend of mine to help me with my homework.

watashi-wa, tomodachi-ni shukudai-o
tetsudatte moraimashita.

 
 

Compare the last sentence with the kureru version below.
They describe more or less the same event, but the subjects are different.
In morau sentences, the subject is the beneficiary.
In kureru sentences, the subject is the benefactor.

友達が宿題を
手伝ってくれました。
A friend of mine helped me with my homework.

tomodachi-ga shukudai-o tetsudatte kuremashita.

 
   
 

Sometimes, a morau sentence simply acknowledges a person's goodwill in doing something for us.
For example, you can say the following even if you had not actively asked for any assistance.
(The sentence is of course okay with the "get somebody to do" reading.)

私は知らない人に
漢字を読んでもらいました。

I [am glad that] a strangers read the kanji for me.

watashi-wa, shiranai hito-ni
kanji-wo yonde moraimashita.