“〜te morau・〜te kureru・〜te ageru”: Giving and Receiving [JLPT N4]
By Nihongo to Japan · Updated July 3, 2026
「彼に教えてもらった」「彼が教えてくれた」「彼に教えてあげた」 — a complete guide to Japanese giving/receiving verbs.
“〜te morau・〜te kureru・〜te ageru”: Giving and Receiving
Giving-and-receiving expressions show the direction of a favor ‘doing for someone / someone doing for me,' the key being who is the subject and who the favor flows to: ① 〜てもらう = ‘(I) have/get someone do for me' (I'm the subject, I benefit): 「友達に荷物を持ってもらった」 (I had my friend carry my bags); ② 〜てくれる = ‘someone does for me' (the other is the subject, I benefit): 「彼が荷物を持ってくれた」 (he carried my bags for me); ③ 〜てあげる = ‘(I) do for someone' (I'm the subject, I give a kindness): 「友達の荷物を持ってあげた」 (I carried my friend's bags). ⚠️ もらう/くれる both mean I benefit (different viewpoints); あげる means I give. ⚠️ てあげる toward a superior sounds rude.
🧠 Core nuance: the direction of the favor (I benefit/I give) and the subject's viewpoint
The core is who does for whom, who benefits, who is the subject: ① 〜てもらう — ‘(I) have/get someone do for me,' the subject is I (the beneficiary), the giver marked with 「に」 (友達に教えてもらった = I had my friend teach me, 医者に薬を出してもらった = I had the doctor prescribe medicine); ② 〜てくれる — ‘someone does for me,' the subject is the other (the giver), I benefit (彼が教えてくれた = he taught me, 母が作ってくれた = mom made it for me); ③ 〜てあげる — ‘(I) do for someone,' the subject is I (the giver), I give a kindness (友達に教えてあげた = I taught my friend). ⚠️ Core contrast: てもらう (I have the other do, I'm the subject) and てくれる (the other does for me, the other is the subject) are close in meaning (both I benefit), just different viewpoints; てあげる is I give (opposite direction). ⚠️ Particles: てもらう uses 「に」 (友達に), てくれる's subject uses 「が」 (友達が), てあげる's object uses 「に」 (友達に). ⚠️ 「てあげる」 toward a superior, boss sounds condescending, rude (✗ 先生に教えてあげた); toward a superior use the humble version (差し上げる, 〜ていただく). An important N4 interpersonal expression.
📌 Giving-and-Receiving Comparison
| Expression | Subject | Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〜てもらう | I (beneficiary) | I have the other do | 友達に持ってもらった |
| 〜てくれる | the other (giver) | the other does for me | 彼が持ってくれた |
| 〜てあげる | I (giver) | I do for the other | 友達に持ってあげた |
💬 Example Sentences
- 友達に英語を教えてもらいました。(I had my friend teach me English.) — てもらう (I benefit)
- 彼が私のために料理を作ってくれた。(He cooked for me.) — てくれる (the other does for me)
- 道に迷っている外国人を案内してあげた。(I guided a lost foreigner.) — てあげる (I give)
- 駅員に道を教えてもらった。(I had the station attendant tell me the way.) — てもらう
- 母は毎日お弁当を作ってくれる。(Mom makes me a bento every day.) — てくれる
🔄 Compare: てもらう vs てくれる vs てあげる vs ていただく
| Expression | Viewpoint/Favor | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜てもらう | I have the other do, I benefit (I'm the subject) | 教えてもらう |
| 〜てくれる | the other does for me, I benefit (the other is the subject) | 教えてくれる |
| 〜てあげる | I do for the other, I give (I'm the subject) | 教えてあげる |
| 〜ていただく | humble てもらう (have a superior do) | 教えていただく |
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- てあげる toward a superior is rude: ✗ 先生に教えてあげた (sounds condescending); toward a superior use ていただく (教えていただいた).
- てもらう vs てくれる: てもらう's subject is I (I have the other do); てくれる's subject is the other (the other does for me), both I benefit.
- Particles: てもらう/てあげる use に (友達に); てくれる's subject uses が (友達が).
- Humble versions: てもらう→ていただく, てくれる→てくださる, てあげる→て差し上げる.
💡 Nuance & When to Use
Giving-and-receiving expressions show the direction of a favor: てもらう = I have/get the other do for me (the subject is I, I benefit); てくれる = the other does for me (the subject is the other, I benefit); てあげる = I do for the other (the subject is I, I give). ⚠️ もらう/くれる both mean I benefit (different viewpoints), あげる means I give. ⚠️ 「てあげる」 toward a superior sounds rude; toward a superior use the humble ていただく. Choose by who does for whom, who benefits. A must for N4 interpersonal expression.
🎯 JLPT Exam Tips
- N4 core: てもらう (I have the other do, I benefit), てくれる (the other does for me, I benefit), てあげる (I do for the other, I give).
- Core distinction: てもらう (I'm the subject) vs てくれる (the other is the subject) — both I benefit, different viewpoints; てあげる is I give (opposite).
- Keigo/politeness: てあげる toward a superior is rude; humble versions ていただく/てくださる/て差し上げる.
🖊️ Practice Quiz
Q1. 「友達に荷物を持っ___。」(a friend carried it for me, I benefit)
(A) てもらった (B) てあげた (C) てくれた (D) both A and C
Q2. What's the difference between 「彼がケーキを作ってくれた」 and 「彼にケーキを作ってもらった」?
(A) exactly the same
(B) same meaning (I benefit); くれる is his perspective (‘he did it'); もらう is my perspective (‘I had it done', benefiting)
(C) completely different
Q3. What feeling does 「てあげる」 show?
(A) I received a favor
(B) I did something for the other (kindness/giving)
(C) the other did something for me
(D) I was forced to do it
Q4. What does 「友達に写真を撮ってもらった」 mean?
(A) I took a photo for my friend
(B) I had my friend take a photo (for me, I benefit)
(C) my friend took a photo by themselves
(D) we took photos of each other
Q5. What's the subject difference between 「てくれる」 and 「てもらう」?
(A) exactly the same
(B) くれる: the other is the subject (彼が教えてくれた); もらう: I am the subject (私は彼に教えてもらった)
(C) both have the same subject
(D) subject doesn't matter
Answer Key
1. (D) both A and C ── both てもらった and てくれた are correct (different perspectives, both fine).
2. (B) ── same meaning (I benefit); くれる is his perspective, もらう is mine.
3. (B) ── てあげる = I did something for the other (kindness/giving).
4. (B) ── 撮ってもらった = I had my friend take it for me (I benefit).
5. (B) ── くれる: the other is the subject; もらう: I am the subject.