Lesson 57: 地図、読んで あげる！

N4 · Lesson 57 · 18 min — Say "I do it for you," "you do it for me," "I get someone to do it for me," and "I want you to..."

Last lesson you learned あげる・くれる・もらう for giving things. Now we put them after the te-form. What is given is not a thing, but help! At the end, you will learn 〜て ほしい to say what you want other people to do.

After this lesson, you can:

• Use te-form + あげる / くれる to say "I do something for someone" and "someone does something for me": くまたが 地図ちずを 読よんで くれました。(Kumata read the map for me.)
• Use te-form + もらう to say "I got someone to do something for me": くまたに 紹介しょうかいして もらいました。(I had Kumata introduce me.)
• Use 〜て ほしい / 〜ないで ほしい to say "I want you to..." or "I don't want you to...": 遅刻ちこくしないで ほしいです。(I want you not to be late.)

Rin's first job!

Last lesson, Grandpa sent a half-finished hand-drawn map. Rin stared at it for ages and still couldn't read it... (紹介しょうかい = introduction; 敬語けいご = keigo, polite speech; 覚おぼえる = to learn, to memorize; おごる = to treat someone; お給料きゅうりょう = pay, salary)

With てあげる・てくれる・てもらう, ask "who helps whom?" てほしい = "I want someone to do it." Next lesson: Mr. Kuma seems to have something to say...

Words for this lesson: help, introduce, guide

• 紹介しょうかいする (shōkai suru): to introduce
• 手伝てつだう (tetsudau): to help
• 教おしえる (oshieru): to teach; to tell
• 貸かす (kasu): to lend
• 撮とる (toru): to take (a photo)
• 案内あんないする (annai suru): to guide, to show around
• 持もつ (motsu): to hold, to carry
• 覚おぼえる (oboeru): to memorize, to learn
• おごる (ogoru): to treat (someone to a meal)
• 遅刻ちこくする (chikoku suru): to be late
• 働はたらく (hataraku): to work
• 敬語けいご (keigo): keigo (polite speech)
• バイト (baito): part-time job
• 給料きゅうりょう (kyūryō): pay, salary

Grammar 1 / 2: てあげる・てくれる・てもらう

Te-form + あげる / くれる / もらう: what you give is not a thing, but help

• Last lesson: giving things. This lesson: giving help: Last lesson: 本ほんを あげる (give a book). This lesson: turn the action into te-form and add the verb: 本ほんを 読よんで あげる (read a book to someone). The direction rules are exactly the same. What you give is now help.
• 〜て あげる: I (my side) help someone: The subject is the helper. The person helped keeps the particle the verb normally uses. 教おしえる and 貸かす already use に (ピヨちゃんに 教おしえて あげる). With 撮とる and 持もつ, the person is attached to the thing with の (くまたの 写真しゃしんを 撮とって あげる, くまたの 荷物にもつを 持もって あげる). 手伝てつだう uses を (くまたを 手伝てつだって あげる).
• 〜て くれる: someone helps me (my side): The subject is the helper, marked with が or は. The person who benefits is "me," and we usually do not say it: くまたが 地図ちずを 読よんで くれました。Japanese speakers use くれる to show thanks at the same time.
• 〜て もらう: I receive someone's help: The subject becomes "I," and the helper takes に: わたしは くまたに 読よんで もらいました。It describes the same event as くれる, just from a different angle. With くれる, the helper is the subject. With もらう, "I" am the subject, as the person who benefits. もらう often feels like "I asked for it." For teachers and seniors, Japanese has even more polite forms, which you will learn later.

• ピヨちゃんに 宿題しゅくだいを 教おしえて あげました。 — I taught Piyo (Kumata's little sister, an elementary school student) her homework. (ちゃん = a friendly ending for children's names)
• うさみさんが 敬語けいごを 教おしえて くれました。 — Usami-san taught me keigo.
• 駅えきで 知しらない 人ひとが 道みちを 教おしえて くれました。 — At the station, a stranger told me the way.
• くまたに ホテルを 案内あんないして もらいました。 — Kumata showed me around the hotel.
• ねこ先生せんせいに 写真しゃしんを 撮とって もらいました。 — I had Neko-sensei take a photo for me. (There are more polite ways to say this to a teacher. You will learn them later.)

Grammar 2 / 2: てほしい

(Person) に + te-form + ほしい: I want (someone) to do it; ないで ほしい: I want someone not to do it

• ほしい level up: from "things" to "someone's action": You learned this before: ラーメンが ほしい = I want ramen (a thing). In this lesson: te-form + ほしい = I want someone to do something: リンさんに おごって ほしい (I want Rin to treat me).
• Who do you want to act? Use に: The person who does the action takes に, just like 〜て もらう: リンさんに 覚おぼえて ほしい。To stress "as for Rin," you can say リンさんには。
• I want someone not to...: ないで ほしい: Use nai-form + で, just like the 〜ないで ください you already know: 遅刻ちこくしないで ほしい、忘わすれないで ほしい。Not しなくて!
• Your own wish uses たい; be careful with seniors: For your own wish to eat: 食たべたい。For wanting someone else to act: 〜て ほしい。Also, saying 〜て ほしいです straight to a teacher or customer can sound like a demand. With close friends, 〜て ほしい is fine. With seniors and customers, you will learn more polite requests later. ほしい is an い-adjective, and its past tense is ほしかった。

• 先生せんせいに 宿題しゅくだいを 少すくなく して ほしいです。 — I want the teacher to give less homework.
• くまたに 写真しゃしんを 撮とって ほしい。 — I want Kumata to take a photo for me. (casual form)
• ねこ先生せんせいには、わたしの ケーキを 食たべないで ほしいです。 — I want Neko-sensei not to eat my cake.
• 電車でんしゃの 中なかで 電話でんわしないで ほしいです。 — I want everyone not to talk on the phone on the train.
• はやく 春はるに なって ほしいです。 — I really want spring to come soon. (The に here is the に of 〜に なる, "to become," not the person you want to act.)