Lesson 61: 谷中を 案内しました
N4 · Lesson 61 · 20 min — Lessons 56–60 review: あげる・くれる・もらう, てあげる・てくれる・てもらう・てほしい, volitional form, そうだ・ようだ・みたいだ・らしい
No new grammar in this lesson! Lessons 56–60 come together in one day of Rin's hotel job: guiding Taiwanese guests around Yanaka. In the questions, リン is Rin, 先生 is Neko-sensei, くまた is his classmate Kumata, and うさみさん is Usami-san, a coworker who works at the front desk with Rin.
After this lesson, you can:
- Tell the direction of あげる・くれる・もらう, and also use さしあげる・くださる・いただく・やる
- Use てあげる・てくれる・てもらう to say who does something for whom, and てほしい to say what you want others to do
- Use the volitional form for plain-style "let's ~", and ようと思う・ようとする for plans and "about to"
- Tell apart そうだ (looks like / I heard), ようだ, みたいだ and らしい, and say "like ~"
Rin's Yanaka Tour
Last lesson we heard that the old shop's daughter loves to eat. Today Rin works at the hotel, and Taiwanese guests arrive in the lobby. Rin right away says「案内して あげます」. Is that polite to say to guests? Read to the end to find out. (あんない = guiding someone)
Giving out: あげる. Giving to me: くれる. Receiving: もらう. Looks: そう. Next: the night before the JLPT, and Kumata is a nervous wreck!
Where Did the Pineapple Cakes Go?
Rin uses です・ます with both Usami-san and Neko-sensei. Tap each line to hear the Japanese.
Review Vocab Cards
- 困る (komaru): be troubled, not know what to do (new)
- 案内する (annai suru): guiding, showing around (new)
- お客さん (okyakusan): guest, customer (new)
- ガイド (gaido): guide (new)
- メンチカツ (menchikatsu): menchi-katsu, fried minced-meat cutlet (new)
- うれしい (ureshii): happy, glad (new)
- パイナップルケーキ (painappuru kēki): pineapple cake
- あげる (ageru): give (me → others)
- くれる (kureru): give (others → me)
- もらう (morau): receive, get
- さしあげる (sashiageru): give (to a superior) (humble form of あげる)
- くださる (kudasaru): (a superior) gives me (honorific form of くれる)
- いただく (itadaku): receive (from a superior) (humble form of もらう)
- やる (yaru): give (to animals, plants, juniors)
- 上手 (jōzu): good at, skillful
- さいふ (saifu): wallet
- 来年 (rainen): next year
Grammar 1 / 4: Give & Get
Use あげる when things go out from me, くれる when others give to me, and もらう when I receive. For superiors, use さしあげる・くださる・いただく. For animals and plants, use やる.
- あげる vs くれる: look at the direction: When something goes out from me (or my side), use あげる: わたしは くまたに あげる. When others give to me (or my family), use くれる: くまたが わたしに くれる. English uses "give" for both, but Japanese needs a direction.
- もらう: the receiver's side: The subject is the person who receives: わたしは くまたに もらう. After the giver, you can use に or から: くまたから もらう.
- To superiors, to animals and plants: Giving to a superior: さしあげる. A superior gives to me: くださる (ます form: くださいます). Receiving from a superior: いただく. For animals and plants, use やる: 花に 水を やる. A small tip: さしあげる is often used to tell others "I gave something to a superior". When you hand something to a superior in person, saying「さしあげます」can sound too much like "I'm giving you this", so people often just say「どうぞ」(please).
- わたしは くまたに パイナップルケーキを あげました。 — I gave Kumata a pineapple cake.
- くまたが わたしに メンチカツを くれました。 — Kumata gave me menchi-katsu.
- わたしは 先生に 本を いただきました。 — I received a book from my teacher.
- 毎日、花に 水を やります。 — I water the flowers every day.
Grammar 2 / 4: Direction of Help
Te-form + あげる = I do it for others; te-form + くれる = others do it for me; te-form + もらう = I get others' help (I am the subject); te-form + ほしい = I want others to do it
- てあげる・てくれる: same direction as あげる・くれる: I help others: 読んで あげる. Others help me: 読んで くれる. てくれる often carries a feeling of "thank you".
- てもらう: I am the one who gets help: The subject is the person who gets help, and the helper takes に: くまたに 地図を 読んで もらった (Kumata read the map for me). I may have asked, or the other person may have offered.
- てほしい: I want others to do it: Person に + te-form + ほしい: リンさんに 案内して ほしい. To say you don't want them to do it, use ないで ほしい: 全部 食べないで ほしい.
- くまたに 地図を 読んで もらいました。 — Kumata read the map for me.
- くまたが メンチカツを 買って くれました。 — Kumata bought menchi-katsu for me.
- わたしは お客さんの 写真を 撮って あげました。 — I took photos for the guests.
- 先生に ケーキを 全部 食べないで ほしいです。 — I don't want Neko-sensei to eat the whole cake.
Grammar 3 / 4: Volitional
The volitional form is the plain-style "let's ~". ようと思う = I plan to ~. ようとする = about to ~, try to ~ (often without success).
- How to make the volitional form: Group I: u-row → o-row + う (行く → 行こう, 買う → 買おう). Group II: る → よう (食べる → 食べよう). する → しよう, 来る → 来よう.
- Plain-style "let's ~": The volitional form is the plain style of ましょう: 行きましょう → 行こう. To a friend: いっしょに 食べよう!
- ようと思う・ようとする: ようと思う = plan to ~: 勉強しようと 思う. ようとする = be about to ~, try to ~. It is often followed by "でも……" to show it didn't happen.
- いっしょに メンチカツを 食べよう！ — Let's eat menchi-katsu together!
- 来年、京都に 行こうと 思って います。 — I plan to go to Kyoto next year.
- 手紙を 読もうと しました。でも、読めませんでした。 — I tried to read the letter, but I couldn't understand it.
- 先生は ケーキを 食べようと して います。 — Neko-sensei is about to eat the cake.
Grammar 4 / 4: Looks & Seems
For what you see with your own eyes, use stem + そう. For news you heard, use plain form + そう・らしい. For your own guess from observing, use ようだ・みたいだ. For "like ~", use のように・みたいに.
- そうだ: looks vs. I heard: Stem + そう = looks: おいしそう, うれしそう, 元気そう. For verbs, use the ます-stem + そう: 降りそう = looks like it's about to rain. Plain form + そう = I heard: おいしいそう, 元気だそう, 降るそう.
- ようだ・みたいだ: a guess after observing: Plain form + ようだ. For nouns add の, and for na-adjectives add な: 学生の ようだ, しずかな ようだ. みたいだ is casual: nouns and na-adjectives connect directly: 学生みたいだ.
- らしい・のように／みたいに: らしい = a guess based on news you heard, "it seems": 来年も 来る らしい. "Like ~": 日本人の ように／日本人みたいに 日本語が 上手だ.
- この メンチカツ、おいしそう！ — This menchi-katsu looks so delicious!
- あの 店の メンチカツは 有名だそうです。 — I heard the menchi-katsu at that shop is famous.
- くまたは きょう 学校に 来ない みたいです。 — Kumata doesn't seem to be coming to school today.
- リンは 日本人の ように 日本語が 上手です。 — Rin's Japanese is as good as a Japanese person's.