Favours, passive, causative
The giving/receiving triad that marks who benefits from an action, the everyday thanks built on kureru, the passive for things done to you (often unwanted), and the causative in its everyday jobs: -sasete for asking to do something yourself, and -sasete morau / -sasete kureru for being allowed to.
-te kureru
polite -te kuremasudoes for me / us
〜てくれる 〜てくれます
Attaches to the -te form when someone does something for you or your side (oshiete kureta), and is the base of casual requests (-te kureru?).
tomodachi ga oshiete kureta.
A friend told me.
友達が教えてくれた。
tomodachi ga oshiete kuremashita.
A friend told me.
友達が教えてくれました。
Leaving it off sounds cold: oshiete kureta thanks the person, oshieta only reports. As a request, -te kurenai? is softer than -te kureru?
Learn alongside: ageru, kureru, morau, -te morau, -te ageruLearn first: -te, kureru
-te kurete arigatou
polite -te kurete arigatou gozaimasuthanks for (doing)
〜てくれてありがとう 〜てくれてありがとうございます
Thanks someone for one specific thing they did for you. It goes on any verb's -te form (kite, tetsudatte, oshiete), and the kureru is what makes the act a favour to you.
kyou wa kite kurete arigatou.
Thanks for coming today.
今日は来てくれてありがとう。
kyou wa kite kurete arigatou gozaimasu.
Thanks for coming today.
今日は来てくれてありがとうございます。
Uses the same -te + feeling frame as okurete gomen (sorry I'm late) and kite yokatta (glad I came). Politely, once the act is over and you're parting, the past is usual: kite kurete arigatou gozaimashita.
Learn first: -te kureru, arigatou
-te morau
polite -te moraimasuget someone to do
〜てもらう 〜てもらいます
Attaches to the -te form for a favour seen from the receiver's side, with the doer marked by ni (tomodachi ni oshiete moratta); it also frames requests (-te moraeru?).
tomodachi ni oshiete moratta.
I got a friend to tell me.
友達に教えてもらった。
tomodachi ni oshiete moraimashita.
I got a friend to tell me.
友達に教えてもらいました。
moratta suggests you asked for it; kureta credits the giver's kindness. The doer takes ni with morau but ga with kureru.
Learn alongside: ageru, kureru, morau, -te kureru, -te ageruLearn first: -te, -te kureru, morau
-te ageru
polite -te agemasudo for someone
〜てあげる 〜てあげます
Attaches to the -te form for a favour done for another person, outward from the speaker (oshiete ageta, katte ageru).
tomodachi ni oshiete ageta.
I told my friend.
友達に教えてあげた。
tomodachi ni oshiete agemashita.
I told my friend.
友達に教えてあげました。
Offered to someone's face (yatte ageru yo) it can sound condescending; avoid it toward superiors.
Learn alongside: ageru, kureru, morau, -te kureru, -te morauLearn first: -te, -te kureru, ageru
-areru / -rareru
polite -aremasu / -raremasuget / be -ed (passive)
〜あれる／〜られる 〜あれます／〜られます
Puts you on the receiving end of what someone did, with the doer on ni. The everyday one is iwareta, reporting what someone told you (isha ni yasume tte iwareta); many others are unwelcome (okorareta, ame ni furareta). Godan verbs change -u to -areru (okoru -> okorareru; after a vowel, -u becomes -wareru: iu -> iwareru), ichidan verbs swap -ru for -rareru (taberu -> taberareru), and the irregulars are sareru and korareru.
kinou tomodachi ni okorareta.
A friend got mad at me yesterday.
昨日友達に怒られた。
kinou tomodachi ni okoraremashita.
A friend got mad at me yesterday.
昨日友達に怒られました。
It even works on verbs that take no object, for being put out (ame ni furareta = got caught in the rain), and keeps o for something of yours (saifu o torareta = got my wallet taken). Don't use it for English 'got broken' or 'was left open': Japanese uses the intransitive verb (keitai kowarechatta, mado ga aiteru), and kowasareta says someone broke it. The ichidan passive sounds the same as the full potential (taberareru), so context decides; casual speech often shortens the potential to tabereru, so a full -rareru in casual talk leans passive.
-asete / -sasete
polite -asete kudasai / -sasete kudasailet me (do)
〜あせて／〜させて 〜あせてください／〜させてください
Asks to be allowed to do something yourself: to have a go (yarasete, let me try), to offer (harawasete, let me pay) or to stall (chotto kangaesasete, let me think). Godan verbs change -u to -asete (yaru -> yarasete; after a vowel, -u becomes -wasete: harau -> harawasete), ichidan verbs swap -ru for -sasete (kangaeru -> kangaesasete), and the irregulars are sasete and kosasete.
kyou wa harawasete.
Let me pay this time.
今日は払わせて。
kyou wa harawasete kudasai.
Let me pay this time.
今日は払わせてください。
The stalling set phrase is chotto kangaesasete (polite: sukoshi kangaesasete kudasai). Two more everyday frames to produce: with gomen it apologises for what you put someone through (matasete gomen, shinpai sasete gomen; polite matasete sumimasen), and with the favour verbs it reports permission (kyou wa hayaku kaerasete moratta, I got to go home early today; kaerasete kureta, they let me go home). Casual speech often shortens godan -asete to -ashite (yarashite, iwashite); recognise it, but produce -asete. Making someone do something in general (kodomo ni yasai o tabesaseru) is recognition-only for now.