A2
あげる, くれる and もらう — giving and receiving
How Japanese chooses between あげる, くれる and もらう according to the direction of the giving relative to the speaker.
English has give and receive. Japanese splits give in two, by whether the thing is moving towards the speaker or away.
| あげる | I give to someone else |
| くれる | someone gives to me |
| もらう | I receive from someone |
友達にプレゼントをあげました。
Tomodachi ni purezento o agemashita.
I gave my friend a present.
友達がプレゼントをくれました。
Tomodachi ga purezento o kuremashita.
My friend gave me a present.
友達にプレゼントをもらいました。
Tomodachi ni purezento o moraimashita.
I got a present from my friend.
The second and third describe the same event from different ends. くれる makes the giver the subject; もらう makes the receiver the subject.
あげる cannot come towards you
This is the error to avoid, and it is not a small one.
友達が私にプレゼントをあげました。
友達が私にプレゼントをくれました。
あげる only moves away from the speaker. Used of something given to you it sounds as though you are describing your own gift from the outside — strange rather than merely wrong.
The circle extends to your side
Your family, your company and your close friends count as you for this purpose. A gift to your sister takes くれる, because it came inwards.
先生が妹に本をくれました。
Sensei ga imōto ni hon o kuremashita.
The teacher gave my sister a book.
With the て form, for favours
Attached to a て form, the three verbs describe who did something for whom — which is how Japanese expresses gratitude and obligation without a word for either.
友達が手伝ってくれました。
Tomodachi ga tetsudatte kuremashita.
My friend helped me out.
手伝いました would state the bare fact. 手伝ってくれました adds that it was done for you and that you are glad of it, and leaving it out can sound cold.