て-Form for Expressing Favor, Assistance and Gratitude

In Japanese, the て-form (て形) plays a crucial role in expressing favor and assistance—both when requesting help from others and when describing actions done as a favor for someone else. These expressions involve auxiliary verbs like くれる, あげる, もらう, and polite forms like ください.

て-form + くれる → “Someone Does a Favor for Me”

て-form + くれる is used when someone does something for the speaker or for someone within the speaker’s in-group (family, friends, etc.). It expresses kindness or a favor received from someone.

Pattern:

Verb (て-form) + くれる

Examples:

友達が宿題を手伝ってくれた。
(Tomodachi ga shukudai o tetsudatte kureta.) 
"My friend helped me with my homework."

先生が発音を直してくれた。
(Sensei ga hatsuon o naoshite kureta.) 
"The teacher corrected my pronunciation for me."

母がご飯を作ってくれる。
(Haha ga gohan o tsukutte kureru.) → "My mother makes meals for me."
  • Always from the receiver’s perspective—expresses gratitude.
  • Can be used in the past (くれた), present (くれる), or potential form (くれない?).
  • If using in polite speech, change くれる to くださる (e.g., 手伝ってくださいました).

て-form + あげる → “Doing a Favor for Someone”

て-form + あげる is used when the speaker does something for someone else or when a third person does something for another person.

Pattern:

Verb (て-form) + あげる

Examples:

私は妹にプレゼントを買ってあげた。
(Watashi wa imōto ni purezento o katte ageta.) 
"I bought a present for my little sister."

先生が生徒にアドバイスをしてあげた。
(Sensei ga seito ni adobaisu o shite ageta.) 
"The teacher gave advice to the student."

彼は友達を駅まで送ってあげた。
(Kare wa tomodachi o eki made okutte ageta.) 
"He gave his friend a ride to the station."
  • Implies kindness or generosity.
  • Can sound arrogant or condescending if used when talking to superiors.
  • In casual speech, あげる can be omitted:
    手伝ってあげるよ！ → 手伝うよ！ (“I’ll help you!”)

て-form + もらう → “Receiving a Favor”

て-form + もらう is used when the speaker receives a favor from someone or when someone else receives a favor (third-person context).

Pattern:

Verb (て-form) + もらう

Examples:

私は友達に英語を教えてもらった。
(Watashi wa tomodachi ni eigo o oshiete moratta.) 
"I had my friend teach me English."

母にお弁当を作ってもらった。
(Haha ni obentō o tsukutte moratta.) 
"My mother made me a bento."

上司に推薦状を書いてもらいました。
(Jōshi ni suisenjō o kaite moraimashita.) 
"I had my boss write me a letter of recommendation."
  • The receiver (speaker or third person) is the focus.
  • Often implies gratitude but is less direct than くれる.
  • もらえますか? is a polite way to request something (e.g., 教えてもらえますか? → “Can you teach me?”).

て-form + いただく → Formal “Receiving a Favor”

て-form + いただく is the humble version of もらう, used when the speaker is receiving a favor from a superior.

Pattern:

Verb (て-form) + いただく

Examples:

先生にご指導いただきました。
(Sensei ni goshidō itadakimashita.) 
"I received guidance from my teacher."

お忙しいところ、お時間をいただきありがとうございます。
(O-isogashii tokoro, o-jikan o itadaki arigatō gozaimasu.) 
"Thank you for giving me your time despite being busy."
  • Used in formal business or respectful speech.
  • Adds humility and respect when asking superiors for favors.