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In this lesson, you will learn how to use the Japanese grammar あげます / もらいます / くれます (Part 2).
👉 Review: あげます / もらいます
In the previous article, we studied "あげます" and "もらいます."
👉 くれます
The meaning of "くれます" is "give" as in "あげます."
What is different is the person who receives things.
Please look at the picture below.
As seen in the "あげます" section, this picture shows "I give a present to Ms. Kimura.
"わたし”(the speaker) is the one who gives a present, and Mr. Kimura is the one who receives the present.
In this case, you can say, "わたしは木村さんにプレゼントをあげます。"
Then look at the next picture.
In this picture, "わたし" (the speaker) is the person who receives the gift.
When we want to make "わたし" the subject, we can use "もらいます".
Then if we want to make Mr. Kimura the subject, what should we do?
We should use "くれます" instead of "あげます."
Therefore, the situation in this picture is expressed as "木村さんは私にプレゼントをくれます。"
The word "くれます" is used when the person receiving things is "わたし", that is, the speaker himself/herself.
To be more precise, when the recipient is psychologically or socially closer to the speaker than the subject, the speaker uses "くれます."
This grammar point is also introduced in beginner textbooks. If you want to review grammar more systematically, having one good textbook really helps:
👉 Examples
1. 母は誕生日にわたしに時計をくれます。
ははは たんじょうびに わたしに とけいを くれます。
My mother will give me a watch for my birthday.
2. 田中さんはわたしにケーキをくれました。
たなかさんは わたしに ケーキをくれました。
Mr. Tanaka gave me a cake.
3. 田中さんはわたしの妹に本をくれました。
たなかさんは わたしのいもうとに ほんをくれました。
Mr. Tanaka gave a book to my sister.
4. 有名なサッカー選手が私の彼にサインをくれました。
ゆうめいなサッカーせんしゅが わたしのかれに サインをくれました。
A famous soccer player gave an autograph to my boyfriend.
Speaking Practice
Practice Japanese on italki
If you want to practice this grammar in real conversation, learning with a tutor can help you improve faster. Many learners find that regular speaking practice is the fastest way to become confident in Japanese.
Find a Japanese Tutor on italki →Suggested Study Material
Genki Ⅱ (Beginner Japanese)
This grammar point is explained in GenkiⅡ(Lesson14), a widely used beginner textbook for learning Japanese.
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