Japanese grammar
What does ～てもらう mean? Japanese grammar N4
～てもらう means (I) have someone do ~ for me / ask someone to ~.
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N4 |
|---|---|
| Structure | （私は）N に V てもらいます （私は）N に N を V てもらいます |
| Romaji | ~ te morau |
| Meaning | (I) have someone do ~ for me / ask someone to ~ |
Forming it
| Humble | ～ていただきます (when the doer is a superior) |
|---|---|
| Particle | The doer goes with に (sometimes から): 友達に教えてもらう |
| How to form | て form + もらう: 教える → 教えて → 教えてもらう |
| Polite request form | ～ていただけませんか — the most polite way to ask for help |
How to use it
The speaker receives a benefit from someone else's action, usually because they asked for it.
- ～てもらう looks at the same event as ～てくれる but from the RECIPIENT's viewpoint. The subject is 私 (the recipient), and the doer is marked with に.
- Direct comparison: 「友達が手伝ってくれました」(subject = friend, friend voluntarily helped) ≈ 「友達に手伝ってもらいました」(subject = me, I received help from a friend — usually because I asked). Same event, different narrating angle, and もらう implies some initiative from my side.
- The particle に here marks THE DOER, easily confused with に marking the recipient in ～てあげる. Way to remember: に always attaches to "the other person," while "I" become the subject or get omitted.
- The form ～ていただけませんか is a top-tier polite tool for requests, used a lot at work: 「もう一度説明していただけませんか」(could you please explain it once more?). Politeness scale: ～てください < ～てくれませんか < ～てもらえませんか < ～ていただけませんか.
- When the doer is a superior, use ～ていただきます: 「先生に推薦状を書いていただきました」.
Examples
友達に引っ越しを手伝ってもらいました。
I had my friend help me move.
先生に作文を直していただきました。
I had the teacher correct my composition.
すみません、もう一度説明していただけませんか。
Excuse me, could you please explain it once more?
Keep in mind
- もらう is a group 1 verb: もらいます、もらった、もらって.
- The potential form もらえる is used to ask for help: 「手伝ってもらえますか」.
Common mistakes
-
Wrong私は友達が手伝ってもらいました。
I received help from my friend.
Correct私は友達に手伝ってもらいました。
With もらう, the doer must be marked with に. Learners often use が by mistake, confusing it with the structure of くれる (「友達が手伝ってくれました」). The two patterns reverse both the subject and the particle.
-
Wrong先生に本を貸してもらってあげました。
I was lent a book by the teacher.
Correct先生に本を貸していただきました。
Stacking two giving-receiving verbs together is wrong. Also, with a superior, いただく must be used. Vietnamese learners often combine them randomly, wanting to express both "received" and "thankful" in one sentence.
Exam tips
- A table to memorize: あげる (私 → someone else), くれる (someone else → 私, subject is someone else), もらう (someone else → 私, subject is 私).
- ～ていただけませんか appears a lot in listening sections in workplace situations.