- Video
- Introduction
- 1. What this pattern means (the “let/allow” reading)
- 2. Quick review: make the causative (V-せる／させる)
- 3. Then attach 〜て + あげる・くれる・もらう
- 4. Quick review: あげる・もらう・くれる
- 5. Causative sentences using てあげる/てくれる/てもらう
- 6. Natural examples
- 7. Asking for permission with 〜てください
- 8. Practice
- FAQ
- Conclusion
- Author and Reviewer
Video
Let’s watch this short video for a quick overview.
Source: gokigen japanese official YouTube Channel
Introduction
Want to say “I let my daughter eat cake,” “My dad let me drive,” or “I was allowed to keep a pet”?
At N4 level, you can express this neatly with causative + てあげる／てくれる／てもらう. This unit builds on the basic causative (V-せる／させる) and shows how adding てあげる・てくれる・てもらう shifts the meaning toward permission/allowing rather than “make/force.”
1. What this pattern means (the “let/allow” reading)
When てあげる／てくれる／てもらう follows a causative verb, the sentence almost always describes allowing rather than forcing:
- 私は子どもに好きなことをさせてあげます。
I let my children do what they like. - 小さいとき、両親は私に好きなことをさせてくれました。
When I was little, my parents let me do what I liked. - 私は両親にペットを飼わせてもらいました。
My parents allowed me to have a pet (I was allowed to keep a pet).
Core idea: Causative + てあげる／てくれる／てもらう = permission/benefit (not coercion).
2. Quick review: make the causative (V-せる／させる)
Before we attach てあげる etc., form the causative:
Ru-verbs
Drop the final -ru and add -saseru.
| verb | causative form |
|---|---|
| 食べる (taberu) to eat | 食べさせる (tabesaseru) to make/let someone eat |
| 寝る (neru) to sleep | 寝させる (nesaseru) to make/let someone sleep |
| 片付ける (katazukeru) to tidy up | 片づけさせる (katazukesaseru) to make/let someone tidy up |
U-verbs
Drop the final -u and add -aseru.
For verbs ending in う, add -waseru.
| verb | causative form |
|---|---|
| 行く (iku) to go | 行かせる (ikaseru) to make/let someone go |
| 飲む (nomu) to drink | 飲ませる (nomaseru) to make/let someone drink |
| 会う (au) to meet | 会わせる (awaseru) to make/let someone meet |
Irregular verbs
| verb | causative form |
|---|---|
| する to do | させる to make/let someone do |
| 来る to come | 来させる to make/let someone come |
| 説明する to explain | 説明させる to make/let someone explain |
| 持ってくる to bring | 持ってこさせる to make/let someone bring |
If you want to learn more about causative form, read this article: Japanese Causative: V-せる／させる & “(Causer) は (Causee) に V-せる/させる”
3. Then attach 〜て + あげる・くれる・もらう
Once you have the causative, connect it with て and add a giving/receiving verb:
| type | dict. | causative form | te-form | add あげる etc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ru-verbs | 食べる (to eat) | 食べさせる | 食べさせて | 食べさせてあげる |
| u-verbs | 買う (to buy) | 買わせる | 買わせて | 買わせてくれる |
| irregular | する (to do) | させる | させて | させてもらう |
Note: Causative verbs behave like ru-verbs. So once you make the causative form, you can form the te-form by replacing the final る with て.
- 食べさせる → 食べさせて
- 行かせる → 行かせて
- 来させる → 来させて
4. Quick review: あげる・もらう・くれる
Now let’s look at the “あげる, もらう, くれる.” If you want more review, go back to these articles:
- How to Use Ageru and Morau in Japanese | Express Giving and Receiving
- How to Use V-te Kureru (V-て くれる) in Japanese | Expressing Kind Actions Toward You
あげる: This verb is used when the giver gives something (object) to someone else (receiver). It is used to express the act of giving from the speaker’s perspective.
[Structure]: Giver が/は Object を Receiver に あげる
もらう: This verb is used when the receiver receives something (object) from the giver (from whom). It is used to express the act of receiving from the speaker’s perspective.
[Structure]: Receiver が/は Object を Giver に/から もらう
くれる is used when someone else gives something (object) to the speaker. It describes the act of giving from the receiver’s perspective.
[Structure]: Giver が/は わたし (= Receiver) に Object を くれる
5. Causative sentences using てあげる/てくれる/てもらう
- Expressions: X は Y に V(causative)-てあげる/くれる/もらう
- Meaning: (Person1) let (Person2) do ~
Causative form of a verb with てあげる, てくれる, or てもらう to express the idea of allowing someone to do something for someone else, or having someone do something for you.
The causative is used with the meaning of “Let” rather than “Make.”
A Note on Particles:
Remember the particle rules from the causative lesson! The “causer” (the person giving permission) is marked by は or が, and the “causee” (the person receiving permission) is marked by に.
6. Natural examples
私は娘にケーキを食べさせてあげました。
I let my daughter eat cake.
私は友だちにゲームをさせてあげました。
I let my friend play the game.
父は私に車を運転させてくれました。
My father let me drive a car.
7. Asking for permission with 〜てください
To ask for permission politely, causative + てください is commonly used.
風邪をひいてしまったので、午後は休ませてください。
I’ve caught a cold, so please let me take the afternoon off.
息子が風邪をひいたそうです。今日は少し早く帰らせてください。
My son seems to have caught a cold. Please let me leave a little early today.
~sasete kudasai vs. ~te mo ii desu ka
Both patterns are used to ask for permission, but they have a slightly different nuance:
~te mo ii desu ka? (May I…?): This is a standard, neutral way to ask for permission. It’s like asking, “Is it okay if I…?” Example: 早く帰ってもいいですか？ (May I go home early?)
~sasete kudasai (Please let me…): This is also very polite but often carries a stronger nuance of “I would like to do X, so please allow me to.” It emphasizes your desire to perform the action and is very common in business or when making a formal request to a superior (e.g., asking to take a day off). Example: 早く帰らせてください。 (Please let me go home early.)
Other polite ways to ask for permission
Besides 〜させてください, Japanese also uses question forms such as:
- 〜てくれませんか = Could you let me do ~ ?
This is polite, but less formal than 〜ていただけませんか. - 〜ていただけませんか = Could you please allow me to do ~ ?
This is more formal and is common in business or when speaking to a superior.
Example:
- 今日は少し早く帰らせてくれませんか。
Could you let me leave a little early today? - この件について、少し考えさせていただけませんか。
Could you please allow me a little time to think about this matter?
8. Practice
V(causative)-て + あげる/くれる/もらう
First, change the verb to the causative form. Next, connect the verb with あげる, くれる, もらう.
- 行く (to go) → 行かせる → 行かせてあげる／くれる／もらう
- 食べる (to eat) → 食べさせる → 食べさせてあげる／くれる／もらう
- 着る (to wear) → 着させる → 着させてあげる／くれる／もらう
- 飲む (to drink) → 飲ませる → 飲ませてあげる／くれる／もらう
- 聞く (to hear) → 聞かせる → 聞かせてあげる／くれる／もらう
- 来る (to come) → 来させる → 来させてあげる／くれる／もらう
- 参加する (to join) → 参加させる → 参加させてあげる／くれる／もらう
Causative sentences using てあげる/てくれる/てもらう
Use the clues to create a sentence that Person 1 allows Person 2 to do something.
| clue | example answer |
|---|---|
| My parents allowed me to have a pet. [もらう] | 私は両親にペットをかわせてもらいました。 |
| I let my daughter eat cake. [あげる] | 私は娘にケーキを食べさせてあげました。 |
| My mother let me eat cake. [くれる] | 母は私にケーキを食べさせてくれました。 |
| My father let me drive a car. [くれる] | 父は私に車を運転させてくれました。 |
| I let my friend play the game. [あげる] | 私は友だちにゲームをさせてあげました。 |
FAQ
- QWhat’s the real difference between the plain causative (V-saseru) and causative + te ageru/kureru?
- A
The plain causative form (V-saseru) can be ambiguous. It can mean either “make someone do” (force) or “let someone do” (permission).
Adding ~te ageru or ~te kureru clarifies the meaning and strongly implies permission or goodwill (“let/allow”), removing the ambiguity of “force.” Example: 母は私にケーキを食べさせてくれた。 (My mother let me eat cake. – This clearly means permission/a kind act.)
- QHow do I choose between ~sasete ageru, ~sasete kureru, and ~sasete morau?
- A
It all depends on the point of view (who is giving and who is receiving the permission).
~sasete ageru (I let…): Use when you (or your in-group) give permission to someone else. Example: 私は弟にゲームをさせてあげた。 (I let my little brother play the game.)
~sasete kureru (Someone lets me…): Use when someone else gives permission to you (or your in-group). Example: 父は私に車を運転させてくれた。 (My father let me drive a car.)
~sasete morau (I was allowed to…): Use when you (or your in-group) receive permission from someone else. This is your perspective as the receiver. Example: 私は両親にペットをかわせてもらいました。 (My parents allowed me to have a pet.)
- QHow do I ask for permission using this form?
- A
The common and standard way to ask for permission is V(causative-te) + kudasai (〜させてください). This means “Please let me do X,” and it is widely used in daily life, school, and work.
Japanese also uses more indirect question forms such as:
- 〜てくれませんか = Could you let me do ~ ?
Polite, but less formal. - 〜ていただけませんか = Could you please allow me to do ~ ?
More formal and more respectful.
Examples:
- 明日、休ませてください。
Please let me take the day off tomorrow. - もう一度考えさせてください。
Please let me think about it once more. - 今日は少し早く帰らせてくれませんか。
Could you let me leave a little early today? - この件について、少し考えさせていただけませんか。
Could you please allow me a little time to think about this matter?
- 〜てくれませんか = Could you let me do ~ ?
- QCan I use this grammar to say “I wasn’t allowed to do something”?
- A
Yes. You simply conjugate the final giving/receiving verb into the negative.
- 父は私に車を運転させてくれなかった。 (My father didn’t let me drive the car.)
- 先生は私を休ませてくれなかった。 (The teacher didn’t let me take a day off.)
Conclusion
You now have a clean, beginner-friendly way to talk about permission:
- Build the causative (V-せる／させる), then attach 〜て + あげる／くれる／もらう to express “let/allow.”
- Use 〜させてください to ask for permission politely.
- Keep the viewpoints straight (あげる／くれる／もらう) and your causative conjugations solid.
Practice with three real situations from your day—you’ll start choosing the right helper verb instinctively.
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