What is the core meaning and usage of V-てくれる (te kureru)?

V-てくれる is a grammar pattern used to indicate that someone performs an action as a favor for you or for someone within your in-group (like family or close friends). It expresses that the giving action comes inward towards the speaker's perspective or their group, often implying a sense of gratitude or benefit received by the speaker/in-group. It translates to "someone kindly does ~ for me/us."

Can V-てくれる be used when the action is for someone other than "me" (but in my in-group)?

Yes, absolutely. You can use V-てくれる when someone performs an action for another person, as long as that person is considered part of your "in-group" (e.g., your family member, your child, your close friend, a colleague). The key is that the favor benefits someone "on your side." Example: 友達が妹に日本語を教えてくれました。(Tomodachi ga imouto ni Nihongo o oshiete kuremashita.) - My friend taught Japanese to my younger sister. (Your sister is in your in-group.)

Are there more polite or humble forms of V-てくれる?

For a higher level of respect when the giver is someone of higher status (like a teacher or boss), you use the honorific form V-てくださる (te kudasaru). Example: 先生が時間をくださいました。(Sensei ga jikan o kudasaimashita.) - The teacher kindly gave me their time. When you are the receiver and want to speak humbly about receiving a favor from a superior, you use the humble form V-ていただく (te itadaku) (derived from もらう). This is the humble counterpart to V-てくださる. Example: 先生に時間をいただきました。(Sensei ni jikan o itadakimashita.) - I received time from the teacher (humble).

How do I make V-てくれる negative (e.g., "someone didn't do ~ for me")?

To express that someone didn't do something for you or your in-group, use the plain negative form V-てくれない (te kurenai) or the polite negative form V-てくれません (te kuremasen). Example: 友だちが手伝ってくれませんでした。(Tomodachi ga tetsudatte kuremasen deshita.) - My friend didn't help me.

How to Use V-te Kureru in Japanese | Expressing Kind Actions Toward You

contents

Introduction
1. Grammar Structure
2. Perspective Check: Who’s Doing What, and for Whom?
3. Example Sentences
4. Practice Time!
5. Common Mistakes
6. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
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Introduction

Want to express when someone kindly does something for you in Japanese?

In that case, the verb you need is:

👉 V-て + くれる

This form tells us that someone performed an action for your benefit, often with a nuance of appreciation or gratitude. Let’s learn how it works!

1. Grammar Structure

Pattern: [Person] が V-てくれる

V-て: the て-form of the verb
くれる: “to give (me)” – in this case, it’s the action or favor done for the speaker

Example	Meaning
友ともだちが宿題しゅくだいを手伝てつだってくれました。	My friend kindly helped me with my homework.
彼氏かれしがレストランを予約よやくしてくれました。	My boyfriend made a restaurant reservation for me.

A friend performs a helpful action for the speaker, with the label ‘V-te kureru,’ illustrating how to express gratitude for someone’s favor in Japanese. — An illustration showing the use of ‘V-te kureru,’ which expresses appreciation when someone does a kind action for the speaker. The favor (e.g., helping with homework) is done from the speaker’s perspective.

2. Perspective Check: Who’s Doing What, and for Whom?

Understanding these verbs depends on whose perspective you are taking and the direction of the action (giving/receiving) in relation to the speaker or the speaker’s inner group (like family or close colleagues).

Verb	Perspective Focus	Direction of Action (Relative to Speaker/In-group)	Pattern Highlight	Example
あげる	Giver’s Action	Outward (from speaker/in-group to out-group)	[Giver] が/は [Receiver] に V-てあげる	私は友だちに本をあげました。(I gave a book to my friend.)
もらう	Receiver’s Action	Inward (towards speaker/in-group from anyone)	[Receiver] が/は [Giver] に/から V-てもらう	私は友だちから本をもらいました。(I received a book from my friend.)
くれる	Giver’s Action (Benefiting Speaker/Group)	Inward (towards speaker/in-group from out-group)	[Giver] が/は [Receiver] に V-てくれる	友だちが私に本をくれました。(My friend gave me a book.)

Key Point: Both もらう and くれる are used when the favor comes inward towards the speaker or their group, but もらう focuses on the act of receiving (with the receiver as the subject), while くれる focuses on the act of giving from someone else benefiting the speaker/group (with the giver as the subject).

3. Example Sentences

お母かあさんが朝あさ、起おこしてくれました。
My mom woke me up this morning (for me).

山下先生やましたせんせいがお子こさんの写真しゃしんを見みせてくれました。
Yamashita-sensei showed me a photo of her child.

Note: “お子さん O-kosan” is a polite way to refer to someone else’s son or daughter, especially when speaking about someone of higher status.

知しらない人ひとが荷物にもつを持もってくれました。
A stranger carried my luggage (how kind!).

4. Practice Time!

Turn these into sentences using 〜てくれる:

Situation	Sentence
My friend teaches me kanji.	友ともだちが漢字かんじを教おしえてくれます。
My dad picks me up at cram school.	お父とうさんが塾じゅくに迎むかえに来きてくれます。
My mom irons my clothes.	お母かあさんがアイロンをかけてくれます。
My Japanese friend showed me around Tokyo.	日本人にほんじんの友ともだちが東京とうきょうを案内あんないしてくれました。
My boss bought me coffee.	会社かいしゃの先輩せんぱいがコーヒーをおごってくれました。

🎯 Try making 2 original sentences of your own!

5. Common Mistakes

Try not to mix up the V-てあげる, もらう, and くれる. The above example of “my friend helped me with my homework” can be described with もらう, and くれる, but not with あげる. This is because あげる describes the giving action directed at someone else other than yourself. When you yourself are the receiver, you cannot use あげる.

❌ 友ともだちが宿題しゅくだいを手伝てつだってあげました
（You can’t use あげる when the action is done for you.）
✅ Correct:
- 友だちが宿題を手伝ってくれました
- 友だちに宿題を手伝ってもらいました

6. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Q What is the core meaning and usage of V-てくれる (te kureru)?: A
V-てくれる is a grammar pattern used to indicate that someone performs an action as a favor for you or for someone within your in-group (like family or close friends). It expresses that the giving action comes inward towards the speaker’s perspective or their group, often implying a sense of gratitude or benefit received by the speaker/in-group. It translates to “someone kindly does ~ for me/us.”

Q How does V-てくれる differ from V-てあげる (te ageru) and V-てもらう (te morau)?

V-てあげる: Describes doing an action as a favor outward from the speaker or their in-group to someone else (outside the group, or equal/inferior status).
V-てもらう: Describes receiving a favor or action from someone else, focusing on the receiver’s perspective.
V-てくれる: Describes someone doing an action as a favor inward towards the speaker or their in-group. While V-てもらう and V-てくれる can often describe the same situation, V-てもらう emphasizes the receiving side (“I got help”), and V-てくれる emphasizes the giver’s kindness (“They kindly gave help”).

Q Can V-てくれる be used when the action is for someone other than “me” (but in my in-group)?: A
Yes, absolutely. You can use V-てくれる when someone performs an action for another person, as long as that person is considered part of your “in-group” (e.g., your family member, your child, your close friend, a colleague). The key is that the favor benefits someone “on your side.”
Example: 友達が妹に日本語を教えてくれました。(Tomodachi ga imouto ni Nihongo o oshiete kuremashita.) – My friend taught Japanese to my younger sister. (Your sister is in your in-group.)

Q Are there more polite or humble forms of V-てくれる?: A
For a higher level of respect when the giver is someone of higher status (like a teacher or boss), you use the honorific form V-てくださる (te kudasaru). Example: 先生が時間をくださいました。(Sensei ga jikan o kudasaimashita.) – The teacher kindly gave me their time.
When you are the receiver and want to speak humbly about receiving a favor from a superior, you use the humble form V-ていただく (te itadaku) (derived from もらう). This is the humble counterpart to V-てくださる. Example: 先生に時間をいただきました。(Sensei ni jikan o itadakimashita.) – I received time from the teacher (humble).

Q Can V-てくれる be used in both casual and formal speech?

Yes. The verb くれる can be conjugated to match the politeness level.

Casual: くれる (present), くれた (past)
Polite: くれます (present), くれました (past)
For higher formality/respect, use V-てくださる.

Q How do I make V-てくれる negative (e.g., “someone didn’t do ~ for me”)?: A
To express that someone didn’t do something for you or your in-group, use the plain negative form V-てくれない (te kurenai) or the polite negative form V-てくれません (te kuremasen). Example: 友だちが手伝ってくれませんでした。(Tomodachi ga tetsudatte kuremasen deshita.) – My friend didn’t help me.

Conclusion

Now you can:

✅ Use 〜てくれる to describe kind actions done for you
✅ Understand the perspective and emotional nuance
✅ Use this pattern to show appreciation and connection

🎯 Challenge: What’s something someone kindly did for you recently? Describe it using 〜てくれる!

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