Learn JLPT N5 Minna no Nihongo Lesson 24

Lesson 24 focuses on expressing giving and receiving actions in Japanese. This is essential for describing help, favors, or actions done for someone else. The key grammar points include verb て-form + あげます, くれます, もらいます, as well as how to describe who does or did an action using が and asking who does/did something. These patterns are useful in daily life, allowing learners to talk about actions politely and naturally.

1) Verb て-form + あげます — “do something for someone”

Use verb て-form + あげます when you do something for someone else. This expresses that the action benefits another person.

Examples (hiragana):

「ともだちに てがみを かいてあげます。」 — I write a letter for my friend.

「こどもに えを かいてあげます。」 — I draw a picture for the child.

「せんせいが わたしに しゅくだいを おしえてあげました。」 — The teacher taught me the homework (for my benefit).

Notes:

The person who receives the favor is often marked with に.

あげます emphasizes that the speaker or subject is giving the benefit.

2) Verb て-form + くれます — “someone does something for me/us”

Use verb て-form + くれます when someone does something for the speaker or someone close to the speaker. This shows actions received as a favor.

Examples (hiragana):

「かれが わたしに ほんを かしてくれました。」 — He lent me a book.

「ともだちが てつだってくれます。」 — My friend helps me.

「かのじょが えを かいてくれました。」 — She drew a picture for me.

Notes:

くれます emphasizes that the benefit goes to the speaker or their group.

Polite sentences use ます-form.

3) Verb て-form + もらいます — “receive a favor from someone”

Use verb て-form + もらいます when someone does something for you and you receive the benefit.

Examples (hiragana):

「ともだちに てつだってもらいました。」 — I got help from my friend.

「せんせいに にほんごを おしえてもらいました。」 — I was taught Japanese by my teacher.

「かのじょに えを かいてもらいました。」 — I had her draw a picture for me.

Notes:

もらいます focuses on the benefit received by the speaker.

Past or present actions can be expressed depending on the verb tense.

4) Person + が particle + verb — describing who does/did something

Use が to mark the person who performed an action, especially when emphasizing who did something. This is common when talking about favors, help, or contributions.

Examples (hiragana):

「せんせいが しゅくだいを おしえてくれました。」 — The teacher taught (me) the homework.

「ともだちが てつだってくれました。」 — My friend helped me.

「かれが プレゼントを くれました。」 — He gave me a present.

Notes:

が highlights the doer of the action, not the topic.

It is useful when you want to focus on the person performing the action.

5) Asking “who does/did …?”

To ask who performs an action, use だれが + verb. This is helpful when confirming or asking about someone’s actions.

Examples (hiragana):

「だれが てつだってくれましたか。」 — Who helped me?

「だれが このほんを かきましたか。」 — Who wrote this book?

「だれが プレゼントを くれましたか。」 — Who gave (me) a present?

Notes:

Use だれが to focus on the person performing the action.

The response often uses が to indicate the doer.

Summary

Lesson 24 teaches learners how to:

Use verb て-form + あげます to do something for someone else

Use verb て-form + くれます to show someone does something for the speaker or their group

Use verb て-form + もらいます to receive a favor

Use person + が to describe who did an action

Ask だれが + verb to find out who performs an action

Mastering these patterns allows learners to talk about giving and receiving actions naturally, describe favors, and ask about or clarify who did what in Japanese. After this lesson, students can confidently express actions involving help, giving, and receiving in daily life.