Who did the favour? 〜てくれる, 〜てもらう, 〜ていただく
One blank, two decisions: which way the favour flows, and how polite to be about it.
49% of 155 answers were right — one of the hardest questions in the catalogue.
Choose the correct form for the blank.
- 教えて くれました
- 教えて やりました
- 教えて いただきました✓ correct
- 教えて あげました
I had the teacher teach me how to read the kanji.
What it is testing
When someone does something for someone else, Japanese adds a giving or receiving verb to the て-form. Which one depends on who is the subject of the sentence.
Look at the particle on 先生. 先生に marks the person you received from, so the verb has to be a receiving one: もらう, or its humble form いただく. Because the giver is your teacher, the humble one is expected: 教えていただきました.
教えてくれました is the near miss. The direction is right — the teacher did something for you — but くれる takes the giver as subject (先生が), and it is too plain for a teacher. The polite version of that sentence is 先生が教えてくださいました.
Giving and receiving favours
| Form | Subject | Favour goes | Politeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〜てあげる | the giver | from me (or us) to others | neutral |
| 〜てやる | the giver | to someone below you, or an animal | blunt |
| 〜てくれる | the giver | to me | neutral |
| 〜てくださる | the giver | to me, from a superior | honorific |
| 〜てもらう | me (giver marked に) | to me | neutral |
| 〜ていただく | me (giver marked に) | to me, from a superior | humble |
Why the wrong answers are tempting
- ✕ 教えて くれましたThe most tempting choice: the favour does come to you. But with 先生に the verb must be a receiving one, and くれる is too casual for a teacher anyway.
- ✕ 教えて やりましたやる means you did the favour, for someone below you. Doing it for your teacher is the wrong direction and rude.
- ✕ 教えて あげましたあげる means you did the favour for someone else — as if you taught the teacher. Wrong direction.
More examples
- 先生に作文を直していただきました。My teacher corrected my essay for me.
- 先生が作文を直してくださいました。The same thing, with the teacher as the subject.
- 友だちに傘を貸してもらった。My friend lent me an umbrella.
- 妹に絵本を読んであげた。I read a picture book to my little sister.
Check the particle first. 先生に → you received: もらう / いただく. 先生が → they gave: くれる / くださる.