〜てもらう: Having Someone Do Something For You (Meaning + Examples)
What it means
〜てもらう describes an action done for your benefit by someone else — you are on the receiving end of the favor. The literal verb もらう means "to receive," so 〜てもらう is "to receive the doing of something." In English we'd say "I had the teacher teach me" or "I got my brother to help." The key idea: the person who benefits is the subject of the sentence.
ヤッタンは先生に漢字を教えてもらった。
ヤッタンは せんせいに かんじを おしえて もらった。
Yattan had the teacher teach him kanji.
Receiver (ヤッタン) is the subject; the doer (先生) takes に.
ヤッタンはモチに宿題を手伝ってもらった。
ヤッタンは モチに しゅくだいを てつだって もらった。
Yattan got Mochi to help him with his homework.
ヤッタンはお父さんに自転車を直してもらいました。
ヤッタンは おとうさんに じてんしゃを なおして もらいました。
Yattan had his dad fix his bicycle.
How to form it
Take the て-form of the verb and attach もらう. もらう is a regular う-verb, so it conjugates normally:
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain present | 〜てもらう | 教えてもらう (have someone teach me) |
| Polite present | 〜てもらいます | 教えてもらいます |
| Plain past | 〜てもらった | 教えてもらった (had someone teach me) |
| Polite past | 〜てもらいました | 教えてもらいました |
| Polite (humble) | 〜ていただく | 教えていただく |
If you can make the て-form, you can make this pattern — that's why the て-form is worth drilling first.
Who is who: particles
This is the part learners stumble on. With 〜てもらう, the sentence is told from the receiver's side:
- The receiver (the one who benefits) is the subject — が/は.
- The doer/giver (the one who performs the action) is marked with に (sometimes から).
モチは友だちにペンを貸してもらった。
モチは ともだちに ペンを かして もらった。
Mochi had a friend lend her a pen.
Receiver は + doer に — the standard pattern.
ヤッタンの弟は先生から本を読んでもらった。
ヤッタンの おとうとは せんせいから ほんを よんで もらった。
Yattan's little brother had the teacher read him a book.
から can replace に, common with verbs of giving/telling.
Polite and humble: 〜ていただく
To sound polite and humble — especially when the doer is a superior, a teacher, or a stranger — swap もらう for いただく (the humble form of もらう):
ヤッタンは先生に作文を見ていただきました。
ヤッタンは せんせいに さくぶんを みて いただきました。
Yattan had the teacher look over his essay.
ていただく = the humble, polite version of てもらう.
Making requests: 〜てもらえませんか
Because もらう is about receiving, its potential form is a natural, soft way to ask for a favor — "could I have you…?":
- 〜てもらえませんか — polite request ("could you…?").
- 〜ていただけませんか — even more polite/humble ("could I trouble you to…?").
モチ、ちょっと手伝ってもらえませんか。
モチ、ちょっと てつだって もらえませんか。
Mochi, could you help me a little?
先生、もう一度説明していただけませんか。
せんせい、もういちど せつめいして いただけませんか。
Teacher, could I trouble you to explain it once more?
ていただけませんか is the politest everyday request form.
てもらう vs てくれる vs てあげる
These three favor verbs describe who does what for whom, and mixing them up is the classic N5 trap.
The trick: 〜てもらう and 〜てくれる can describe the same event — they just choose a different subject.
- 〜てもらう — the receiver is the subject. ヤッタンはモチに手伝ってもらった = "Yattan got Mochi to help him." (Focus on Yattan, who received.)
- 〜てくれる — the giver is the subject. モチがヤッタンを手伝ってくれた = "Mochi helped Yattan (for him)." (Focus on Mochi, who acted.)
- 〜てあげる — you do something for someone else. ヤッタンはモチを手伝ってあげた = "Yattan helped Mochi." (You are the giver of the favor.)
So てもらう and てくれる look at the same kindness from opposite sides, while てあげる flips the direction: now you are the one giving.
Common mistakes
- Marking the doer with が instead of に. The performer takes に (or から): 先生に教えてもらった (✓), not 先生がてもらった.
- Confusing てもらう with てくれる. With てもらう the receiver is the subject; with てくれる the giver is. ヤッタンは…てもらった vs モチが…てくれた.
- Using てもらう when you are the helper. If you do the favor for someone, use てあげる, not てもらう.
- Forgetting the て-form. It's verb-て + もらう (手伝ってもらう), never the dictionary form (手伝うもらう ✗).
Quick recap
- 〜てもらう = receive the favor of someone doing something for you.
- The receiver is the subject (が/は); the doer takes に (or から).
- Polite/humble: 〜ていただく; soft requests: 〜てもらえませんか / 〜ていただけませんか.
- てくれる = same event, but the giver is the subject; てあげる = you do it for someone.
Your turn
Choose the correct particle and favor verb for each 〜てもらう sentence.
Start the 5-question drill →Take the full N5 〜てもらう drill →
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between てもらう and てくれる?
They can describe the same event from opposite sides. With てもらう the receiver is the subject (ヤッタンはモチに手伝ってもらった = Yattan got Mochi to help him). With てくれる the giver is the subject (モチがヤッタンを手伝ってくれた = Mochi helped Yattan).
Which particle marks the person who does the action?
The doer takes に — 先生に教えてもらった ('I had the teacher teach me'). から also works, especially with verbs of telling or giving: 先生から教えてもらった.
How do I say it more politely?
Swap もらう for いただく, the humble form: 見ていただきました ('had someone look it over'). For polite requests use 〜てもらえませんか or the politer 〜ていただけませんか ('could I have you…?').
When do I use てあげる instead?
Use てあげる when you are the one doing the favor for someone else: ヤッタンはモチを手伝ってあげた ('Yattan helped Mochi'). てもらう is for receiving a favor, not giving one.