〜てもらう: Having Someone Do Something For You (Meaning + Examples)
The layer もらう adds to the verb
On its own, a verb just reports an action: 教える, "someone teaches." Attach もらう and you lay a second layer on top — the action was done for your benefit, and you are on the receiving end of it. 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 layer it adds is direction of benefit: whatever the verb describes, the person who benefits becomes 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.
What it attaches to, and who takes which particle
Any action verb that someone can do on your behalf can carry もらう. You attach it to the て-form of that verb, and もらう itself 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.
Because the sentence is told from the receiver's side, the two roles split across two particles — and this is the part learners stumble on:
- 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.
〜てもらう in real sentences
Once 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) to sound polite and humble:
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.
And because もらう is about receiving, its potential form turns the whole pattern into 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.
How it sits against てくれる and てあげる
もらう is one of three favor verbs, and telling them apart is the classic N5 trap. The trick is that 〜てもらう and 〜てくれる can describe the same event — they just choose a different subject — while てあげる flips the direction of the favor entirely:
- 〜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 puts you in the giver's seat. That contrast is exactly where the everyday slips happen:
- 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 ✗).
The short version
- 〜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.
Practice it
Choose the correct particle and favor verb for each 〜てもらう sentence.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
友達に日本語を＿＿＿。
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.
Where 〜てもらう fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- Causative Form · N4 — The Japanese causative (使役形, 〜させる) means make OR let someone do something. Learn how to form it, when it's coercion vs. permission, the を/に particle rule, and 〜させてください.
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
Don't confuse it with
- 〜てあげる · N5 — 〜てあげる means you do an action FOR someone as a favour, from the giver's side. Learn the て-form + あげる pattern, the に particle, the さしあげる/やる politeness levels, and the condescension trap.
- 〜ていただく · N4 — 〜ていただく is the humble version of 〜てもらう: you receive the favor of someone doing something. Learn the に particle, 〜させていただく, and polite requests with 〜ていただけますか.
- 〜てくれる · N5 — 〜てくれる means someone does something FOR you as a kindness: モチが手伝ってくれた. Learn the form, the polite 〜てくださる, the request 〜てくれませんか, and how it differs from 〜てあげる and 〜てもらう.
- The て-form · N5 — The て-form is the gateway to dozens of Japanese grammar patterns. Learn the conjugation rules for every verb group, the famous song trick, and see clear examples.
Once this clicks, go on to
- 〜ていただく · N4 — 〜ていただく is the humble version of 〜てもらう: you receive the favor of someone doing something. Learn the に particle, 〜させていただく, and polite requests with 〜ていただけますか.
- 〜がほしい · N5 — ほしい expresses wanting a thing (a noun): 〜がほしい. Learn the formation, the が particle, the 〜てほしい variant ('want someone to do'), and how it differs from 〜たい.
Compared side by side
See how this pattern differs from the ones it's confused with:
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- なんて / なんか — なんか softens or gives a vague example ('something like'); なんて means 'such as / things like,' often dismissive or surprised. Learn the nuance, formation, and when to avoid them.
- 〜たり〜たり — 〜たり〜たり lists representative actions ('doing things like A and B'). Learn the formation from the た-form, the する at the end, and how it differs from plain て-form listing.
- と — The particle と joins nouns into a complete list ('A and B'), means 'with' someone, and pairs with 同じ/違う for comparisons. Learn how と differs from や.
- や — The particle や lists nouns as examples, not a full set: 本やペンがある ('books, pens, and such'). Learn how や differs from と, and how to pair it with など.
- の — の links nouns (A's B), replaces a noun ('the red one'), turns verbs into nouns (走るのが速い), and softens casual questions (どうしたの?). Learn all four uses.