てform + くれる
くれる means ‘to give (something to ME)’ on its own.
てform + くれる is used when somebody kindly does something for me, not for anybody else.
Then, how do you say ‘My father bought my older brother a cake’?
てform + くれる is used only when the action is done for ‘me’.
Use てform + あげる if the action is done for somebody other than ‘me’.
てform + あげる
あげる means ‘to give (something to somebody other than me)’ on its own.
てform + あげる is used when somebody (including I) kindly does something for somebody else or something else other than ‘me’.
てform + もらう
もらう means ‘to receive’ on its own.
てform + もらう is used when somebody (including I) receives something done by somebody else who does the action kindly.
What to receive doesn’t have to be a thing, it can be an action.
The English grammar ‘get somebody to do’ is not used to show appreciation but that could be the closest translation.
Summary
- 父は兄にケーキを買ってもらいました。(My father got my older brother to buy a cake.)
- 私は父にケーキを買ってもらいました。(I got my father to buy a cake.)
Exercise
Task: Change into English.
- 友だちがはしの使い方を教えてくれました。
- 父が駅までむかえに来てくれました。
- ホストファミリーがおいしいレストランにつれて行ってくれました。
- 手つだってくれてありがとうございます。
- 友だちにはしの使い方を教えてもらいました。
- Friends kindly taught me how to use chopsticks.
- My father kindly came to station to pick me up.
- My host family kindly took to a good restaurant.
- Thank you very much for helping me.
- I got friends to teach how to use chopsticks. (They did it kindly.)