Japanese Verbs Thirteen

In this Japanese Verbs Thirteen, of our Learn Japanese series, we will look at how to get people to do things for you, using itadaku and morau.

You have already come across how to do this using ...saseru, but you'll hear this one more often in day to day conversation.

Morau is more informal, whereas itadaku is more polite.

Itadaku means "I humbly partake…"

Even more polite is itadakimasen ka and if you want to increase the politeness level even more, then try itadikimasen deshou ka.

Use the "...tte" form with this construction.

For example, if you wanted to say, "Would you please call Mr Ito?"

To call Mr Ito = Ito-san ni denwa suru.

This becomes: Ito-san ni denwa shite

Now add "itadakimasu" and the question marker:

Ito-san ni denwa shite itadakimasu ka.

Plain Form    "te" form       +itadaku                     Kanji/Kana

Kuru              kite          kite itadakimasu           来ていただきます

Suru             shite         shite itadakimasu          していただきます

Verbs that end in "ru:"

Miru              mite          mite itadakimasu          見ていただきます

Taberu          tabete       tabete itadakimasu       食べていただきます

Verbs that end in "u:"

Matsu           matte        matte itadakimasu        待っていただきます

Yomu           yonde         yonde itadakimasu       読んでいただきます

Modoru        modotte      modotte itadakimasu    戻っていただきます

After the word list are a few examples:

Jill = ジル　shopping = 買い物　= かいもの　this = この　report =  レポート　

to write = 書く = かく　letter = 手紙 =　てがみ　French = フランス語　= フランスご

translate =　翻訳する　= ほんやくする

I will get Jill to do the shopping

   .ジルに買い物をしていただきます。

I want you to write this report.

   このレポートを書いていただきたいです。

I got my letter translated into French.

   手紙をフランス語に翻訳してもらいました。

To make this construction even more polite than it already is

Would you please call Jill?

   .ジルに電話していただきますか。

More polite:

   .ジルに電話していただきませんか。

Even more polite:

   .ジルに電話していただきませんでしょうか。

Practice

Basic Japanese vocabulary for the below exercise.

It's written first in English, then kanji and finally hiragana:

Favourite = 好き　= すき　pizza = ピザ　to deliver = 宅配 =　たくはいする　

Mr Suzuki = 鈴木さん　= すずきさん　to enter = 入る =　はいる

wine list = ワインリスト　to show = 見せる　= みせる　a little = ちょっと　

to help = 手伝う =　てつだう　excuse me = すみませんが  that= その　apple = りんご　

to pass = 取る　= とる　pencil = 鉛筆　= えんぴつ　to bite = 噛む　= かむ

a particle that makes a noun out of the preceeding verb = の　to stop = やめる　

again = また　when = と　happy = うれしい　to telephone = 電話する　= でんわする

name =　お名前　= おなまえ　to inform = 教える = おしえる　5 o'clock = 五時に　ごじに

form =　調査票　= ちょうさひょう　to fill out = 記入する = きにゅうする　

grandpa = おじいさん　shop = 店　= みせ　to go = 行く　= いく

Notice also the potential (...able to...) form of the verb, as with English, raises the politeness level:

   いただける/もらえる = Can ...

Once you have done it, click here to see how you did.

Now, do it again and again until you are perfect and fast.

The only way to remember all this in Japanese Verbs Thirteen is to practice it on a regular basis.

The best way to do this is:

1. Come back to this page regularly and check yourself on the above 12 Japanese phrases.
2. Write an example of each of the tenses in a small note book, so as to practice them when you have nothing to do, like waiting for a bus.
3. Learn Japanese kanji by also writing the above kanji in a separate notebook and practicing these on a regular basis too.
   

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