Lesson 63
Te Form + kureru
In Lesson 55 we did kudasai, the polite "please" used for favors requested. Kureru is used in generally the same way, and it's used constantly in familiar daily conversation when rank or "greatness" doesn't need to be worried about. Let's plug kureru into some example sentences:
- Rokuji ni kite kureru? (Will you please come at six?)
- Jitensha o kashite kureru? (Would you please loan me your bicycle?)
You'll hear plain kureru after the Te Form a lot. This is the simplest way to ask a favor, but I wouldn't use it on my boss or the emperor when he's in town. It's good for family members and close friends. Some people add the question-forming no on the end. This is also often used as a way to confirm something which appears to be obvious but wasn't expected. For example, if someone appears to be getting ready to pay for your lunch (and you don't mind), you might say Ah, ogotte kureru no?, which literally means "Oh, are you going to (kindly) pay for mine?" When using kureru without no for a sincere request, it's customary to say kureru with a rising "pretty please" kind of intonation.
A masu ending always makes verbs sound nicer, and works great when talking to colleagues or about others:
- Denwa bangou o oshiete kuremasu ka. (Will you please tell me your phone number?)
- Ritsuko wa heya o souji shite kuremashita. (Ritsuko kindly cleaned the room.)
Use plain negative nai for an urgent, repeated request, especially one that's already been turned down:
- Kyuukei sasete kurenai ka. (Won't you please let me take a break?)
- Watashitachi to issho ni kite kurenai no. (Won't you please come with us?)
(Kurenai no is softer than kurenai ka.)
And finally, there is the "kure command":
- Kite kure. (Please come here.)
- Matte kure. (Please wait.)
I recommend avoiding this one until you get a feel for its various nuances according to intonation used. Again, this is the "command" form of kureru, and it could be offensive in some cases. (You might say that it takes all the "please" out of kureru.) There may not be a big difference between kudasaimashita and kuremashita, but there is a huge difference between kudasai and kure. In fact, a verb in Te Form with nothing after it can sound nicer than with kure, depending on intonation. After watching enough Japanese TV or movies, you'll see what I mean.
Word Check
kasu: to lend
ogoru: to treat (someone) to a meal
denwa bangou: telephone number
oshieru: to tell; to teach
heya: a room
souji suru: to clean
kyuukei suru: to take a break
issho ni: together; with
(Verbs are shown in their plain form.)
|
