Making Sense of Japanese Grammar

31. The auxiliary verb -morau comes with -ni; the auxiliary verbs -ageru and -kureru do not

31 The auxiliary verb -morau comes with -ni; the auxiliary verbs -ageru and -kureru do not The non-subject participant particle -ni is associated with many main verbs, but only a handful of auxiliary verbs take this particle. They are the causative form, the passive form, -morau, and -hoshii, all of which have an agent of action different from the subject: Watashi-wa Akira-ni saki-ni ikaseta. “I had Akira go ahead.” = “Akira went ahead. I had him do so.” Watashi-wa Akira-ni saki-ni ikareta. “I was inconvenienced by Akira’s going ahead.” = “Akira went ahead, and I was inconvenienced by it.” Watashi-wa Akira-ni saki-ni itte-moratta. “I had Akira go ahead (and was grateful).” = “Akira went ahead. I asked him to do so.” Watashi-wa Akira-ni saki-ni itte-hoshii. “I want Akira to go ahead.” = “Akira goes ahead. That is what I want.” The auxiliary verbs -ageru (out-bound favor) and -kureru (in-bound favor) may appear similar to the auxiliary -morau, but they are quite different from the latter. The auxiliary verb -morau is similar to the causative form in that it has a ni-marked agent-benefactor different from the grammatical subject. The auxiliary verbs -ageru and -kureru, on the other hand, do not come with the particle -ni, as their grammatical subject is the agent-benefactor of an action: Watashi-wa saki-ni itte-ageta. “I went ahead (for someone).” 76 Akira-wa saki-ni itte-kureta. “Akira went ahead (for me). It sometimes appears as if the auxiliary verbs -ageru and -kureru also come with the particle -ni: Watashi-wa Akira-ni hon-o katte-ageta. “I bought a book for Akira.” Akira-wa watashi-ni hon-o katte-kureta. “Akira bought a book for me.” This type of -ni, however, is not associated with auxiliary verbs. It marks a goal and is associated with a verb of transaction, as the following examples with the verb kau “to buy” demonstrate: Watashi-wa Akira-ni hon-o katta. “I bought Akira a book.” Akira-wa watashi-ni hon-o katta. “Akira bought me a book.” A verb like iku “to go,” which does not mean a transaction, does not allow ni-marked noun phrases, as the following examples demonstrate: * *Watashi-wa Akira-ni saki-ni itta. * *Akira-wa watashi-ni saki-ni itta. Adding -ageru or -kureru does not make them grammatical: * *Akira-wa watashi-ni saki-ni itte-kureta. * 77 *Watashi-wa Akira-ni saki-ni itte-ageta. Make sure that you do not confuse the main verbs ageru “to give (out-bound)” and kureru “to give (in-bound)” with their auxiliary counterparts; the former allow the use of -ni: Watashi-wa Akira-ni hon-o ageta. “I gave Akira a book.” Akira-wa watashi-ni hon-o katta. “Akira gave me a book.” Checking your comprehension: Explain why the following sentence is ungrammatical: * *Watashi-wa Akira-ni benkyoo-o mite-ageta. 78 For related topics, see also Unit 30. ...