てくれるDoes something for me or my side
てくれる says that someone does something that benefits the speaker or someone the speaker treats as part of their side. The person doing the helpful action is the subject.
Keep the viewpoint clear
The subject is the person who performs the action. The beneficiary is the speaker or someone on the speaker's side, such as a family member, friend, or team member. The beneficiary is often left unstated because the choice of くれる already points toward the speaker's side.
Actions that help the speaker's side
山本さんが壊れた椅子を直してくれました。
Mr. Yamamoto fixed the broken chair for me.
Analyze山本さん is the subject and performs the repair.
母の友達が弟に日本語を教えてくれています。
My mother's friend is teaching my younger brother Japanese for us.
AnalyzeHere the beneficiary is the speaker's younger brother, a family member on the speaker's side.
佐藤さんが会議の写真を送ってくれました。
Ms. Sato sent me the photos from the meeting.
AnalyzeMore than a neutral fact
This construction does not merely report what someone did. It presents the action as useful, welcome, or appreciated from the speaker's viewpoint. That appreciative feeling can be mild, so English often translates it simply with “for me,” “for us,” or a natural verb that fits the favor.
Questions and negatives
Changing the subject
The same helpful event can be described with the receiver as the subject. In the example below, the speaker is the subject, while Ms. Sato is marked as the person from whom the action was received. With てくれる, Ms. Sato remains the subject instead.
私は佐藤さんに会議の写真を送ってもらいました。
I had Ms. Sato send me the photos from the meeting.
AnalyzeThis describes the same event as the earlier photo example, but makes the receiver the subject.
More examples
友達が空港まで迎えに来てくれた。
A friend came to the airport to pick me up.
Analyze父が新しい机を組み立ててくれました。
My father assembled the new desk for me.
Analyze妹のために、友達が安いホテルを探してくれた。
A friend found an inexpensive hotel for my younger sister.
Analyze店員さんが別のサイズを持ってきてくれました。
The store clerk brought me a different size.
Analyze他の部署の人たちが私たちの企画を応援してくれた。
People from other departments supported our project.
Analyze雨が降ったが、近所の人が傘を貸してくれた。
It rained, but a neighbor lent me an umbrella.
Analyze