Meaning
いただく and くださる politely describe receiving from a superior or a superior's favor; やる gives downward to a junior, animal, or plant.
Formation
- いただく is the humble もらう — お土産をいただきました
- くださる is the honorific くれる; its polite form is くださいます
- With an action: て form + いただく / くださる: 教えていただきました
- さしあげる is the humble あげる, giving to a respected person: 先生にお土産をさしあげました
- やる gives downwards, to a junior, an animal or a plant: 花に水をやります. The direction decides: from a superior to me — くださる / いただく, from me to a superior — さしあげる
When to use it
- Core use
- Marks social status when giving or receiving a benefit
Examples
16 sentences-
私は社長にお土産をいただきました
I received a souvenir from the company president.
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社長が私にお土産をくださいました
The company president gave me a souvenir.
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私は孫にお菓子をやりました
I gave sweets to my grandchild.
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先生に写真を見せていただきました
The teacher kindly showed me the photographs.
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先生が推薦状を書いてくださいました
The teacher kindly wrote me a recommendation.
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毎朝犬に水を飲ませてやります
Every morning I give the dog some water.
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私は先生に重い荷物を持っていただきました
My teacher kindly carried the heavy luggage for me.
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先生が日本語の手紙を読んでくださいました
My teacher kindly read the letter in Japanese for me.
8 more examples
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毎日庭の花に水をやります
I water the flowers in the garden every day.
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先生が家族の写真を撮ってくださいました
My teacher kindly took a family photo for me.
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私は先生に京都のお土産をさしあげました
I gave my teacher a souvenir from Kyoto.
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先生が旅行の予定を調べてくださいました
My teacher kindly looked up the travel schedule for me.
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私は部長に駅まで車で送っていただきました
My department manager kindly drove me to the station.
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社長が私たちに昼ご飯をごちそうしてくださいました
The company president treated us to lunch.
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私は先生に新しいアプリを説明していただきました
My teacher kindly explained the new app for me.
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先生が必要な本を探してくださいました
The teacher kindly looked for the book I needed.
Important notes
- くださる honors a giver; いただく humbly presents receiving; 差し上げる humbly presents giving.
Common mistakes
- Choose the verb from the giver-receiver relationship, not merely because it sounds more polite.
Check yourself
Pick the translation of each sentence. The wrong options translate similar patterns, so watch the grammar rather than the words.
Similar grammar
Hear it in podcasts
The pattern appears in these episodes. They open in the app with the transcript and translation.
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