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Languages Study | Languages of the East | Japanese III

ÀÓÄÈÎ 423 | GRAMMAR II - 16.02 : ~te itadakemasen ka?
 
Grammar II - 16.02 Grammar L4 - 007 Menu - Grammar
...ていただけませんか ~te itadakemasen ka?
  We will learn three new ways to make a request. They differ in the degrees of politeness shown to the person you are asking.
 

いただけませんか - itadake-masen ka: Used with the te-form of a verb.
More appropriate than ください - kudasai ("do to me") when you request a favor from a non-peer or from a stranger.
ちょっと手伝っていただけませんか？ Would you lend me a hand?

chotto tetsudatte tadakemasen ka?

  
   
 

くれませんか - kuremasen ka: Used with the te-form of a verb.
This is a request which is roughly equal in the degree of politeness to ください - kudasai.
Most appropriate in the host-family context.
ちょっと待ってくれませんか？ Will you wait for a second?
Wouldn't you wait a little?

chotto matte kuremasen ka?

  
   
   
 

くれない - kurenai: Used with the te-form of a verb.
Asks for a favor in a very casual way.
This is good for speaking with members of your peer group.
それ取ってくれない？
それ取って？		 Pick that thing up (and pass it to me), will you?
sore totte kurenai?
sore totte? 		 
itadakemasen ka comes from itadakeru, the potential verb which in turn comes from itadaku , "to receive (something or a favor) from somebody higher up."

We also have kudasai-masen ka, which comes from the verb kudasaru, "somebody higher up gives me (something or a favor)."
kudasai is historically a truncation of kudasai-masen ka.

The variants of the itadakemasen ka pattern are listed in what is felt by most native speakers to be the order of decreasing politeness.
In addition to these, each verb can be used in the affirmative as well as in the negative.
～て　いただけません　か

wouldn't you do this favor for me?
いただける、いただく itadakeru, the potential verb for itadaku - to accept, to receive
   
～て　くださいません　か do to me, isn't it?
くださる kudasaru - to give, to confer
   
～て　もらえません　か receive, isn't' it?
もらえる、もらう moraeru, the potential verb for morau - to receive
   
～て　くれません　か give (to me), can't you?
くれる kureru - to be given
   
～て　もらえない？ receive, isn't' it?
もらえる moraeru, short (informal) form
   
～て　くれない？ give (to me), can't you?
くれる kureru, short (informal) form