Causative Verbs Extensively borrowed from Rubin, J “Gone Fishin’”, Power Japanese (1992: Kodansha:Tokyo) Created by K McMahon

本日は休ませていただきます。 （ほんじつは やすませて いただきます） 本日は休ませていただきます。 （ほんじつは　やすませて　いただきます） This is a sign in a shop window. いみは　どう思いますか。

本日は休ませていただきます。 本日（ほんじつ） today いただきます humbly receive (from who?) 休ませて　（やすませて）causative form of 休む to rest – the person will receive rest いみはどう思いますか。

本日は休ませていただきます There are two unknown subjects here, X and Y “X will humbly receive Y’s letting X rest”  “(We, the shopkeepers), humbly receive (from you, the exalted customer,) (your) letting (us) rest today.”  “We thank you for allowing us to have the day off”  “Closed”  “Gone fishin’” Not all causatives are this tricky…

Causative – how to make https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZOVoW5y40Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4nYkPJ-J68 See also Mirai 6 p. 148

Causative – make AND let? There is no distinction between making someone do something, and letting someone do something. Both are expressed by causative verbs (and 日本人 often struggle with the difference in English) The context needs to tell the story – e.g. Causative form of 休む is 休ませる – we’re unlikely to force someone to rest against their will!

全部（ぜんぶ）食べさせた。 Made/Let (someone) eat it all. If causative means that someone is making OR letting someone else do something, then there must be two people involved – even if the Japanese sentence may not mention them! Use of 「あげる」or 「くれる」with the causative verb will often suggest the “let someone do” meaning 全部（ぜんぶ）食べさせた。 Made/Let (someone) eat it all. 全部食べさせてくれた。 Let (someone) eat it all.

書かせて くれる かかせて  かく (to write) 書かせて　くれる かかせて　 かく (to write) “He gave me his causing to write” – very context dependent. If we were talking about Fred, it could mean “He gave me his causing Fred to write  He did me a favour and got Fred to write it” or “He kindly had Fred write it for me” If no third person, then “He gave me his causing to write”  “He did me a favour and let me write it”/”He kindly allowed me to write it” “He” is the subject of the final verb くれる and doesn’t do the writing: he does the causing, and he does it for me.

Examples (from http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/causepass) 先生が学生に宿題をたくさんさせた。 Teacher made students do lots of homework. 先生が質問をたくさん聞かせてくれた。 Teacher let (someone) ask lots of questions. 今日は仕事を休ませてください。 Please let me rest from work today. (Please let me take the day off today.) その部長（ぶちょう）は、よく長時間（ちょうじかん）働かせる。 That manager often makes (people) work long hours. Your turn: p. 148