Japanese with Manga

Asking to teach with 〜てもいい

Grammar Explanation: Permission to do with 〜てもいい

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When Syaro is invited to study at the library with the others, she considers Rize may praise her for helping the others.

シャロ:
「そ　そんなに言(い)うなら教(おし)えてあげてもいいかなー」
“I-if you insist that much, maybe I could teach you if that's okay.”
Literal: “I-if you say it that much, I wonder if it is okay even if I teach you.”

Key Points

1てもいい softens the offer
  • 教えてあげる by itself can sound very direct or self-important.
  • 教えてあげてもいいかなー makes it more like “maybe I could teach you, if you insist.”
2教(おし)えてあげる means teaching as a favor
  • The base action is 教える, “to teach”.
  • あげる frames the teaching as something Sharo would do for someone else’s benefit.
3The receiver is left unstated
  • No 〜に phrase appears in the line.
  • The situation supplies the receiver: the people Sharo imagines helping at the library.

See Also

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