Japanese with Manga

Having you eat carrots for me with 〜てもらう

Grammar Explanation: Having someone do something with 〜てもらう

Manga panel from あしたは土曜日 showing example of Having you eat carrots for me with 〜てもらう.
あしたは土曜日 » Volume 春・夏 » Page 35

Yukari offers Mina the carrots from her lunch, as Yukari doesn’t like carrots. Mina gladly accepts them and offers Yukari one of her dumplings in return.

ユカリ:
「えー悪(わる)いよ、苦手(にがて)なもの食(た)べてもらうのに。」
“Eh~, I feel bad making you eat something I don't like.”
Literal: “Eh, I feel bad, even though I'm having you eat something I'm bad with.”
ミナ:
「いいよー　私(わたし)にんじん好(す)きだしー。」
“It's fine~ I like carrots anyway~.”

Key Points

1〜てもらう = someone does something for you
  • Yukari uses 食(た)べてもらう because Mina is doing the action, but Yukari is the one receiving the favor.
  • Here the favor is not “getting food”; it is having Mina eat the carrots that Yukari doesn’t like.
2苦手(にがて)なもの = “something I’m bad with”
  • 苦手(にがて) is softer than simply saying 嫌(きら)い; it frames carrots as something Yukari has trouble with.
  • The noun phrase 苦手(にがて)なもの modifies the food Mina is eating for her.
3Ending with のに keeps the apology in the air
  • 〜のに often means “even though”, but here it trails off after 悪(わる)いよ, giving the sense “I feel bad, even though you’re eating it for me…”

Vocabulary

(Weak point)

苦手(にがて) refers to a situation where one is not skilled at a particular task or activity, or to a person with whom one does not get along, finds difficult to deal with, or dislikes.

See Also

あしたは土曜日 © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.