Want you to let me explain with 〜させてほしい

Grammar Explanation: Want you do to something with 〜てほしい

Takeo tries helping the girl who likes his friend Sunakawa. When Takeo receives a call from his own girlfriend, he realizes he’s alone with another girl.

たけお:: 「すまん大和(やまと)に事情(じじょう)説明(せつめい)させてほしい」; “Sorry, I'd like you to let me explain the situation to Yamato.”; 「ゆきかちゃんが砂川(すな)を好(す)きだってこと大和(やまと)に話(はな)していいか？」; “Is it all right if I tell Yamato you like Suna?”

Note: Takeo calls Sunakawa “Suna”, which is why the furigana on 砂川 is すな.

Key Points

させてほしい = “I want you to let me…”
- This combines the causative form させる (“to let/make [someone] do”) with 〜てほしい (“I want you to…”)
- Pattern: Causative verb + てほしい → “I want you to let me [do X]”.
- Here, 説明(せつめい)させてほしい means “I want you to let me explain”.
Breaking down the causative: 説明(せつめい)する → 説明(せつめい)させる
- The base verb is 説明(せつめい)する (“to explain”).
- Causative form: 説明(せつめい)させる → “to let/make [someone] explain”.
- Adding 〜てほしい directs the request to the listener: “(I want) you to let me explain”.
Implicit subject and object
- The speaker (Takeo) wants permission from the listener to explain something.
- Full thought: “(You) let me explain [the situation] to Yamato; that’s what I want.”
- The に in 大和(やまと)に marks Yamato as the recipient of the explanation.
Polite urgency with すまん + させてほしい
- Starting with すまん (“sorry”) softens the request and shows awareness of the inconvenience.
- This makes させてほしい feel more like “please allow me to…” rather than a blunt demand.