Japanese with Manga

Wave for me with 〜てくれる

Grammar Explanation: Receiving kindness with 〜てくれる

Manga panel from よつばと！ showing example of Wave for me with 〜てくれる.
よつばと！ » Volume 1 » Page 8

Yotsuba and her father are driving to their new home. As they pass a school letting out, Yotsuba waves to a student. When the student waves back, Yotsuba tells her father to wave too.

よつば:
「おねーちゃんが手(て)ぇふった！　とーちゃんもふれ！」
“The girl waved! Daddy, you wave too!”
Literal: “The girl waved! Dad, wave too!”
父(とう)さん:
「とーちゃん手(て)がはなせないからな俺(おれ)の分(ぶん)もよつばがふってくれ」
“Dad's hands are full, so Yotsuba, please wave for me too.”
Literal: “Dad can't let go of his hands, so Yotsuba, wave for me too.”

Key Points

1ふってくれ = “wave for me”
  • ふって is the te-form of ふる, “to wave” a hand.
  • 〜てくれ is the plain request form of 〜てくれる. Dad asks Yotsuba to wave for him.
2俺(おれ)の分(ぶん)も = for my share too
  • 俺(おれ)の分(ぶん) means “my portion/share.” Dad means the wave he would give if his hands were free.
  • も adds “too/as well”. Dad wants Yotsuba to wave for herself and for him.
3Why Dad cannot do it himself
  • 手(て)がはなせない means “cannot let go of his hands”. Dad means he cannot take his hands off the steering wheel.
  • からな gives the reason in casual, masculine speech: “because, you know…”
4Casual sentence flow
  • Read the line with pauses: とーちゃん手(て)がはなせないからな、俺(おれ)の分(ぶん)も、よつばがふってくれ.
  • よつばが marks Yotsuba as the person doing the wave in Dad’s place.

Vocabulary

(I)

俺(おれ) means “I” or “me”. Men commonly use it in casual speech, and it sounds rougher and more masculine than 私(わたし) or 僕(ぼく).

See Also

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