JLPT N5 - あげる
At its simplest, あげる means “to give”. At the N5 level, it’s used for giving physical things such as presents, money, water (to plants), food (to pets), etc. There is another way it can be used, but that is for a later JLPT level. For now, let’s get into how you can talk about giving in Japanese.
First, here is the vocabulary for this post.
【うちそと Culture】
Before we get into the details of あげる, please take a look at this post I wrote about the concept of うちそと. Knowing about this mindset / worldview will help you understand the nuances of using あげる.
When you use あげる, you are thinking about giving in the 外 (outward) direction. In English, this doesn’t affect the words we use, but in Japanese it is actually very important when it comes to word choice and how you think the receiver will feel about the action of giving.
【The Grammar of あげる】
Basically there are 4 parts to every あげる sentence that you should be thinking about. The first 3 are marked with particles and the last part is the verb.
Here is an example sentence:
① 【けんじは】【トムに】【腕時計を】あげた。 = As for Kenji, to Tom, a watch gave = Kenji gave Tom a watch.
In a sentence like #1 it’s easy to see the 3 parts clearly marked with particles and then the verb at the end. Unfortunately you WILL NOT always see simple sentences like this, so let’s look at each part one by one, along with the cultural context behind あげる.
【The Giver】
Most of the time, the giver will be marked by the は (or sometimes the が) particle. This is because あげる sets up the action of giving from the giver’s perspective.
Sometimes, it is obvious who the giver is, so that phrase can be completely left out of the sentence.
② 【会社の人たちに】【お土産を】あげると思う。 = to the people at (my) company, souvenirs will give I think = I think I’m going to give the people at my company souvenirs.
In this sentence it would be clear that the speaker is the giver. Therefore it’s not necessary to include a 私は phrase.
【The Receiver】
When it comes to giving, there are 4 situations where it’s appropriate to use the verb あげる:
① When you give something to someone inside your inner circle ② When you give something to anyone outside your inner circle ③ When someone in your inner circle gives something to someone outside your inner circle ④ When someone outside your inner circle gives something to another person outside your inner circle
Numbers 1-3 can be described as the act of giving while moving towards そと. Number 4 can be described as giving that doesn’t happen in your inner circle. Here is a helpful visualization:
It’s important to understand that built into the word あげる is an expectation of gratitude. If you don’t think that the receiver will be happy to receive the item, you have to use a different verb! This also means that you don’t use あげる with people in a higher social status than you, or with loved ones. This can come off as rude, or as condescending.
【What Is Being Given】
In most sentences, whatever is being given is very simply marked with the を particle. However, there are times when the を particle or the positioning of what is being given will change. Take a look at these three example sentences:
Example 3a is the “default version”. The doll is marked with the を particle so we immediately know that it will be given to someone (the section manager’s wife).
For example 3b I want you to imagine that you are in a souvenir shop. You’ve bought a couple of things already, but you haven‘t decided which gifts will go to whom. All of a sudden, you see a doll that catches your eye. You immediately think to yourself, “that doll is perfect for the section manager’s wife”. Putting the item being given (that is, the doll) at the head of the sentence shows that 1) you are putting the focus of your sentence on that item and 2) there is a kind of impulsiveness to the giving. It’s kind of an instant decision.
Compare that with example 3c. Now I want you to imagine that you are in your house. You bought a bunch of dolls but you haven’t decided which one will go to whom. You pick up one of them and after some thought you say, “Ok I’ll give THIS one to the section manager’s wife.” Marking the doll with は serves to emphasize that there are several dolls, but you are highlighting one of them for a specific reason. It also shows that it WAS NOT an instant decision; some thought went into your decision.
This kind of distinction takes a really long time to understand and really “feel” but I hope that by explaining it to you now, it might stay with you somewhere deep inside your mind. You might even experiment with using sentences like 3b and 3c and surprise your Japanese friends!
【Alternative Verbs】
Lastly, let’s talk about your choice of verbs. You can actually adjust the level of “closeness” that the reader / listener feels by changing the verb that you use! あげる, あげた, あげます, あげました, etc. are used for a “default” level of closeness.
However, if the receiver is someone in a higher social position (for example a professor, a doctor, a boss, a politician, etc.) you would instead use the related verb さしあげる. This verb actually serves to humble yourself - and thus elevates the listener / reader.
④ 【この本は】ただでさしあげます。 = as for this book, for nothing will give = I will give you this book for free.
From this sentence you can tell that the giver and the receiver are on different levels, socially. (This is a little different than うちそと.) The listener will feel an elevated level respect simply by hearing the さしあげる verb.
On the other hand, if the receiver is someone VERY close to you, you can show that closeness by using the verb やる instead of あげる. やる is often used with pets and plants.
⑤ 【彼女は】【犬に】【えさを】やるのを忘れた。 = as for her, to (her) dog food giving forgot = She forgot to give her dog food.
As it turns out, this is why I keep on saying “what is given” instead of “a present” or “a gift”. Giving water to plants or food to pets is not a present or a gift.
Here is a visual representation of the 3 different verbs that you can use when talking about giving (from the giver’s perspective):
Here is 1 last example:
= as for apples I give to you, there are none = I don’t have any apples to give you.
As you can see in example #6, it’s possible to state a giver and a receiver. Then you can use あげる in order to describe what is being given. Once you do that, you will then have an extended topic which you can comment on.
【Conclusion】
So there you have it! あげる and its related verbs (さしあげる and やる) all express the idea of giving - moving in the 外 (outward) direction. However, you have to keep the Japanese concept of うちそと in mind. In a different post, we’ll look at the ways to talk about giving and receiving - but in the 内 (inward) direction. Stay tuned!
Rice & Peace!
-AL (アル)
👋🏾
