Grammar › Giving & Receiving
てあげる — doing something for someone
Describes doing a favor for someone else, viewed from the giver's side
てあげる attaches to the te-form of a verb to describe doing an action for someone else's benefit. It views the favor from the giver's perspective — “I did X for them.” Because it highlights the doer's own generosity, using it toward someone of higher status can sound presumptuous, so it's often dropped when speaking directly to the person you helped.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Te-form + あげる | 手伝ってあげます — I'll help (them) out |
| Polite: さしあげる | 貸してさしあげます — I'll lend (it) to you (very polite) |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 友達に本を貸してあげました。 | ともだちにほんをかしてあげました。 tomodachinihonwokashiteagemashita。 | I lent my friend a book. |
| 道が分からない人に教えてあげました。 | みちがわからないひとにおしえてあげました。 michigawakaranaihitonioshieteagemashita。 | I told a lost person the way. |
| 妹の宿題を手伝ってあげます。 | いもうとのしゅくだいをてつだってあげます。 imoutonoshukudaiwotetsudatteagemasu。 | I'll help my little sister with her homework. |
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Watch out
Don't say 先生に教えてあげました to your teacher's face — even though it's grammatically fine, framing a favor to someone above you as “I did this for you” can sound arrogant. Just drop あげる: 先生に教えました. Save てあげる for peers, kids, or describing the favor to a third party.