～させてください/～させてくださる

Today’s Grammar Point: ～させてください/～させてくださる

Yesterday I talked about ～させていただく. Today I’m going to talk about ～させてくださる, which is an expression to express gratitude to someone for letting me do ～. させて part is the てform of the causative form of a verb and くださる/くださいます is the honorific version (尊敬語そんけいご) of くれる/くれます (to give me). This is part of 敬語けいご, respectful language. To get a general feel of 敬語けいご, watch this video.

～させてください is used when you are asking for permission, so you can translate it as “Please let me ～.” The person who is doing the action is “me” but it’s in the form of “letting me ～,” thus the word わたし (if used) should be followed by the particle に, not は or が。

Connections

• [てform of a causative form verb ] + くださる
• [てform of a causative form verb ] + くださいます

but as all causative form verb ends in -せる/-せます (ichi-dan), you can remember it as

• [causative form verb stem] + てくださる/くださいます
• [causative form verb stem] + てください

For how to change verbs into their causative form, see causative verbs (-aせる/-させる).

Examples

私わたしに案内あんないさせてください。(Today’s question sentence)
Please let me show you around.

後あとで見みさせてくださいますか。
Would you kindly let me see it later?

疲つかれたから早はやく寝ねさせてください。
Please let me go to bed early because I am so tired.

この絵えを買かわせてくださいませんか。
Could you please let me purchase this painting?

ここで待またせてください。
Please let me wait here.

少すこし考かんがえさせてください。
Please let me think about it for a while.

先週せんしゅうのパーティーに来こさせてくださいました。
He kindly let me come to last week’s party.

今日きょうははやく帰かえらせてくださいました。
She kindly let me go home early today.

他ほかの人ひとより先さきに読よませてくださいました。
He kindly let me read it before other people.

たくさん学まなばせてくださったんです。
She kindly let me learn a lot.

演奏えんそうを聞きかせてくださいました。
(Thanks to your kindness) I’ve listened to it.

こどもたちにプールで泳およがせてくださったんですよ。
She was kind enough to let children swim in the pool.

Answer to Today’s question: a

a. わたしに案内あんないさせてください。correct answer
b. わたしは案内あんないさせてください。This is not too far off but it means more like “there are many things I can do but please let me show you around, rather than anything else.”
c. わたしに案内あんないしてください。Please show me around. (more like “bring things to me” rather than “take me around”)
d. わたしを案内あんないしてください。Please show me around. (take me around)

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