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Activities: What is the causative form in Japanese?

By: Mayumi Ito

Exercise 1: Causative form

Part A:

For each verb listed in the word bank below, make the causative form to be used in Part B.

Part B:

Fill the blanks using one of the verbs from part A. Each verb can only be used once. Don’t forget to change the form further when necessary!

  1. 父親は子供にひとりで服を。
    Chichioya wa kodomo ni hitori de fuku o ... .
    The father let the child ... by themselves.

  2. 姉は僕に飲み物を。
    Ane wa boku ni nomimono o ... .
    My older sister made me ... a drink.

  3. 先生は生徒たちに漢字を。
    Sensei wa seitotachi ni kanji o ... .
    The teacher made the students ... kanji.

  4. 洋子はジョンに靴を。
    Yōko wa Jon ni kutsu o ... .
    Yoko made John ... the shoes.

  5. 社長は部下にお客を。
    Shachō wa buka ni okyaku o ... .
    The president (of the company) made their subordinates ... the customers.

  6. 父親は子供にひとりで服を。
    Chichioya wa kodomo ni hitori de fuku o ... .
    The father let the child ... by themselves.

Exercise 2: Complete the sentences

Complete each sentence by filling blanks with the correct particle. Also try explaining your choice!

  1. 山田さん夫婦は娘ピアノとバレエを習わせている。
    Yamada san wa musume ... piano to barē o narawasete iru.
    Mr. and Mrs. Yamada let their daughter learn piano and ballet.

  2. 涼太はわがままを言って、親困らせた。
    Ryōta wa wagamama o itte, oya ... komaraseta.
    Ryota annoyed his parents by acting like a baby.

  3. コーチは選手たちテニスコートのまわりを走らせた。
    Kōchi wa senshutachi ... tenisu kōto no mawari o hashiraseta.
    The coach made the team members run around the tennis courts.

  4. 春の雨がさびしかった庭に花咲かせた。
    Haru no ame ga sabishikatta niwa ni hana ... sakaseta.
    The spring rain let flowers bloom in my desolate garden.

  5. 父は一晩中トラック走らせて、大阪へ荷物を運んでいる。
    Chichi wa hitobanjū torakku ... hashirasete, Ōsaka e nimotsu o hakonde iru.
    My father let his truck run through the night to deliver goods to Osaka.

  6. 兄は弟とすもうをとったとき、弟勝たせてやった。
    Ani wa otōto to sumō o totta toki, otōto ... katasete yatta.
    The elder brother (kindly) let his younger brother win when they played sumo wrestling.

  7. 市民たちは傲慢な市長やめさせた。
    Shimintachi wa gōman’na shichō ... yamesaseta.
    The citizens forced the arrogant mayor out of office.

Exercise 3: Check for errors

Read each situation and see if the given sentence is correct. If it’s correct, you're done! Move on to the next one. If it’s incorrect, correct the error by rewriting the sentence in the blank below. Don’t worry, there is only one error per wrong sentence! Also, key words are given to help you.

  1. You were supposed to meet your friend at 10:00 a.m. But you overslept and kept them waiting for an hour.

    Original sentence:

    私は友だちを１時間待たれた
    Transcription: Watashi wa tomodachi o ichijikan matareta.
    Translation: I waited an hour for my friend.

    Corrected version (if necessary):

  2. You had a deadline that was impossible to meet. You asked your coworker to help you, and they kindly agreed.

    Original sentence:

    私は同僚に仕事を手伝ってもらった。
    Transcription: Watashi wa dōryō ni shigoto o tetsudatte moratta.
    Translation: My coworker kindly helped me do my work.

    Corrected version (if necessary):

  3. Your younger brother used your car without asking you while you were away! As a punishment, you forced him to wash your car.

    Original sentence:

    私は弟に車を洗ってもらった。
    Transcription: Watashi wa otōto ni kuruma o aratte moratta.
    Translation: I asked my younger brother to wash the car.

    Corrected version (if necessary):

  4. Your professor hates tardiness. You (again) overslept and was late for their class, making your professor angry.

    Original sentence:

    私は教授を怒らせた。
    Transcription: Watashi wa kyōju o okoraseta.
    Translation: I made my professor angry.

    Corrected version (if necessary):

  5. You were in a vacation rental and thought it was drafty. You then noticed a window was open. You closed it.

    Original sentence:

    私は窓を閉まらせた。
    Transcription: Watashi wa mado o shimaraseta.
    Translation: I closed the window.

    Corrected version (if necessary):