that foreign music blog🌎

So, I know I said this next post would be about tatami words, but I just came back from a concert and during my concert feedback, I thought I’d take the chance to go over a common grammar:くれます

I don’t really know how to translate this, but it’s used in the situation when someone does something for you. I guess you could say that someone is GIVING you something, whether someone is telling you something, or someone is doing something on your behalf. This is a pretty good video to simply sum up how to use “くれます”.

Anyway, the reason I bring up this grammar is that every artist at that concert said: 聴いてくれてありがとうございました, (Thank you very much for listening!)

聴いて きいて kee-te  – listen (imperative form)

くれて ku-re-te (imperative form)

ありがとうございます！a-ri-ga-tou go-za-i-ma-su – thank you very much

We use the imperative form when you:

1) Make a command

2) Want to create a compound sentence, such as “I went to the movies and ate popcorn)

In the case of this grammar, くれます, we’re focusing on the second example.

て+くれます

In order to make the imperative form, we take the dictionary form of the verb, which ends in either う (oo) or る (roo), and simply add て(te) orって(tte). Unfortunately, there are some irregular verb conjugations, so all you can do is memorize those.

To begin, I’ll introduce some verbs, and we’ll use those verbs to make sentences.

買うかう ka-oo (to buy)

私のCDを買ってくれてありがとうございました！

わたしのCDをかってくれてありがとうございました！

Thank you for buying my CD!

する する soo-roo (to do)

（彼は）私のCDをサインしてくれました！

（かれは）わたしのCDをサインしてくれました！

(He) signed my CD!

来る くる koo-roo (to come)

(彼は)名古屋に来てくれました！すごい！

（かれは）なごやにきてくれました！すごい！

(He) came to Nagoya (for me). Wow!

読む よむ yo-moo (to read)

メッセージを読んでくれてありがとうございました！

メセージをよんでくれてありがとうございました！

Thank you for reading this message!

言う いう ee-oo (to say)

（私に）そんな大切なニュースを言いてくれてありがとうね！

（わたしに）そんなたいせつなニュースをいいてくれてありがとうね！

Thanks for telling (me) such important news!

The parentheses are the subjects and objects, which are often omitted in Japanese when the context is understood. Especially if the subject is “I” or “You”.  Anyway, to end, next time you go to a concert in Japan, try to listen for this grammar. I guarantee that you’ll get lots of practice hearing how it’s used!

Good luck!