[JLPT N4] Does 教えてもらいませんか Mean ‘Can You Tell Me’? Not Quite!
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Today, I’m sharing a homework correction from my JLPT Course. This one’s for beginners! Can you spot the mistake in the student’s sentence?
[Student’s sentence]
あの、この漢字の読み方、教えてもらいませんか。
*あの、このかんじのよみかた、おしえてもらいませんか。
ano, kono kanji no yomikata, oshiete moraimasen ka.
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[My correction]
あの、この漢字の読み方、教えてもらいませんか。
→ あの、この漢字の読み方、教えてもらえませんか。
ano, kono kanji no yomikata, oshiete moraemasen ka.
Excuse me, can you tell me how to read this kanji?
〜てもらいませんか vs. 〜てもらえませんか
The phrase 〜てもらいませんか suggests that you (and the listener) are proposing to ask someone else to do something.
この漢字の読み方、教えてもらいませんか means “We don’t know how to read this kanji, so let’s ask someone to tell us how to read it.”
On the other hand, 〜てもらえませんか means “Could you do it for me?”
In this case, you are asking the listener directly for help, so using 〜てもらえませんか is appropriate.
Examples:
田中さんに運転してもらいませんか。
Tanaka-san ni unten shite moraimasen ka.
Let’s ask Tanaka-san to drive.
田中さん、運転してもらえませんか。
Tanaka-san, unten shite moraemasen ka.
Could you drive, Tanaka-san?
I hope this explanation makes it clearer! 😊
I interact like the above correction with my JLPT All-in-One Course student. (Today’s homework sentence is from the N4, elementary level. Not sure of your Japanese level? Then take a level test here.) I can explain in English or Japanese, depending on your level.
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