させる / せる / させられる (Causative) Japanese Grammar Lesson
Grammar Type: Auxiliary Verb
Essential Meaning: Make X do Y / Cause X to do Y / Allow X to do Y
Construction:
- Group 1 Verbs: Negative Form + せる
- E.g. 話させる [Make X talk / Let X talk]
- Group 2 Verbs: Stem + させる
- E.g. 食べさせる [Make X eat / Let X eat]
- Irregular Verbs:
- 来る = 来させる [Make X go / Let X go]
- する = させる [Make X do / Let X do]
Notes:
- させる is the causative verb form, which expresses the idea that someone or something (i.e. the causer) causes or allows someone or something (i.e. the causee) to do something. Typically, the causer is marked by は in main clauses and by が in subordinate clauses. The causer must be equal or higher in social status compared to the causee.
- E.g. *私は先生にパーティーに来させるつもりだ。[I intend to allow the teacher to go to the party.] This sentence is unacceptable because the speaker cannot cause, force, or allow someone of higher social status to do something.
- When the main verb is intransitive:
- When the main verb is intransitive, the causee can be marked by either を (Direct Object) or by に (Passive / Causative), depending on the situation. に (Passive / Causative) is generally used to mark the causee when the causee takes some action intentionally and volitionally (i.e. they have agency and they are not forced). を (Direct Object), on the other hand, can be used regardless of the causee’s volition.
- E.g. 父は私をむりやりパーティーへ行かせた。[My father forced me to go to the party.] In this example, に (Passive / Causative) would be unacceptable because the speaker is forced to go to the party by his or her father (i.e. he or she has no choice).
- E.g. 私はハンカチを湿らせた。[I dampened my handkerchief.] In this example, に (Passive / Causative) would be unacceptable because the handkerchief is an object that can not take volitional action.
- E.g. 私は嫌がる息子をむりやり泳がせた。[I forced my son, who hates swimming, to swim.] In this case, it is clear from context that the son is being forced to swim.
- E.g. 私は息子を好きなだけ泳がせた。 [I let my son swim as much as he wanted.] In this case, it is clear from context that the son is being allowed to swim.
- E.g. 秋子は勉強はもうしたくないと言ったが私は彼女を大学に生かせることにした。[Even though Akiko said that she didn’t want to study any more, I decided to make her go to university.] The context is that Akiko doesn’t want to study, but she is made to study.
- E.g. 明子はもっと勉強したいと言ったので、私は彼女を大学に生かせることにした。 [Because Akiko said that she wanted to study more, I decided to allow her to go to university.] The context here is that Akiko wants to study, and she is allowed to do so.
- When the main verb is intransitive, the causee can be marked by either を (Direct Object) or by に (Passive / Causative), depending on the situation. に (Passive / Causative) is generally used to mark the causee when the causee takes some action intentionally and volitionally (i.e. they have agency and they are not forced). を (Direct Object), on the other hand, can be used regardless of the causee’s volition.
- When the main verb is transitive:
- When the main verb is transitive, the cause can only be marked by に (Passive / Causative) because を can not appear more than once in a clause.
- E.g. 一郎は雪子にビールを飲ませた。[Ichiro forced Yukiko to drink a beer. / Ichiro allowed Yukiko to drink a beer.] In this case, the verb is transitive and を is used to mark the direct object, so the causee must be marked by に.
- E.g. 一郎は雪子にむりやりビールを飲ませた。[Ichiro forced Yukiko to drink a beer.] In this case, を marks the direct object, and に marks the causee, even thought the action is non-volitional. The presence of the adverb むりやり [Against one’s will] clearly suggests that Yukiko is being forced to drink the beer.
- When the main verb is transitive, the cause can only be marked by に (Passive / Causative) because を can not appear more than once in a clause.
- Whether the causee takes the action willingly or unwillingly and whether the causation is permissive or coercive is determined via context. Sometimes, auxiliary verbs that represent giving and receiving (e.g. てあげる, てくれる, てもらう, et cetera) may be used to clarify whether or not the the causee takes the action willingly. Additionally, unwillingness to do something may be expressed via the causative-passive construction (more on that shortly).
- E.g. 私は春子をパーティーに行かせてやった。[I did Haruko the favor of allowing her to go to the party.] In this case, てやる hints at the fact that the causation is done as an act of kindness and not as an act of coercion.
- E.g. 父は私に酒を飲ませてくれた。 [My father did me the favor of allowing me to drink beer.] In this case, てくれる hints at the fact that the causation is done as an act of kindness and not as an act of coercion.
- Causative verbs conjugate as Group 2 verbs (i.e. 話させる, 話させない, 話させて, 話させた, et cetera).
- There is a second way to conjugate causative verbs besides させる, and the grammatical construction is detailed below. This form explicitly conveys direct causation (i.e. “Cause X to Y“) rather than permissive / coercive causation (i.e. “Make / Allow X to do Y“). For example, 食べさす means “To feed” (i.e. “To cause X to eat“), whereas 食べさせる means “To make X eat” or “To let X eat“. In other words, it expresses causative situations that don’t necessarily imply permission or coersion.
- Group 1: Negative Form + す
- E.g. 話さす [Cause X to talk]
- Group 2 verbs: Stem + さす
- E.g. 食べさす [Cause X to eat]
- Irregular Verbs:
- E.g. 来る = 来さす [Cause X to come]
- E.g. する = さす [Cause X to do]
- E.g. Direct Causation: 私はジムに果物を食べさすつもりだ 。[I intend to feed Jim fruit (i.e. I intend to cause Jim to eat fruit).]
- E.g. Permission / Coercion: 私はジムに果物を食べさせるつもりだ。[I intend to make Jim eat fruit. / I intend to allow Jim tot eat fruit.]
- Group 1: Negative Form + す
- The causative and passive forms can be combined into the causative-passive form, which expresses the idea of “X is made to do Y“. The causative-passive form does not have a permissive connotation (i.e. it only has a coercive connotation). To put it another way, the causative-passive form expresses a situation where someone is made or forced to do something from the viewpoint of the forcee rather than the forcer. The causative-passive from is constructed by affixing the passive verb ending られる after the causative verb stem させ / せ. Together, these make the causative-passive endings させられる and せられる. Note that in the causative-passive construction, the indirect object (i.e. the causer) is marked by に (Passive / Causative) and the causee is marked by は or が.
- E.g. Causative: 父は私を歩いて帰らせた。[My father made me walk home. / My father allowed me to walk home.]
- E.g. Causative-passive: 私は父に歩いて帰らせられた。[I was forced to walk home by my father.]
- E g. Causative: 一男は夏子に酒を飲ませた。[Kazuo made Natsuko drink sake. / Kazuo let Natsuko drink sake.]
- E.g. Causative-Passive: 夏子は一男に酒を飲ませられた。[Natsuko was forced to drink sake by Kazuo.]
Example Sentences:
鈴木さんは娘に大学へ行かせた。[Mr. Suzuki allowed his daughter to go to university.]
父は妹にピアノを習わせた。[My father allowed my younger sister to learn to play the piano. / My father forced my younger sister to learn to play the piano.]
ひさ子は私を困らせた。[Hisako made me have trouble.]
このゲームはジムに勝たせようと思う。[I think I will allow Jim to win this game.]
友達は私にチップを払わせた。[My friend made me pay a tip.]
アンダーソンさんは子供たちに好きなだけアイスクリームを食べさせた。[Mr. Anderson allowed the children to eat as much ice cream as they wanted.]
私は冷蔵庫でミルクを凍らせた。[I made the milk freeze in the refrigerator.]
それは私にさせてください。[Let me do that.]
WILD Examples:
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