くれる used for actions not directed at oneself


For things that are done by someone else, but not directed to oneself, can くれる
be used? For example:

そう思ってくれてよかった - It's good that you think that way (but the action isn't done
for my sake, for whose/what sake it is, is irrelevant)

If くれる sounds unnatural here, what is the proper word?




Yes, くれる can be used in situations where you are in some way a beneficiary of
another person's action, whether or not that person had your interests at
heart when they acted in that particular manner.

For example, suppose that you made some benign remark about someone, but later
you realize it could be taken as an insult -- but in the end, it turns out
that person simply thought it was a compliment, as you had intended. Upon
hearing the relieving news, you might well say, そう思ってくれてよかった. The use of くれる
here is felicitous even if the you do not think the other person took an
effort to interpret your remark charitably for your sake.

More tellingly, it can be used in cases where actions are involved that the
other person most certainly did not intend to benefit the speaker and probably
regrets having done very much. In a post-match interview, referring to a
mistake committed by the opponent that gave her an advantage, a tennis player
(or player of any sort of game) might say something like 「相手がミスしてくれて助かりました」.
The くれる here of course doesn't indicate that the speaker thinks the opponent
intentionally made the mistake as a favor for the speaker (though conceivably
there can be situations where that is true).

And we also use it to talk about events and circumstances that are favorable
to us (where no person is doing anything), rather than another person's
action, such as 「晴れてくれて良かった」「行きたくなかったから、旅行が中止になってくれて良かった」.

So I guess my point is that there are many uses of くれる where whether or not
the action is done intentionally for the speaker's (or someone from whose
perspective the speaker is speaking's) sake is irrelevant.




According to "A Dictionary Of Basic Japanese Grammar" (p217), the meaning of
Vてくれる explicitly contains the concept of a favor being done for the first
person (or someone in the in-group of the first person). Using this grammar is
conditional on it being expressed from the viewpoint of the receiver of the
favor. Therefore, your sentence only makes sense if the speaker is implying
that the other person thinking that way is in some way conveying a benefit to
the speaker. If you are trying to express the idea "it's good that you think
that way (for your own sake)", you would have to rephrase it in a way which
makes it clear that the perceived advantage is being conveyed on the other
person, and not the speaker.

For constructions which express an action that is not done for 'my' sake, you
can use てあげる instead. An example they use is 田中さんはスミスさんに本を貸してあげた。- in this
sentence, the speaker's viewpoint is not relevant.

