Receiving allowance / allowing others to do something using させて+もらう／くれる constructions


I have reached the topic mentioned in the title and found myself struggling to
understand it.

First off, my textbook explained it pretty much poorly (but I guess that's
enough to understand it at least superficially). It just gave me a simple
**AはBにCさせてもらった。** pattern that is pretty much understandable.

> 学生は先生に漢字でなくてひらがなでその言葉を書かせてもらいました。

What I'm struggling with is when the almighty Japanese grammar starts working
at its full power known to me. What I mean by that is that when different
verbs start 'sticking' to each other forming additional/different meanings.
The most difficult topic-related thing for me to understand is this:

> 本を買わせてもらおうと思っている。

I had read a [related
topic](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/19730/interpreting-%E3%81%95%E3%81%9B%E3%81%A6%E3%81%84%E3%81%9F%E3%81%A0%E3%81%8D%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99#)
and it kind of helped me a bit to understand it but then again, I can't seem
to understand it _very_ well. What I can't understand is how grammar in this
sentence works and what is the actual direction of action. (I'd like to
explain it a bit more detailed but I'm a bit dumb and find it difficult.)

Please, let me pin a picture of an exercise which contains Japanese sentences
and put here my translations. [![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4IFb9.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4IFb9.png)

* * *

Warning, English is not my 1st language and I might've mistranslated them a
bit but I guess it will be understandable where correct-ish translations are
(if they are there.)

* * *

  1. Buy a book, please. (For me).
  2. Let me buy a book, please (for you).
  3. Could you buy a book for me?
  4. Could you allow me to buy a book for you?
  5. Could you buy a book for me? （more politely)
  6. Can I have a permission to buy a book for you?
  7. Can I buy a book? (for you/me)
  8. I want to have a book bought for me.
  9. I want to buy a book.
  10. I want you to allow me to buy this book (for you)

Please, let me know which are the correct ones and give me some explanations
_using these very examples_ if it doesn't trouble you, of course (even if
they're all correct by chance).

**Many thanks in advance.**




First, to avoid any confusion, let's make a clear distinction between "who
will read the book (who the _book_ is for)" and "who will be pleased by the
action (who the _action_ is for)". The donatory subsidiary verbs like (-て)もらう
are related to the latter.

> (私は)夫に娘への本を買ってもらった。  
>  I had my husband buy a book for my daughter (for the sake of me).

Here, the _book_ is for the 娘 (maybe this is a children's picture book) but
the _action_ is for 私 (maybe she was busy and wanted her husband to buy a
birthday present). 買う might not be a good example verb because "to buy a book
for me" is ambiguous...

* * *

I know some of the following English translations are not very natural, but it
reflects the structure of each original Japanese sentence. In all of the
examples below, the reader of the book is not specified (i.e., the _book_
itself can be for anyone).

  * 1. 本を買ってください。  
Please buy the book.  
(The book is for anyone including "you", "me" or "him", the action of buying
is for "me".)

  * 2. 本を買わせてください。  
Please let me buy the book.  
(The book is for anyone, the action of "letting to buy" is for "me")

  * 3(a). 本を買ってもら **い** ませんか。  
Won't we have [him/her/etc] buy the book?  
(The book is for anyone, the action of "buying" is for **"us"** )

  * 3(b). 本を買ってもら **え** ませんか。  
Can you buy the book (for the sake of me?)  
(The book is for anyone, the action of "buying" is for "me")

  * 4. 本を買わせていただけませんか。  
Would you please allow me to buy the book?  
(The politer version of 2; the action of "allowing to buy" is for "me")

  * 5. 本を買っていただけませんか。  
Would you please buy the book?  
(The book is for anyone, the action of "buying" is for "me")

  * 6. 本を買わせてもらってもいいですか。  
Is it okay if you let me buy the book?  
(A less common variant of 2)

  * 7. 本を買ってもいいですか。  
Is it okay if I bought the book?  
(More indirect and thus politer than 2, but less polite than 6)

  * 8. 本を買ってもらおうと思っている。  
I'm thinking of having [him/you/etc] buy the book.  
(The book is for anyone, the action of "buying" is for "me")

  * 9. 本を買おうと思っている。  
I'm thinking of buying the book.

  * 10. 本を買わせてもらおうと思っている。  
I'm thinking of having [you/him/her/etc] allow me to buy the book.  
(The book is for anyone, the action of "letting me buy" is for "me".
本を買わせていただこうと思っています is politer)

As for the last sentence, "I" want to buy the book, and the book itself for
anyone (including "I", "my child" or even "you"). 買わせる ("to allow to buy", "to
make/let buy") is what "I" want someone to do.




First, to avoid any confusion, let's make a clear distinction between "who
will read the book (who the _book_ is for)" and "who will be pleased by the
action (who the _action_ is for)". The donatory subsidiary verbs like (-て)もらう
are related to the latter.

> (私は)夫に娘への本を買ってもらった。  
>  I had my husband buy a book for my daughter (for the sake of me).

Here, the _book_ is for the 娘 (maybe this is a children's picture book) but
the _action_ is for 私 (maybe she was busy and wanted her husband to buy a
birthday present). 買う might not be a good example verb because "to buy a book
for me" is ambiguous...

* * *

I know some of the following English translations are not very natural, but it
reflects the structure of each original Japanese sentence. In all of the
examples below, the reader of the book is not specified (i.e., the _book_
itself can be for anyone).

  * 1. 本を買ってください。  
Please buy the book.  
(The book is for anyone including "you", "me" or "him", the action of buying
is for "me".)

  * 2. 本を買わせてください。  
Please let me buy the book.  
(The book is for anyone, the action of "letting to buy" is for "me")

  * 3(a). 本を買ってもら **い** ませんか。  
Won't we have [him/her/etc] buy the book?  
(The book is for anyone, the action of "buying" is for **"us"** )

  * 3(b). 本を買ってもら **え** ませんか。  
Can you buy the book (for the sake of me?)  
(The book is for anyone, the action of "buying" is for "me")

  * 4. 本を買わせていただけませんか。  
Would you please allow me to buy the book?  
(The politer version of 2; the action of "allowing to buy" is for "me")

  * 5. 本を買っていただけませんか。  
Would you please buy the book?  
(The book is for anyone, the action of "buying" is for "me")

  * 6. 本を買わせてもらってもいいですか。  
Is it okay if you let me buy the book?  
(A less common variant of 2)

  * 7. 本を買ってもいいですか。  
Is it okay if I bought the book?  
(More indirect and thus politer than 2, but less polite than 6)

  * 8. 本を買ってもらおうと思っている。  
I'm thinking of having [him/you/etc] buy the book.  
(The book is for anyone, the action of "buying" is for "me")

  * 9. 本を買おうと思っている。  
I'm thinking of buying the book.

  * 10. 本を買わせてもらおうと思っている。  
I'm thinking of having [you/him/her/etc] allow me to buy the book.  
(The book is for anyone, the action of "letting me buy" is for "me".
本を買わせていただこうと思っています is politer)

As for the last sentence, "I" want to buy the book, and the book itself for
anyone (including "I", "my child" or even "you"). 買わせる ("to allow to buy", "to
make/let buy") is what "I" want someone to do.

