Likely Sentences (Nuance in use of 〜てもらう vs Passive form)


Our professor gave us some problems where you are suppose to circle which
statement the person is more likely to say. Below is an example.

[code]

    おまわりさん
        よく道を聞かれます。
        よく道を聞いてもらいます。
    
[/code]

I think this means the following.

[code]

    Policeman
        I am asked for directions a lot.
        I often have people ask me for directions.
    
[/code]

However, I don't see how one of these is more likely than the other. Is there
a nuance I am missing?




Yes, you are missing something important in the second sentence
「よく道を聞いてもらいます。」. Your understanding of the first is good, judging from the TL.

The second sentence, by the way, is 100% grammatical but its content/meaning
is more than just weird. It is highly unlikely that a policeman would say it
unless there was an incredibly super-shy policeman somewhere.

> 「よく道を聞いてもらいます。」 = "I often have people ask others for directions FOR me."

This means that the cop not only often gets lost but he also chooses to ask
people around to ask others for directions instead of asking them himself when
he gets lost. Thus, I called it more than weird.

(I must mention that in highly colloquial speech, the second sentence with
「聞いてもらいます」 is actually used occasionally by a small group of native speakers
to mean the virtually same thing as 「聞かれます」. That is, however, a substandard
usage and it would be unlikely that your professor would have meant to
introduce it in class.)

やる/あげる/もらう/くれる are very important key words (and that is just an
understatement). One will not be able to speak or write natural Japanese
without being able to use those correctly because with no exaggeration, we use
them all day every day.

「～～てもらう」 implies that the person in question is the receiver of a favor or
service. In the sentence 「よく道を聞いてもらいます。」, that person is the speaker who is a
cop.




Yes, you are missing something important in the second sentence
「よく道を聞いてもらいます。」. Your understanding of the first is good, judging from the TL.

The second sentence, by the way, is 100% grammatical but its content/meaning
is more than just weird. It is highly unlikely that a policeman would say it
unless there was an incredibly super-shy policeman somewhere.

> 「よく道を聞いてもらいます。」 = "I often have people ask others for directions FOR me."

This means that the cop not only often gets lost but he also chooses to ask
people around to ask others for directions instead of asking them himself when
he gets lost. Thus, I called it more than weird.

(I must mention that in highly colloquial speech, the second sentence with
「聞いてもらいます」 is actually used occasionally by a small group of native speakers
to mean the virtually same thing as 「聞かれます」. That is, however, a substandard
usage and it would be unlikely that your professor would have meant to
introduce it in class.)

やる/あげる/もらう/くれる are very important key words (and that is just an
understatement). One will not be able to speak or write natural Japanese
without being able to use those correctly because with no exaggeration, we use
them all day every day.

「～～てもらう」 implies that the person in question is the receiver of a favor or
service. In the sentence 「よく道を聞いてもらいます。」, that person is the speaker who is a
cop.

