Souji o sasemashita

Causative forms in Japanese are used to express the idea of “letting someone do” or “making someone do” something. This form is useful for indicating that an action is being caused or permitted by someone.

How to make?

u-verb

stem + “ase” + masu(ru)

kaku >>> kakasemasu, kakaseru
suku >>> sukasemasu, sukaseru

irueru-verb

stem + “sase” + masu(ru)

taberu >>> tabesasemasu, tabesaseru
akeru >>> akesasemasu, akesaseru

Exceptions

suru >>> saseru
kuru >>> kosaseru

Conjugation and particle

All causative forms end with “eru”. It is irueru-verb.
So all the causative forms have the same conjugations.

ikaseru, ikasemasu
ikasenai, ikasemasen
ikaseta, ikasemashita
ikasenakatta, ikasemasendeshita

tabesaseru, tabesasemasu
tabesasenai, tabesasemasen
tabesaseta, tabesasemashita
tabesasenakatta, tabesasemasendeshita

The operator of the action is expressed with “ni” or “o”.
“ni” is mainly for animals, “o” is mainly for stuff, but “o” is not mentioned in this lesson.

Expression

Okaasan ga kodomo ni kusuri o nomasemashita. (Mother made a child take a medicine.)

Heya ga kitanainode, otto ni souji o sasemashita. *kitanai = dirty, otto = husband

Seifu ni kokumin no iken o kikasemashita. *seifu = government, kokumin = people of its country, iken = opinion

Exercise

Questions

Change the sentences into causative forms.

  1. Otouto ga ongaku o kikimasu.
  2. Kodomo ga kaimono ni ikimasu.

Answers

  1. Otouto ni ongaku o kikasemasu.
  2. Kodomo ni kaimono ni ikasemasu.