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Verb (Group 1)
| The first person or someone the speaker empathises with receives something from someone whose status is not as high as the receiver's. | Get; receive; be given |
| 【Related Expression: くれる1 (あげる1)】 |
(ks). (私は)山本さんに本をもらった・もらいました。
I got a book from Mr. Yamamoto.
(a). 山川さんは橋本さんにウイスキーをもらった。
Mr. Yamakawa got whiskey from Mr. Hashimoto.
(b). (あなたは)モリスさんに何をもらったの？
What did you get from Mr. Morris?
1. もらう, which is one of a set of giving and receiving verbs, means 'get'. Unlike the English get, however, もらう is used only when the receiver is the first person or someone with whom the speaker empathizes (usually a member of the speaker's in-group). Thus, (1) is unacceptable.
The reason for this is as follows: もらう requires the receiver's point or view when describing an event, and when an event involves the first person, the event is normally described from the first person's point of view. Therefore, if the first person is the giver in もらう sentences, a viewpoint conflict arises, making the sentences ungrammatical. (The situation seen in (1) is usually described using あげる.)
(⇨ あげる1)
2. The humble polite version of もらう is いただく. Example:
3. The giver can also be marked by the source から 'from' (i.e., から1).
(⇨ に3)
However, if the giver is not human, から is more appropriate than に, as seen in (4).
This seems to be due to the fact that から1 carries the idea of source, while に conveys the idea of direct contact. That is, unlike the situation in (3), the speaker in (4) does not have direct contact with the giver, the Japanese government, when receiving money. Rather, the Japanese government in (4) is merely the source of the money received.
4. In declarative sentences, if the subject is the speaker, it is often omitted. Similarly, in interrogative sentences, if the subject is the hearer, it is often omitted. (See Key Sentence and Example (b).)