N4-G-080

Verb (causative て-form) + いただきます (Allow me to do [Verb])

Peripheral / Permission & Humble Voluntary Action

👀 Layer A: Visual Guide

📝 Quick Summary

This grammar pattern combines a verb in its Causative て-form (使役て形) with いただきます to express “allow me to do…” or “I will humbly take the liberty of doing…”. It is a key formal and business Japanese phrase used when performing an action with the permission or indulgence of the listener.

Structure: [Verb Causative て-form] + いただきます / いただきたいです / いただけますか
・Group 1: 行く ➡️ 行かせていただきます
・Group 2: 食べる ➡️ 食べさせていただきます
・Group 3: する ➡️ させていただきます / 来る ➡️ こさせていただきます
Example 1: しつれいですが、きょうははやく かえらせていただきます (Excuse me, but today I will humbly take the liberty of going home early).
Example 2: これについて はっぴょうさせていただきます (Allow me to humbly present regarding this topic).

🔗 Connected Grammar:

🔍 Layer B: Deepening

💡 Raya’s Hack

Causative て vs. Regular て: Who Performs the Action?
Pay very close attention to who is performing the verb:

– Regular て + いただきます (e.g. 食べていただきます): You receive the favor of someone ELSE performing the verb (“I get YOU to eat”).
– Causative て + いただきます (e.g. 食べさせていただきます): You receive the favor of being PERMITTED to perform the verb yourself (“YOU allow ME to eat”).

Whenever you want to do an action yourself in formal situations, always use the Causative て-form before itadakimasu!

🚧 Joy’s Mistake

Scene: Joy wants to tell his boss that HE (Joy) wants to leave early today.

Joy: 「きょうははやく かえっていただきます。」
(Kyou wa hayaku kaette itadakimasu.)

❌ Used regular て-form instead of Causative て-form!

Why?

Joy used regular kaette itadakimasu, which means “I will get YOU (my boss) to go home early”! To express that Joy wants to go home himself with permission, he MUST use the Causative て-form かえらせて (kaerasete).

Correct: 「きょうははやくかえらせていただきます。」 (Please allow me to go home early today.)