くれる — Someone Gives to Me/Us
Used when someone gives something to the speaker or the speaker's in-group. The giver is the subject, and the sentence carries a sense of gratitude for the favour.
Structure
[Giver]は/が （[私]に） [Thing]を くれる
Examples
彼が指輪をくれました。
Kare ga yubiwa o kuremashita.
He gave me a ring.
彼が (he, subject) + 指輪を (ring) + くれました — the giving is directed at me
友だちがチョコレートをくれました。
Tomodachi ga chokoreeto o kuremashita.
My friend gave me chocolate.
友だちが (friend, subject/giver) + チョコレートを + くれました — the giving is directed at me
姉は私に古い自転車をくれた。
Ane wa watashi ni furui jitensha o kureta.
My older sister gave me her old bicycle.
姉は (sister, giver) + 私に (to me) + くれた — plain past of くれる
• In-group logic: くれる also covers gifts to people close to you — 'my friend gave my sister a book' uses くれる because your sister is in your in-group. • The receiver (私に) is usually dropped since くれる already implies 'to me/us'. • Humble/respectful version: くださる.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones くれる is tested against.
vs あげる
あげる = the subject gives away (outward); くれる = someone gives TO the speaker/in-group (inward). Choose by the direction of the gift.
vs もらう
くれる makes the giver the subject ('he gave me'); もらう makes the receiver the subject ('I received from him'). Same event, different focus.
More giving & receiving
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