form N4 common casualpolitewritten

使役形 — The Causative Form

使役形・しえきけい

Builds on ない形

Meaning

make / let someone do — the causer directs or permits another person's action

Key sentence

先生せんせいは学生がくせいに本ほんを読よませた。

The teacher made the students read the book.

Formation

Attaches to	Form	Example
Godan	う-row → あ-row + せる	書かく → 書かかせる
Godan 〜う	→ 〜わせる	買かう → 買かわせる
Ichidan	drop る + させる	食たべる → 食たべさせる
Irregular	する → させる、来くる → 来こさせる	する → させる

When: Covers both coercion ('make') and permission ('let'); the nuance depends on context and on を vs に. The result conjugates as an ichidan verb (〜させて, 〜させない …).

Examples

母ははは妹いもうとに部屋へやを掃除そうじさせた。

Mother made my younger sister clean the room.

coercion

子こどもを公園こうえんで遊あそばせる。

I let the kids play in the park.

permission

すみません、少すこし休やすませてください。

Excuse me, please let me rest a little.

〜させてください (ask permission)

部長ぶちょうは部下ぶかに資料しりょうを作つくらせた。

The manager had his subordinate prepare the documents.

親おやを心配しんぱいさせたくない。

I don't want to make my parents worry.

emotion causative

When you can't use it

With a transitive verb the person made to act is marked に, not を (the を is taken by the object): 子こどもに野菜やさいを食たべさせる, not ×子こどもを野菜やさいを食たべさせる.

Easily confused with

〜てもらう Causative させる = the subject directs or permits the action; 〜てもらう = the subject receives a favor someone else performs. Opposite direction of control.

Notes

The causative-passive (〜させられる, 'be made to do') is built by adding the passive to this form.

See 使役形 in real sentences

Jengo shows 使役形 the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.

Study it in Jengo