causative N4 common casualpolitewritten
させる — make/let
させる
Meaning
- make / let someone do ~ — the causative for 一段 and irregular verbs
Key sentence
母は妹に野菜を食べさせた。
Mom made my little sister eat her vegetables.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ichidan verb (る-verb stem) | stem + させる | 食べる → 食べさせる |
| Irregular verbs | する → させる; 来る → 来させる | 勉強する → 勉強させる |
Examples
部長は私に出張させた。
The manager had me go on a business trip.
もう少し考えさせてください。
Please let me think about it a bit more.
毎日子どもにピアノを練習させている。
I have my child practice piano every day.
When you can't use it
- As with せる, coercion ('make') tends to mark the doer with を and permission ('let') with に; context resolves which reading applies.
Easily confused with
See させる in real sentences
Jengo shows させる the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.