582 - ~させる (induce to)

I'm gonna させる you to study させる in like five different lessons.

That means we need to start every lesson with a bit of reviewing, yeah?

- [NDL #575] - JLPT N4: ~させる (let)
- [NDL #581] - JLPT N4: ~させる (make to do)

Speaking of reviewing lessons, you do realize that I can track the number of people that click these links to past lessons, right?

And let me just say, I am very disappointed in 98% of you. Please stop having a life and just study Japanese with me.


JLPT N4: ~させる (induce to)

We talked about how ~させる is used to talk about making/letting other people do things.

But we can also use it when talking about inducing emotional responsesfrom people.

In Makes-Sense Land, we would say that in addition to using ~させる when talking about (1) making someone do something, we can also (2) make someone feel something.

We use the verb "to make" in both cases in English:

1) She made me do my homework. // I made him clean the bathroom.
2) She made me cry. // I made him angry. // They made me laugh.

We can even use the #2 ~させる (the one we're focusing on in this lesson) to say things like "to surprise someone" or "to scare someone" (in Japanese, we're saying "make someone surprised" or "make someone scared").

All of this will make a lot more sense once we start reading examples...


Watch what happens to these verbs:

笑う(わらう // to laugh; to smile

驚く(おどろく // to be surprised; to be startled

怒る(おこる // to get angry

泣く(なく // to cry

怖がる(こわがる // to be afraid of

...when we put them into the causative form (=~させる):

笑わせる(わらわせる // to make laugh; to make smile

驚かせる(おどろかせる // to surprise; to startle

怒らせる(おこらせる // to make angry

泣かせる(なかせる // to make cry

怖がらせる(こわがらせる // to scare

Now let's see all of those in sentences...



いないいないばあをして、赤ちゃんを笑わせました
いないいないばあ を して、 あかちゃん を わらわせました。
I made the baby laugh by playing peekaboo.
Literally: “peekaboo + を + do (and), + baby + を + made laugh.”



ブラジルのサッカーチームは圧倒的な強さで世界を驚かせます
ブラジル の サッカー チーム は あっとうてき な つよさ で せかい を おどろかせます。
The overwhelming strength of Brazil’s soccer team continues to shock the world [to make the world shocked].
Literally: “Brazil + の + soccer team + は + overwhelming + strength + で + world + を + makes surprised.”



待ち合わせに2時間も遅れて、彼氏を怒らせてしまった
まちあわせ に にじかん も おくれて、 かれし を おこらせて しまった。
My boyfriend got mad because I was two hours late meeting with him. // I made my boyfriend mad by being two hours late meeting with him.
Literally: “meeting / rendezvous + に + two hours + も + am late (and), + boyfriend + を + made angry (oops).
Note: I'm including that second translation only to clarify how the ~させる verb is being used literally. It's actually not a very good translation, as using “made” here would give off the nuance that this was intentional, which is unlikely. The first translation is more accurate.”

Long, long ago, when NDL's were just a little baby, I had an entire lesson on my misuse use of the verb 怒る:[NDL #11] - No Big Deal.

I recommend reading it if you want to get a better feel for how and when to use 怒らせる.



若い時いつもお母さんを泣かせていた姉は、今や立派な警察官です。
わかい とき いつも おかあさん を なかせていた あね は、 いまや りっぱ な けいさつかん です。
My older sister, who was always grieving my mom when she was younger, is now a respectable police officer.
Literally: “young + time / when + always + mother + を + was making cry + older sister + は, + now (in contrast to the past) + splendid / fine + police officer + です.”



Mother:
ちゃんと歯磨きしない子は、鬼に食べられちゃうぞ~。
ちゃんと はみがき しない こ は、 おに に たべられちゃう ぞ~。
Kids who don’t brush their teeth get eaten by monsters!
Literally: “properly + brushing one’s teeth + don’t do + child + は, + oni / (Japanese) demon + に + end up getting eaten + ぞ~.”


Child:
こわいよぉ....。
こわい よぉ....。
That’s scary…
Literally: “scary / afraid + よぉ...”


Father:
一人で寝れなくなるから、あまり怖がらせないでよ。
ひとり で ねれなく なる から あまり こわがらせないで よ。
Don’t scare him so much [Don't make him too scared]. He won’t be able to sleep by himself.
Literally: “alone / by oneself + cannot sleep + become + because, + too much + don’t scare (him) + よ.”


If you've been reading our ~させる lessons so far, you're probably coming to the realization that the real trouble with the causative form (=~させる) is not the meaning or nuance of phrases. Rather, it's simply hard to keep from getting befuddled by the way the verbs change when you conjugate them into causative form.

That's why you should review the first lesson in this series until you have dreams about conjugating verbs into causative form.

Mastering these conjugations is the first step to mastering what some might say is the most difficult conjugation form in Japanese: The passive causative... which we will probably be covering in the not too distant future.

☠ Get ready. ☠




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