てくれない / てもらえない

てくれない？ and てもらえない？ ask someone to do something for you: "could you", "won't you". They follow a verb in the て-form. A negative question leaves the listener room to say no, so it sounds softer than a straight order.

The plain forms are for friends and family. The polite forms end in ませんか: てくれませんか, てもらえませんか.

くれない or もらえない

くれない comes from くれる and asks "won't you do it for me". もらえない is the potential of もらう and asks "can I have you do it", which puts the request on your side and sounds a little softer. From least to most polite:

• てくれない？ – friends and family
• てもらえない？ – still casual, a touch softer
• てくれませんか – polite
• てもらえませんか – polite, a touch softer
• ていただけませんか – humble, for customers, superiors and strangers

Usage notes

These go beyond asking a favour.

Request or complaint

With falling intonation and no question, the same words are a plain negative: "he won't do it for me". The rising tone and the question mark make it a request.

Irritation

Said sharply, a request like this can carry annoyance: "would you mind…".