彼女になってくれる？
kanojo ni natte kureru?
The English phrase "can you be my girlfriend?" is translated into Japanese as 彼女になってくれる？ (kanojo ni natte kureru?)
This phrase is a request used to ask someone to enter into a romantic relationship with the speaker. While 彼女になってくれる？ is grammatically correct, a more common and natural way to express this request is 付き合ってください.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "will you do the favor of becoming a girlfriend?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase 彼女になってくれる？ is a standard way to ask the question. If you want to be more polite, you can use 彼女になってください, which replaces the end of the phrase with ください. For very formal situations, you can use お付き合いくださいませんか？ or the even more polite お時間を頂いて恐縮ですが、お付き合いくださいませんか？, which includes a phrase apologizing for taking up the person's time.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 彼女になってくれる？, the verb natte is the te-form of naru (to become) and kureru is an auxiliary verb indicating that the person is doing a favor for the speaker.
How do you pronounce it?
kanojo ni natte kureru?
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, the act of asking for a relationship is often called 告白 (kokuhaku), which literally means 'confession'.
- The verb tsukiau used in 付き合ってください literally means 'to keep company'. It is used not only for romantic dating but also for accompanying a friend to the store or joining a colleague for a drink.
- In Japan, a formal 'confession' is often considered a necessary step to officially start a relationship, whereas in many English-speaking cultures, dating often precedes such a formal declaration.
Examples in context
- 彼女になってくれる？kanojo ni natte kureru?Can you be my girlfriend?
- ずっと前から、彼女になってくれる？って思ってた。zutto mae kara, kanojo ni natte kureru? tte omotteta.I've been thinking for a long time, 'can you be my girlfriend?'
- もしよければ、彼女になってくれる？moshi yokereba, kanojo ni natte kureru?If you're okay with it, can you be my girlfriend?
Example conversation
A young couple is walking in a park at night.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲さんのことが好きです。彼女になってくれる？Misaki-san no koto ga suki desu. Kanojo ni natte kureru?I like you, Misaki. Will you be my girlfriend?
- 美咲 Misaki本当？私も大翔くんが好きだよ。Hontou? Watashi mo Hiroto-kun ga suki da yo.Really? I like you too, Hiroto.
- 大翔 Hiroto本当にか？嬉しいよ。Hontou ka? Ureshii yo.Really? I'm so happy.
- 美咲 Misakiうん、よろしくね！Un, yoroshiku ne!Yeah, I'm looking forward to being with you!
