Understand the viewpoints of the giver and recipient.
The rule
くれる means that someone gives something to me or someone in my group. もらう means receiving something from someone. With the shape in て, 〜てくれる and 〜てもらう describe a service rendered, changing the point of view.
Examples
友達が本をくれました。
A friend gave me a book.
私は友達に本をもらいました。
I got a book from a friend.
先生に説明してもらいました。
The teacher explained (I benefited from his explanation).
Remember
- くれる: Someone gives something to me or my group.
- もらう: I get something from someone.
- ～てくれる / ～てもらう allow you to talk about a service rendered.
In everyday life
友達が本をくれました。
A friend gave me a book.
友達に本をもらいました。
I got a book from a friend.
Common mistake
Both verbs can tell the same story from two points of view: 友達がくれた / 友達にもらった.