あげる - to give (from giver's perspective) くれる - to give (from receiver's perspective) もらう - to receive These are the basic meanings of each of these verbs. When て is put in front of them, they can be attached to other verbs to show actions done as a service or favor to another person. They each also apply a specific direction and perspective, which is also apparent by the particles used. The pattern is as follows: てあげる - AはBに(verb)てあげる EX: 明日、私は鈴木さんに晩ご飯を作ってあげる。 (Tomorrow, I'll make dinner for Mr. Suzuki.) With てあげる The subject is indicated by は, while に indicates the direction of the action; in this case, "for Suzuki." Since the subject is the "giver" (provider of the service), てあげる must be used. てくれる - AはBに(verb)てあげる。 EX: 鈴木さんは私に手紙を送ってくれた。 (Mr. Suzuki sent me a letter) Similar to てあげる, the subject is indicated by は, while に indicates the direction of the the action; in this case, "to me." Since the subject is the receiver of the action, as indicated by に, we must use てくれる てもらう - AはBに(verb)てもらう。 EX: 私は鈴木さんに手紙を送ってもらった。 (Mr. Suzuki sent me a letter) てくれる and てもらう are very similar to one another, but the difference is that てくれる indicates the "giving" of an action and てもらう is the "receiving" of an action; so, the particles are switched. For てもらう, は indicates the receiver, while に indicates who the action is coming from. These are the basic principles of these grammar structures. I hope my explanation helps. If you have further questions, please ask. :D