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The sentence in question (from
[here](http://life.ou.edu/stories/sarukani.html)）

> どれ、 たべさせて もらおう。

The provided translation is: "Let's see, I think I will eat."

The volitional conjugation of もらう makes sense, and I am aware of the meaning
of the 〜てもらう pattern, but I can't figure out how this combines with the
causative conjugation of 食べる.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-25T22:09:21.993
82299
2020-10-26T15:22:30.680
question
grammar causation
「食べさせてもらおう」 - How precisely does this sentence break down?
Based on [this](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/79926/40476) answer
(Linked by @Chocolate in his comment) to a different question, which is much
more general and encompasses more situations, here is my attempt at answering
myself:

  1. The causative conjugation 食べさせる means either "make eat" or "let eat".
  2. While already clear from context, the 〜てもらう reinforces that "let eat" is meant, not "make eat".
  3. The volitional conjugation 〜もらおう makes the whole thing future-y.

So in the end a more literal translation would be "I shall allow myself to
eat", which in context is clearly meant with some irony (/sarcasm? Not sure
what the right term is).

I would be thankful if someone could confirm or disagree with this
interpretation.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-26T15:22:30.680
82316
2020-10-26T15:22:30.680
82299
answer