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Is there a difference in translation and meaning between these two sentences
or are they practically interchangeable?

> ギターのボリュームを小さく **してください** 。
>
> ギターのボリュームを小さく **なってください** 。

My translation: Please can you lower the guitar volume.
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2014-06-07T14:49:22.123
16319
2014-06-08T01:55:24.103
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
-1
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question
grammar translation meaning conjugations
Difference between してください and なってください in this sentence
The verbs する and なる are a transitive-intransitive pair. When they follow the
〜く form of adjectives, they're kind of like "make" and "become":

```

    Ａ **が**　 　　赤く **なる**　"A becomes red"  　　(A turns red, blushes, etc.)
    Ａ **が**　B **を**　赤く **する**　"A makes B red"
```

The main difference here is that with なる the _subject_ turns red, while with
する the subject turns the _object_ red. And なる doesn't take an object at all!

Keep in mind that in a real sentence, が might be replaced with は, or the
subject might be left out entirely, etc. This is just a simplified example to
show how this grammar pattern works.

* * *

Now let's look at the guitar example:

> ギターのボリューム **を** 小さく **して** ください。  
>  _Please turn the volume down on the guitar._

Since this is imperative in form, the implied _subject_ is the listener. The
_object_ is explicit. The speaker is asking the listener to please turn the
volume down on the guitar.

> *ギターのボリューム **を** 小さく **なって** ください。  
>  _*Please become smaller the volume on the guitar. (??)_

Here, we have an object marked with を, but our main verb なる doesn't take an
object, so this sentence is ungrammatical. Of course, the listener can
probably figure out what you meant to say, but it doesn't really make sense
the way it's written. The phrase 小さくなってください seems to say "please become
smaller", and it doesn't take an object marked with を.
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2014-06-07T16:40:08.727
16322
2014-06-08T01:33:12.703
2014-06-08T01:33:12.703
16319
answer