2 · Politeness and social language
Asking politely
polite requests and softeners
Qǐng, máfan nǐ and néngbunéng make a request polite; yíxià and a doubled verb make it light.
请 before a verb turns it into a polite instruction: 请进, “come in, please”, 请坐, “please sit down”. 请问, “may I ask”, opens a question to a stranger, like English “excuse me”. 请 is courteous but a little formal — the language of hosts, teachers, shops and signs.
To ask a favour, Chinese often names the trouble it causes: 麻烦你, “may I trouble you”, followed by what you want: 麻烦你帮我拿一下. Warmer still is a real question: 你能帮我吗？, 你可以…吗？, or the A-not-A form 能不能…？ — “could you …?”.
Two small devices make a request lighter. 一下 after the verb means “for a moment, quickly”: 请等一下, “wait a moment”. Saying the verb twice does the same: 看看, 尝尝, 休息休息. Both make the action sound small and easy, and so the request sounds less like an order. 吧 at the end turns it into a suggestion.
English speakers tend to put “please” into every request and carry 请 everywhere. Among friends and family that sounds stiff, even distant; a plain verb with 一下 or 吧, said in a friendly tone, and a thank-you afterwards, is how friends ask. English also folds “please” into a question — “could you please …?” — and the word-for-word copy, 请 with 吗 on the end, does not work in Chinese. To turn a 请 request into a question, add 好吗 after a comma instead.
The form
| please + verb | 请进。 |
| may I trouble you | 麻烦你帮我一下。 |
| could you | 你能不能说慢一点儿？ |
| for a moment | 请等一下。 |
| a doubled verb | 你尝尝这个。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
请 before a verb is polite and a little formal; 请问 opens a question to a stranger.
请问，洗手间在哪儿？Excuse me, where is the toilet?
麻烦你 asks for a favour and admits that it is a bother.
麻烦你把盐递给我。Could you pass me the salt, please?
A question with 能 or 可以 is the warmest way to ask.
你可以帮我拍张照吗？Could you take a photo for me?
一下 after the verb, or the verb said twice, makes the request small.
你来一下，我有事问你。Come here a moment, I have something to ask you.
A closer look
Why “please” is not always qǐng
Between people who are close, politeness is carried less by special words than by tone and by the softeners: 你帮我看一下吧 is a perfectly friendly request among colleagues. Too many 请 and 谢谢 between friends can even sound cool, as if the speaker were keeping a distance.
The thanks come afterwards and vary with the size of the favour: 谢谢, 麻烦你了 (“sorry for the trouble”), 辛苦了 (“you have worked hard”). The usual replies are 不客气, 没事儿 and 没关系.
How to spot it
- 请
- 请问
- 麻烦你
- 能不能
- 一下
- 吧
Example sentences
请进，请坐。Come in, please, and take a seat.
麻烦您再说一遍。Could you say that again, please?
你能不能帮我一下？Could you give me a hand?
这件衣服我可以试试吗？May I try this on?
你帮我看一下这封邮件，好吗？Could you have a quick look at this email for me?
累了就休息休息吧。If you are tired, have a bit of a rest.
8 more example sentences
请大家安静一下。Could everyone be quiet for a moment, please?
麻烦你帮我开一下门。Could you open the door for me, please?
您能告诉我怎么走吗？Could you tell me how to get there?
这是我做的菜，你尝尝。I made this dish — have a taste.
我能用一下你的笔吗？Could I borrow your pen for a moment?
这件事我们商量商量再说吧。Let's talk this over before we decide.
请问，去博物馆坐几路车？Excuse me, which bus goes to the museum?
不好意思，麻烦您让一下。Sorry, could I just get past?
Worth knowing (1)
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Doubling a two-syllable verb
A two-syllable verb doubles as a whole, ABAB: 介绍介绍, 休息休息, never AABB. Only verbs of action double; a verb like 喜欢 or 是, which names a state, does not.
我给你们介绍介绍。Let me introduce you to each other.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
“Could you please help me?” is a question and a “please” at once. In Chinese 请 makes an instruction, not a question, so adding 吗 to it produces a sentence that is neither. Choose one: 请你帮我一下 or 你能帮我吗？ — or keep 请 and ask with a tag: 请你帮我一下，好吗？
Qǐng tells, néng … ma asks — and yíxià makes either one lighter.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.