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Level Foundations · HSK 1

Requests and Suggestions: 请, 吧, 别, 不用 and 帮

Chinese has no special command form of the verb: a bare verb is already an instruction (坐！ Sit!). Politeness and tone come from small words around it: 请 in front makes it polite, 吧 at the end turns it into a suggestion, 别 makes it a "don't".

请: please

请 (qǐng) + verb is a polite invitation or request: 请坐 (please sit down), 请进 (come in). 请问 (qǐngwèn) means "excuse me, may I ask" and opens a question to a stranger.

  • 请坐。

    Qǐng zuò.

    Please sit down.

  • 请喝茶。

    Qǐng hē chá.

    Please have some tea.

  • 请问，银行在哪儿？

    Qǐngwèn, yínháng zài nǎr?

    Excuse me, where's the bank?

吧: let's, OK?

吧 (ba) at the end softens a sentence into a suggestion: 我们走吧 (let's go). After a statement it can also mean "I suppose", asking for confirmation: 你是李明吧？ (You're Li Ming, I take it?)

  • 我们走吧。

    Wǒmen zǒu ba.

    Let's go.

  • 你来吧。

    Nǐ lái ba.

    Why don't you come?

  • 你是李明吧？

    Nǐ shì Lǐ Míng ba?

    You must be Li Ming?

别 and 不用: don't, no need

别 (bié) + verb means "don't". 别…了 means "stop doing it". 不用 (bú yòng) + verb means "there's no need to": it's kind, not a ban. 不用谢 is "no need to thank me".

  • 别走！

    Bié zǒu!

    Don't go!

  • 别说了。

    Bié shuō le.

    Stop talking. / Say no more.

  • 你不用来。

    Nǐ bú yòng lái.

    You don't need to come.

  • 别客气。

    Bié kèqi.

    Don't mention it. / Make yourself at home.

帮 + person + verb

To ask someone to do something for you, use 帮 (bāng, help): 帮我 + verb. Add 请 or 能…吗 to make it polite.

  • 你能帮我买一杯咖啡吗？

    Nǐ néng bāng wǒ mǎi yì bēi kāfēi ma?

    Could you buy me a coffee?

  • 请帮我看看。

    Qǐng bāng wǒ kànkan.

    Please take a look for me.

Common mistakes

  • ✗我们走吗？ (meaning "let's go")

    ✓我们走吧。

    Wǒmen zǒu ba.

    吗 asks a yes-no question ("are we going?"). 吧 makes the suggestion.

  • ✗不用去！ (meaning "don't go!")

    ✓别去！

    Bié qù!

    不用 says there's no need. To stop someone, use 别 (or 不要).

  • ✗请问给我一杯水。

    ✓请给我一杯水。

    Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi shuǐ.

    请问 means "may I ask" and only opens a question. For "please", use 请 alone.

Questions learners ask

Is 别 the same as 不要?

Yes, both mean "don't" before a verb. 别 is shorter and a little more common in speech; 不要 can sound slightly firmer.

Do Chinese speakers say 请 as much as English speakers say please?

Less. Between friends and family, tone and 吧 do the work, and 请 can sound formal. Use it with strangers, in service situations and when inviting someone to do something.

Practice this in lessons

The Foundations lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

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