15.mw.md 3.8 KB
The particle 吧 (ba) has a number of different uses. Here we'll talk about the simplest way to use 吧 (ba): making suggestions.
Structure
Command + 吧
Note that in Chinese, whenever you have a command with the subject "we,"
you're basically just saying, "let's (do something)." 吧 (ba) just
makes the suggestion sound more tentative and more polite.
Examples
- 我们 走 吧。 This is a suggestion.Wǒmen zǒu ba.Let's go.
- 你 说 吧。This is a suggestion.Nǐ shuō ba.You say it.
- 快 点 吃 吧。 This is a suggestion.Kuài diǎn chī ba.Hurry up and eat.
- 给 我 两 个 吧。 This is a suggestion.Gěi wǒ liǎng gè ba.Give me two.
- 喝 水 吧。This is a suggestion.Hē shuǐ ba.Have some water.
- 我们 去 香港 吧。This is a great suggestion!Wǒmen qù Xiānggǎng ba.Let's go to Hong Kong.
- 我们 六 点 去吧？This is more of a confirmation than a suggestion.Wǒmen liù diǎn qù ba?We're going at 6 o'clock (right)?
- 休息 一下 吧。This is a suggestion.Xiūxi yīxià ba.Take a break.
- 我们 结婚 吧。This is a also suggestion, believe it or not!Wǒmen jiéhūn ba.Let's get married.
- 老板 ，便宜 一点 吧。This is more of a request, made to a shopkeeper.Lǎobǎn, piányi yīdiǎn ba.Boss, can you make it cheaper?
See also
- Softening speech with "ba"
- Softening the tone of questions with "ne" (advanced article)
- Conceding with "ba"
Sources and further reading
Books
- Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (p. 66) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (p. 129) →buy
- Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 307-311) →buy
Category:A1 grammar points Category:Particles