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The particle 吧 (ba) can be used to soften the feel of a sentence. This could be to make it more polite, gentler and less forceful, or to turn a command into a suggestion.
Structure
Statement + 吧
Examples
- 这 不 太 好 吧 。 Zhè bù tài hǎo ba.This isn't so good.
- 算了 吧 。 Suàn le ba.Let's forget it.
- 应该 是 吧 。 Yīnggāi shì ba.It should be.
- 钱 太 少 了 吧 。 Qián tài shǎo le ba.It's too little money.
- 再 等 一 等 吧 。 Zài děng yī děng ba.Wait a little longer.
- 太 晚 了 ，不要 走 了 吧 。Tài wǎn le, bùyào zǒu le ba.It's too late now, don't leave.
- 你们 早 点 来 吧 。 Nǐmen zǎo diǎn lái ba.Come a little earlier.
- 快 点 吧 ， 要 迟到 了。Kuài diǎn ba, yào chídào le.Please hurry, we're going to be late.
- 太 贵 了 吧 ， 我 不 买 了。 Tài guì le ba, wǒ bù mǎi le.It's too expensive. I'm not buying it.
- 那 个 地方 太 远 了 吧，我 不 想 去。 Nàge dìfang tài yuǎn le ba，wǒ bù xiǎng qù.That place is too far away. I don't want to go.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) →buy
- Short-term Spoken Chinese: Pre-Intermediate (汉语口语速成提高篇) (pp. 52-3)
- Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇) (p. 98) →buy
- Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 1 (博雅汉语初经起步篇) (p. 55) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (p. 246) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 191- 2) →buy