Difference between revisions of "Softening speech with "ba""

Latest revision as of 09:22, 20 April 2021

Level

A2 / HSK1
Level

A2
Level

HSK1
Similar to
- Suggestions with "ba" (A1)
- Conceding with "ba" (A2)
- Reduplication of verbs (A2)
- Softening the tone of questions with "ne" (B2)
Similar to
- Suggestions with "ba" (HSK1)
- Conceding with "ba" (HSK2)
- Reduplication of verbs (HSK2, HSK3)
- Softening the tone of questions with "ne" (HSK5)
Used for

Expressing attitude
Keywords

吧

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.

Sources and further reading

Books

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Grammar Box}}
-{{Grammar Box}} \r\nThe 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.\r\n== Softening speech ==\r\n
+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.
-The structure of this grammar point is pretty simple:\r\n=== Structure===\r\n<div class="jiegou">\r\nStatement + 吧\r\n</div>\r\n=== Examples ===\r\n<div class="liju">\r\n* 这样 不 太 好 <em>吧</em>。<span class="trans">This style isn't that great.</span>
-* 算了 <em>吧</em>。<span class="trans">Just forget it.</span>
+== Structure ==
-* 应该 是 <em>吧</em>。<span class="trans">It should be. [referring to some context]</span>
-* 太少了<em>吧</em>。<span class="trans">Too little.</span>
+<div class="jiegou">
-* 这么 晚 了，我们 不 去 了<em>吧</em>。<span class="trans">It's too late now, we are not going.</span>
-* 再 等 等 <em>吧</em>。<span class="trans">Wait a little longer.</span>
+Statement + 吧
-* 你们 早 点 来 <em>吧</em>。<span class="trans">Come a little earlier.</span>
-* 快 点 <em>吧</em>，要 迟到 了。<span class="trans">Hurry, we're going to be late.</span>
+</div>
-* 太 贵 了 <em>吧</em>，我 不 买 了。<span class="trans">Too expensive! I'm not buying it.</span>
-* 你们 家 太 脏 了 <em>吧</em>。<span class="trans">Your house is a little too dirty.</span>\r\n</div>\r\nNote that to make suggestions for a group of people including oneself, 咱们 is often used with 吧.\r\n==Softening speech when involves options==\r\nWhen 吧 is used twice in a sentence, it is used to list two options that the speaker is debating. It gives the sentence an indecisive feel, as though the speaker doesn't know which one to choose. This construction often has a negative connotation, since the options usually are not ideal.\r\n=== Structure===\r\n<div class="jiegou">\r\nOption 1 + 吧 ， Evaluation ; Option 2 + 吧 ， Evaluation\r\n</div>\r\nIf this structure doesn't seem clear to you, the examples will help.\r\n===Examples===\r\n<div class="liju">\r\n* 去 上海 <em>吧</em>，太 远；去 北京 <em>吧</em>，人 太 多。<span class="trans">Going to Shanghai is too far away, going to Beijing has too many people.</span>
+== Examples ==
-* 冬天 去 <em>吧</em>，太冷；夏天 去 <em>吧</em>，太 热。<span class="trans">Going in the is too cold, going in the summer is too hot.</span>
-* 买 房 <em>吧</em>，没 钱；不 买 房 <em>吧</em>，没 老婆。<span class="trans">If you buy a house, you won't have money. If you don't buy a house you won't have a wife.</span>
+<div class="liju">
-* 学 中文 <em>吧</em>，太 难；不 学 中文 <em>吧</em>，找 不 到 好 工作。<span class="trans">Studying Mandarin is too hard, but if you don't study Mandarin you cannot find a job.</span>
-* 去 学校 工作 <em>吧</em>，钱 太 少；去 公司 <em>吧</em>，太 累。<span class="trans">Working at the school, pay is too small, but working at a company is too tiring.</span>
+* 这 不 太 好 <em>吧</em> 。<span class="pinyin"> Zhè bù tài hǎo <em>ba</em>.</span><span class="trans">This isn't so good.</span>
-*这 件 衣服，买 <em>吧</em>，太 贵；不 买 <em>吧</em>，又 很 喜欢。<span class="trans">As for these clothes, buying them is too expensive, but if I don't buy them, I'll really want them.</span>
+* 算了 <em>吧</em> 。<span class="pinyin"> Suàn le <em>ba</em>.</span><span class="trans">Let's forget it.</span>
-*上班 <em>吧</em>，很 累；不 上班<em>吧</em>，又 无聊。<span class="trans">Going to work? Too tiring. Not going to work? There's nothing to do.</span>
+* 应该 是 <em>吧</em> 。<span class="pinyin"> Yīnggāi shì <em>ba</em>.</span><span class="trans">It should be.</span>
-*这 件 事情，你 同意 <em>吧</em>，对 你 没 好处；不 同意 <em>吧</em>，别人 又 不 高兴。<span class="trans">As for this matter, if you agree, it doesn't benefit you, if you don't agree, other people won't be happy.</span>
+* 钱 太 少 了 <em>吧</em> 。<span class="pinyin"> Qián tài shǎo le <em>ba</em>.</span><span class="trans">It's too little money.</span>
-*早 点 去 <em>吧</em>，需要 等；晚 点 <em>吧</em>，担心 迟到。<span class="trans">If we go early we'll have to wait, but if we go later, we might arrive late.</span>
+* 再 等 一 等 <em>吧</em> 。<span class="pinyin"> Zài děng yī děng <em>ba</em>.</span><span class="trans">Wait a little longer.</span>
-</div>\r\n==See also==
+* 太 晚 了 ，不要 走 了 <em>吧</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Tài wǎn le,  bùyào zǒu le <em>ba</em>.</span><span class="trans">It's too late now, don't leave.</span>
+* 你们 早 点 来 <em>吧</em> 。 <span class="pinyin">Nǐmen zǎo diǎn lái <em>ba</em>.</span><span class="trans">Come a little earlier.</span>
+* 快 点 <em>吧</em> ， 要 迟到 了。<span class="pinyin">Kuài diǎn <em>ba</em>, yào chídào le.</span><span class="trans">Please hurry, we're going to be late.</span>
+* 太 贵 了 <em>吧</em> ， 我 不 买 了。 <span class="pinyin">Tài guì le <em>ba</em>, wǒ bù mǎi le.</span><span class="trans">It's too expensive. I'm not buying it.</span>
+*  那 个 地方 太 远 了 <em>吧</em>，我 不 想 去。 <span class="pinyin"> Nàge dìfang tài yuǎn le <em>ba</em>，wǒ bù xiǎng qù.</span><span class="trans">That place is too far away. I don't want to go.</span>
+</div>
+==See also==
 *[[Suggestions with "ba"]]
 *[[Conceding with "ba"]]
-*[[Verb reduplication]]\r\n== Sources and further reading ==\r\n=== Books ===\r\n* [[Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)]] [http://www.amazon.cn/gp/product/B004WA6JSQ/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B004WA6JSQ →buy]
+*[[Reviewing options with "ba"]]
-* [[Short-term Spoken Chinese: Pre-Intermediate (汉语口语速成提高篇)]] (pp. 52-3)
+*[[Verb reduplication]]
-* [[Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇)]] (98) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00326U9MS/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B00326U9MS →buy]
-* [[Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 1 (博雅汉语初经起步篇)]] (pp. 55) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7301075294/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7301075294 →buy]
+== Sources and further reading ==
-* [[New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)]] (pp. 246) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561913192/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561913192 →buy]
-* [[Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2]] (pp. 191- 2) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276881/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0887276881 →buy]\r\n\r\n
+=== Books ===
+{{Source|HSK Standard Course 1|101}}
+{{Source|Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)|284}}
+{{Source|Short-term Spoken Chinese: Pre-Intermediate (汉语口语速成提高篇)|52-3}}
+{{Source|Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇)|98}}
+{{Source|Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 1 (博雅汉语初经起步篇)|55}}
+{{Source|New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)|246}}
+{{Source|Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2|191- 2}}
 [[Category:A2 grammar points]]
-{{Basic Grammar|吧|A2|⋯吧。|这样 不 太 好 <em>吧</em>。|grammar point|ASGZI1AC}}
+{{HSK|HSK1}}{{2021-HSK|HSK1}}
+{{Basic Grammar|吧|A2|⋯⋯吧|这样 不 太 好 <em>吧</em>。|grammar point|ASGDHC1H}}
 {{Similar|Suggestions with ba}}
 {{Similar|Conceding with "ba"}}

Difference between revisions of "Softening speech with "ba""

Latest revision as of 09:22, 20 April 2021

Contents

Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

Books