Softening speech with "ba"

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.

Softening speech

The structure of this grammar point is pretty simple:

Structure

Statement + 吧

Examples

这样不太好吧。This style isn't that great.
算了吧。Just forget it.
应该是吧。It should be. [referring to some context]
太少了吧。Too little.
这么晚了，我们不去了吧。This late, we are not going.
再等等吧。Wait here.
你们早点来吧。Come as early as you want.
快点吧，要迟到了。Hurry up, we will be late.
太贵了吧，我不买了。It's too expensive, I won't buy it.
你们家太脏了吧。Your home is too dirty.

Note that to make suggestions for a group of people including oneself, 咱们 is often used with 吧.

Softening speech when involves options

When 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.

Structure

Option 1 + 吧， Evaluation ; Option 2 + 吧， Evaluation

If this structure doesn't seem clear to you, the examples will help.

Examples

去上海吧，太远；去北京吧，人太多。Going to Shanghai is too far; going to Beijing, there are too many people.
冬天去吧，太冷；夏天去吧，太热。
买房吧，没钱；不买房吧，没老婆。
学中文吧，太难；不学中文吧，找不到好工作。
去学校工作吧，钱太少；去公司吧，太累。
这件衣服，买吧，太贵；不买吧，又很喜欢。As for these clothes, buying them is too expensive, but I really like them, so if I don't...
上班吧，很累；不上班吧，又无聊。Going to work? Too tiring. Not going to work? There's nothing to do.
这件事情，你同意吧，对你没好处；不同意吧，别人又不高兴。As for this, if you agree, it doesn't help you. If you don't, other people won't be happy.
早点去吧，需要等；晚点吧，担心迟到。Going early, we'll have to wait. But going late, I'm worried we might be tardy.

Sources and further reading

Books

Softening speech with "ba"

Contents