Softening speech with "ba"

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。It's too late now, we are not going.
  • 再 等 等 吧。Wait a little longer.
  • 你们 早 点 来 吧。Come a little earlier.
  • 快 点 吧，要 迟到 了。Hurry, we're going to be late.
  • 太 贵 了 吧，我 不 买 了。Too expensive! I'm not buying it.
  • 你们 家 太 脏 了 吧。Your house is a little 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 away, going to Beijing has too many people.
  • 冬天 去 吧，太冷；夏天 去 吧，太 热。Going in the is too cold, going in the summer is too hot.
  • 买 房 吧，没 钱；不 买 房 吧，没 老婆。If you buy a house, you won't have money. If you don't buy a house you won't have a wife.
  • 学 中文 吧，太 难；不 学 中文 吧，找 不 到 好 工作。Studying Mandarin is too hard, but if you don't study Mandarin you cannot find a job.
  • 去 学校 工作 吧，钱 太 少；去 公司 吧，太 累。Working at the school, pay is too small, but working at a company is too tiring.
  • 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 if I don't buy them, I'll really want them.
  • 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，你 不 高兴；不 同意 吧，别人 不 高兴。As for this matter, if you agree, you won't be happy, if you don't agree, other people won't be happy.
  • 早 点 去 吧，需要 等；晚 点 吧，担心 迟到。If we go early we'll have to wait, but if we go later, we might arrive late.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

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