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 。 Zhèyàng bù tài hǎo bā. This style isn't that great.
• 算了 吧 。 Suànle bā. Just forget it.
• 应该 是 吧 。 Yīnggāi shì bā. It should be. [referring to some context]
• 太少了 吧 。 Tàishǎole bā. Too little.
• 这么 晚 了 ， 我们 不 去 了 吧 。 Zhème wǎn le, wǒmen bù qù le bā. It's too late now, we are not going.
• 再 等 等 吧 。 Zài děng děng bā. Wait a little longer.
• 你们 早 点 来 吧 。 Nǐmen zǎo diǎn lái bā. Come a little earlier.
• 快 点 吧 ， 要 迟到 了 。 Kuài diǎn bā, yào chídào le. Hurry, we're going to be late.
• 太 贵 了 吧 ， 我 不 买 了 。 Tài guì le bā, wǒ bù mǎi le. Too expensive! I'm not buying it.
• 你们 家 太 脏 了 吧 。 Nǐmen jiā tài zāng le bā. Your house is a little too dirty.

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

See also

• Suggestions with "ba"
• Conceding with "ba"
• Reviewing options with "ba"
• Verb reduplication

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