Softening speech with "ba"
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
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 。This isn't so good.
- 算了 吧 。Let's forget it.
- 应该 是 吧 。It should be.
- 钱 太 少 了 吧 。It's too little money.
- 再 等 一 等 吧 。Wait a little longer.
- 太 晚 了 ,不要 走 了 吧 。It's too late now, don't leave.
- 你们 早 点 来 吧 。 Come a little earlier.
- 快 点 吧 , 要 迟到 了。Please hurry, we're going to be late.
- 太 贵 了 吧 , 我 不 买 了。 It's too expensive. I'm not buying it.
- 那 个 地方 太 远 了 吧,我 不 想 去。 That place is too far away. I don't want to go.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
{{Source|Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)]] →buy
{{Source|Short-term Spoken Chinese: Pre-Intermediate (汉语口语速成提高篇)|52-3)
- Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇) (pp. 98) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 1 (博雅汉语初经起步篇) (pp. 55) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 246) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 191- 2) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy