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

Revision as of 09:15, 23 October 2017

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

{{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)

{{Source|Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2|191- 2) →buy

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 === Books ===
-* [[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]
+{{Source|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]
-* [[Short-term Spoken Chinese: Pre-Intermediate (汉语口语速成提高篇)]] (pp. 52-3)
+{{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)]] (p. 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]
+{{Source|Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇)|98}}
-* [[Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 1 (博雅汉语初经起步篇)]] (p. 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]
+{{Source|Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 1 (博雅汉语初经起步篇)|55}}
-* [[New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)]] (p. 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]
+{{Source|New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)|246}}
-* [[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]
+{{Source|Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2|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]