City University of Hong Kong CLASS CLASS
Making Sense of Grammar
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asked Apr 18, 2021 in Questions about Chinese Grammar by Ariel (34,480 points)
retagged Apr 18, 2021 by Ariel | 404 views

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The modal particle 吧 can be used at the end of an imperative sentence to express a suggestion. An exclamation mark is frequently used.

饭做好了,来吃饭吧!

Fàn zuò hǎo le ,lái chī fàn ba !

The meal is ready. Come and eat!

你有意见吗?现在就提出来吧!

Nǐ yǒu yì jiàn ma ?xiàn zài jiù tí chū lái ba !

You have some opinions? Why don’t you raise them now!

吧 can also be used to soften the tone of a command while making the sentence sound more casual than an imperative sentence with 请.

啊!老王,是你!好久不见!进来吧!

A !Lǎo wáng ,shì nǐ !Hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn !Jìn lái ba !

Ah, Lao Wang, it’s you! Long time no see! Come in!

[1] Yip, P. C., Rimmington, D., Xiaoming, Z., & Henson, R. (2009). Basic Chinese: a grammar and workbook. Taylor & Francis.
answered Apr 18, 2021 by Ariel (34,480 points)

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