ください / くださる

ください / くださる Japanese Grammar Lesson

Grammar Type: Auxiliary Verb

Essential Meaning: Please do X

Construction: 

• Verb て-Form + ください
  • E.g. 話はなしてください [Please speak]
  • E.g. 食たべてください [Please eat]

Notes:

• ください indicates a polite request (i.e. “Please do X“). ください is the imperative form of くださる, which is itself the formal version of くれる.

• どうぞ can be affixed to sentences with ください to make the request extra polite and emphatic.
  • E.g. どうぞ教おしえてください。[Please tell me.]

• In casual speech, a request can be made by simply using the て-Form. This construction is particularly used by female speakers.
  • E.g. 早はやく来きて。[Come quickly!]
  • E.g. まだ帰かえらないで。[Don’t go home yet.]

• A more polite way of making a request is to use an interrogative form that negates ください (i.e. くださいませんか). Xくださいませんか means something to the effect of “Won’t you do X?” or “Would you please do X?“.
  • E.g. 明日あした八時はちじに来きてくださいませんか。[Would you please come at 8 o’clock tomorrow?]

• In informal male speech, くれ can be used instead of ください to make a a request. The deliberate choice of the less polite option implies a relative lack of politeness.
  • E.g. 僕ぼくと一緒いっしょに来きてくれ。[Come with me.]
  • E.g. アパートには来こないでくれ。[Don’t come to my apartment.]

Example Sentences:

日本語にほんごで書かいてください。[Please write in Japanese.]

英語えいごを使つかわないでください。[Please don’t use English.]

夜よるおそく電話でんわしないでください。[Please don’t call late at night.]

WILD Examples:

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