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. 話してください [Please speak]
- E.g. 食べてください [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. 早く来て。[Come quickly!]
- E.g. まだ帰らないで。[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. 明日八時に来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. 僕と一緒に来てくれ。[Come with me.]
- E.g. アパートには来ないでくれ。[Don’t come to my apartment.]
Example Sentences:
日本語で書いてください。[Please write in Japanese.]
英語を使わないでください。[Please don’t use English.]
夜おそく電話しないでください。[Please don’t call late at night.]
WILD Examples:
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