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Japanese · Building sentences · A2

Requests and permission: please, may I, must not

待ってmattewait (to friends)待ってくださいmatte kudasaiplease wait待ってくださいませんかmatte kudasaimasen kawould you mind waiting?お待ちいただけますかomachi itadakemasu kacould you kindly wait? (keigo)One request, four levels of politeness. てください is the everyday polite choice.
Longer is more polite: each step adds distance and softness.

Short answer: four patterns built on the て form cover requests and rules. て + ください asks someone to do something. ない + でください asks them not to. て + もいいですか asks permission (“may I?”), and て + はいけません forbids (“you must not”). For “you don’t have to”, use なくてもいいです.

Please do: てください

The basic polite request. For more softness, ask it as a question: てくださいませんか, “wouldn’t you…?”.

ここkokohereにniat名前なまえnamaenameをo(object)書いてくださいかいてくださいkaite kudasaiplease write
Koko ni namae o kaite kudasai.“Please write your name here.”Why: 書く → 書いて + ください.
ちょっとchottoa moment待ってくださいまってくださいmatte kudasaiplease wait
Chotto matte kudasai.“Just a moment, please.”Why: One of the most used requests.
写真しゃしんshashinphotoをo(object)撮ってとってtottetakeくださいませんかkudasaimasen kawould you…?
Shashin o totte kudasaimasen ka.“Would you mind taking a photo?”Why: The negative question makes it softer, for strangers.

Please don’t: ないでください

Take the ない form and add でください.

May I? てもいいですか

Literally “is it OK even if I do?”. Answer yes with どうぞ or いいですよ; refuse softly with すみません、ちょっと….

A
窓まどmadowindowをo(object)開けてもあけてもakete moeven if I openいいですかii desu kais it OK?
Mado o akete mo ii desu ka. · “May I open the window?”て + も + いいですか.
B
どうぞdōzogo ahead
Dōzo. · “Go ahead.”The usual yes.
A
ここkokohereでdeat写真しゃしんshashinphotosをo(object)撮ってもとってもtotte moeven if takeいいですかii desu kais it OK?
Koko de shashin o totte mo ii desu ka. · “Can I take photos here?”Worth asking in temples and museums.
B
すみませんsumimasensorryここkokohereはwa(topic)ちょっとchottoa bit…
Sumimasen, koko wa chotto… · “Sorry, not here…”The soft refusal.

Must not: てはいけません

Rules and signs. In speech, ては often shortens to ちゃ: 入っちゃだめ.

Request levels from casual to keigo

The same request, rising in politeness.

RequestMeaningLevel
mado aketeopen the windowcasual
mado o akete kudasaiplease open the windowpolite
mado o akete kuremasen kacould you open the window?softer
mado o akete moraemasu kacould I have you open the window?softer
mado o akete itadakemasen kawould you mind opening the window?very polite
oake itadakemasu deshō kamight you be able to open it?business keigo

Granting and refusing permission

How to answer てもいいですか.

A
ここkokohereにniat座ってもすわってもsuwatte moeven if I sitいいですかii desu kais it OK?
Koko ni suwatte mo ii desu ka. · “May I sit here?”
B
はいhaiyesどうぞdōzogo ahead
Hai, dōzo. · “Yes, go ahead.”The standard yes.
A
写真しゃしんshashinphotosをo(object)撮ってもとってもtottemoeven if I takeいいですかii desu kais it OK?
Shashin o tottemo ii desu ka. · “May I take photos?”
B
すみませんsumimasensorryちょっとchottoa bit…
Sumimasen, chotto… · “Sorry, that’s not really…”A soft no: ちょっと and silence.

Rules on signs

Public rules use short formal forms.

Cheat sheet: ask, allow, forbid

All the core patterns on one table.

PatternMeaningExample
~ te kudasaiplease do見てください
~ naide kudasaiplease don’t触らないでください
~ te mo ii desu kamay I?座ってもいいですか
~ te mo ii desuyou may帰ってもいいです
~ te wa ikemasenyou must not入ってはいけません
~ o kudasaiplease give me水をください

Check yourself

Say each one in Japanese, then open the answer to check and hear it.

  1. Please wait.
    Show answer
    Matte kudasai.
  2. Please don’t smoke.
    Show answer
    Tabako o suwanaide kudasai.
  3. May I open the window?
    Show answer
    Mado o akete mo ii desu ka.
  4. You mustn’t take photos.
    Show answer
    Shashin o totte wa ikemasen.
  5. Could you write it down?
    Show answer
    Kaite moraemasu ka.A softer request.

Don’t have to: なくてもいい

ない → なくて + もいい: “it’s fine even if you don’t”.

靴くつkutsushoesをo(object)脱がなくてもぬがなくてもnuganakute moeven if not take offいいですii desuis OK
Kutsu o nuganakute mo ii desu.“You don’t have to take your shoes off.”Why: 脱ぐ → 脱がない → 脱がなくても.
急がなくてもいそがなくてもisoganakute moeven if not hurry大丈夫ですだいじょうぶですdaijōbu desuit’s fine
Isoganakute mo daijōbu desu.“There’s no need to hurry.”Why: 大丈夫です can replace いいです.

Related guides

Next guideThe て formEvery pattern here starts from it.Next guideObligation“Must” with なければ.Next guideNegationThe ない form for ないでください.Next guidePolite and casual speechHow far up the politeness ladder to go.