Introduction
请 (qǐng), 叫 (jiào) and 让 (ràng) all put a second person to work: 我请他吃饭。(Wǒ qǐng tā chī fàn.) — I invited him to dinner. The person in the middle does double duty — object of the first verb, subject of the second — and everything hangs off that one slot.
Overview
Structure: Subj. + 请 (qǐng) / 叫 (jiào) / 让 (ràng) + Person + Verb (+ Obj.)
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 请 + Person + V（invite） | 我请他吃饭。(Wǒ qǐng tā chī fàn.) | I invited him to dinner. |
| 叫 + Person + V（tell） | 老师叫我们读课文。(Lǎoshī jiào wǒmen dú kèwén.) | The teacher told us to read the text. |
| 让 + Person + V（let） | 妈妈让我去。(Māma ràng wǒ qù.) | Mum's letting me go. |
| 不 + 让 + Person + V | 妈妈不让我去。(Māma bú ràng wǒ qù.) | Mum won't let me go. |
| 让 + Person + Adj（make feel） | 这让我很高兴。(Zhè ràng wǒ hěn gāoxìng.) | That makes me very happy. |
请 (qǐng) asks, 叫 (jiào) tells, 让 (ràng) allows:
- 我请他来。(Wǒ qǐng tā lái.) — I invited him. Polite, and often means you are paying.
- 我叫他来。(Wǒ jiào tā lái.) — I told him to come. An instruction.
- 我让他来。(Wǒ ràng tā lái.) — I let him come / I had him come. Permission, or arranging it.
- The negative goes in front of 请/叫/让, and moving it changes the meaning: 妈妈不让我去 (māma bú ràng wǒ qù) — she won't allow it; 妈妈让我不去 (māma ràng wǒ bú qù) — she told me not to go.
Examples
我请他吃饭。
Wǒ qǐng tā chī fàn.
I'm taking him out to dinner.
老师叫我们读课文。
Lǎoshī jiào wǒmen dú kèwén.
The teacher told us to read the text.
妈妈不让我去。
Māma bú ràng wǒ qù.
Mum won't let me go.
请让我看一下。
Qǐng ràng wǒ kàn yíxià.
Please let me have a look.
他叫我给你打电话。
Tā jiào wǒ gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà.
He told me to ring you.
这个消息让我很高兴。
Zhège xiāoxi ràng wǒ hěn gāoxìng.
This news makes me very happy.
Usage Notes
- The person in the middle is the hinge: 我请他吃饭 (wǒ qǐng tā chī fàn) — 他 is what I invite and who eats. Nothing may come between the person and the second verb.
- 请 (qǐng) on its own in front of a verb is the polite "please": 请坐。(Qǐng zuò.) With a person after it, it means to invite.
- 叫 (jiào) also means "to be called" — 我叫小明。(Wǒ jiào Xiǎomíng.) Only the shape of the sentence tells you which.
- 让 (ràng) plus an adjective describes an effect rather than an instruction: 这让我很累。(Zhè ràng wǒ hěn lèi.) — It wears me out.
- 让 (ràng) is 4th tone, so 不 becomes bú — bú ràng. 叫 (jiào) is 4th tone too: bú jiào.