Address someone and make a request

Printable paper with separate answer pages Step-by-step lessons

Original teaching practice. Read one pattern, cover its model and try the questions before checking the separate answer section. Examples adapted from Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning, CC BY-NC-SA) retain the course-reference provenance.

Address someone and make a request

Use a suitable title and ask permission politely.

Before you start: Recall people’s names, teacher老师lǎo shī for teacher and simple questions with (yes/no ?)吗ma. Use the title the person prefers. Asking permission and giving an instruction are different things.

Build the meaning

A surname normally comes before a role title: 王老师wáng lǎo shī, Teacher Wang. Use a title suited to the person and situation.

can / may可以kě yǐ……(yes/no ?)吗ma？ asks permission; to ask请qǐng introduces a polite request. don't别bié…… gives a negative instruction.

Work through a decision

A visitor says 李老师lǐ lǎo shī，I / me我wǒcan / may可以kě yǐto sit坐zuòhere这里zhè lǐ(yes/no ?)吗ma – Teacher Li, may I sit here? The surname plum李lǐ comes before the role teacher老师lǎo shī. The visitor asks about sitting in this place; a reply can / may可以kě yǐ，to sit坐zuò(suggestion)吧ba permits it. Asking with can / may可以kě yǐ……(yes/no ?)吗ma is polite; the answer still comes from the other person.

Compare: 请进来qǐng jìn lái invites someone in; don't别biéto come in进来jìn lái tells them not to enter. to ask请qǐng makes a request polite, but don't别bié still means “do not” – 请别qǐng biéto come in进来jìn lái politely asks someone not to come in.

Useful words in context

teacher老师lǎo shī lǎoshī – teacher. 王老师wáng lǎo shī。
can / may可以kě yǐ kěyǐ – may / can with permission. I / me我wǒcan / may可以kě yǐto come in进来jìn lái(yes/no ?)吗ma？
to come in进来jìn lái jìnlái – come in. 请进来qǐng jìn lái。
don't别bié bié – do not, instruction. don't别biéto speak说话shuō huà。
evening晚wǎn wǎn – late. 我来wǒ láievening晚wǎn(completed / change)了le。

Listen before reading the script

Ask a partner to read the listening script from the answer section while you keep it covered. Then attempt the listening question. If you work alone without audio, use the script for reading practice; it is not a listening test.

Read a different account

林安来lín ān láievening晚wǎn(completed / change)了le。she / her她tāvariant of 说说shuō：“王老师wáng lǎo shī，I'm sorry对不起duì bù qǐ。I / me我wǒcan / may可以kě yǐto come in进来jìn lái(yes/no ?)吗ma？”王老师wáng lǎo shīvariant of 说说shuō：“can / may可以kě yǐ，请进来qǐng jìn lái。don't别biéto speak说话shuō huà。”

Try the reading question before checking the English meaning in the answer section.

Speak with a partner

Address Teacher Li, ask to come in, and respond when permission is given.

Check the distinction: Do not translate English first-name classroom address automatically into every Chinese setting. Use the person’s preferred form of address.

Learn step by step · Practise and review.

Practice without the models

Choose a pattern, cover its teaching examples, and attempt its questions. Use the labels to find feedback in the separate key.

Address someone and make a request

0101.1 Listening. What permission is requested?

A. To leave
B. To come in
C. To sit here

0101.2 Reading. What does the teacher ask Lin An not to do?

A. Speak
B. Sit
C. Enter

0101.3 Complete “May I come in?”: I / me我wǒ…………to come in进来jìn lái(yes/no ?)吗ma？

0101.4 Match each word with its meaning in this unit.

1. teacher老师lǎo shī
1. can / may可以kě yǐ
1. to come in进来jìn lái
1. don't别bié
1. evening晚wǎn
A. teacher
B. may / can with permission
C. do not, instruction
D. late
E. come in

0101.5 Write a polite request to sit here, using a surname and title.

Write or say your own response before reading the key.

0101.6 I / me我wǒcan / may可以kě yǐto come in进来jìn lái(yes/no ?)吗ma？can / may可以kě yǐ means may or can, and to come in进来jìn lái means come in. In a classroom entrance situation, what is the speaker doing?

A. Giving their name
B. Asking permission to enter
C. Announcing that the teacher must leave

0101.7 A teacher replies can / may可以kě yǐ，请进来qǐng jìn lái。don't别biéto speak说话shuō huà。can / may可以kě yǐ permits entry, 请进来qǐng jìn lái means please come in and don't别biéto speak说话shuō huà means do not talk. First separate permission from the restriction. Which action is allowed?

A. Entering while continuing a loud conversation
B. Entering, with an instruction not to talk
C. Leaving immediately because entry is refused

0101.8 王老师wáng lǎo shī says now现在xiàn zàicannot不能bù néngto come in进来jìn lái，to ask请qǐngat / in在zàidoorway门口mén kǒuto wait for等děng(used after a verb) give it…一下yī xià。doorway门口mén kǒu means doorway and to wait for等děng wait. What should the visitor understand?

A. The visitor can enter now but should wait briefly inside.
B. The visitor cannot enter now and should wait at the doorway.
C. The visitor cannot enter now and must never return.

0101.9 Use Mandarin for the new sentences or dialogue. You may explain your reasoning in English. Write or speak a fictional classroom exchange: address a teacher appropriately, ask permission for a specific action, and give a reply that permits it with one condition or asks the visitor to wait. Explain which action is allowed and which is restricted.

Write or say your own response before reading the key.

A fresh situation

R1. Interpret and repair. At a quiet library, a learner says you你nǐnot不bùto speak说话shuō huà to request silence. Make the instruction clearer without changing it into a report.

R2. Use it yourself. Ask a classmate to wait a moment, then ask them not to open the door.

Write your responses before opening the key. Compare meaning as well as form; a different valid answer need not copy the model.

Open the answers after your attempt

Answers and explanations

Check after your attempt. For open tasks, compare the message and the stated criteria, then revise one detail.

Address someone and make a request

0101.1 C. To sit here

to sit坐zuòhere这里zhè lǐ asks to sit here, not to enter.

0101.2 A. Speak

don't别biéto speak说话shuō huà is a negative instruction about speaking.

0101.3 can / may可以kě yǐ

can / may可以kě yǐ……(yes/no ?)吗ma asks permission.

0101.4 1–A: teacher老师lǎo shī = teacher; 2–B: can / may可以kě yǐ = may / can with permission; 3–E: to come in进来jìn lái = come in; 4–C: don't别bié = do not, instruction; 5–D: evening晚wǎn = late

Use the example sentences to check each word’s meaning in context.

0101.5 One possible response: 王老师wáng lǎo shī，I / me我wǒcan / may可以kě yǐto sit坐zuòhere这里zhè lǐ(yes/no ?)吗ma？

Check meaning and form:

Put the surname before teacher老师lǎo shī.
Use can / may可以kě yǐ and (yes/no ?)吗ma.
State the action requested.

Compare the meaning and structure with the checklist. Your own response may differ from the model.

0101.6 B. Asking permission to enter

can / may可以kě yǐ…(yes/no ?)吗ma asks whether entry is allowed in this situation. It is a request for permission, not proof that permission has been granted. Wait for the reply.

0101.7 B. Entering, with an instruction not to talk

can / may可以kě yǐ，请进来qǐng jìn lái allows entry, while don't别biéto speak说话shuō huà restricts talking. Entry permission does not cancel the following instruction. The teacher has not refused entry.

0101.8 B. The visitor cannot enter now and should wait at the doorway.

now现在xiàn zàicannot不能bù néngto come in进来jìn lái refuses entry now, and to ask请qǐngat / in在zàidoorway门口mén kǒuto wait for等děng(used after a verb) give it…一下yī xià asks the visitor to wait at the doorway. It does not permit immediate entry or establish a permanent ban. Keep the time limit and the requested waiting place.

0101.9 One possible response: Possible exchange: 李老师lǐ lǎo shī，I / me我wǒcan / may可以kě yǐto come in进来jìn lái(yes/no ?)吗ma？can / may可以kě yǐ，请进来qǐng jìn lái。don't别biéto speak说话shuō huà。The visitor may enter but is instructed not to talk. A different title or action can work when suited to the fictional person and situation.

How to revise: If you treated the question as an approval, locate the reply and revise. If you dropped a negative instruction, identify its verb and state what must not happen. Compare the intended meaning; written self-review cannot judge your tone or pronunciation.

Check meaning and form:

Use a form of address appropriate to the imagined person.
Ask permission for a named action.
Make the reply’s permission or refusal clear.
Keep any condition or restriction separate from the allowed action.
Write or speak the requested sentences, questions or dialogue in Mandarin; optional English reasoning does not replace them.

If you treated the question as an approval, locate the reply and revise. If you dropped a negative instruction, identify its verb and state what must not happen. Compare the intended meaning; written self-review cannot judge your tone or pronunciation.

Listening script and meaning

李老师lǐ lǎo shī，I / me我wǒcan / may可以kě yǐto sit坐zuòhere这里zhè lǐ(yes/no ?)吗ma？

Teacher Li, may I sit here?

Reading meaning

Lin An arrives late. She apologises to Teacher Wang and asks to come in. The teacher permits her and asks her not to talk.

Speaking model

A: 李老师lǐ lǎo shī，I / me我wǒcan / may可以kě yǐto come in进来jìn lái(yes/no ?)吗ma？ B: can / may可以kě yǐ，请进来qǐng jìn lái。 A: to thank谢谢xiè xiè。

Compare the intended message first. Ask a listener to comment on intelligibility and pronunciation; matching the written model does not establish speaking accuracy.

Fresh-situation answers

R1. 请别qǐng biéto speak说话shuō huà or to ask请qǐngdon't不要bú yàoto speak说话shuō huà clearly asks for silence. you你nǐnot不bùto speak说话shuō huà on its own reads as a statement about the listener rather than the intended request.

R2. One possible response. 请等一下qǐng děng yí xià。请别qǐng biéto open a door (lit. and…开门kāi mén。The first is a request to wait; the second uses don't别bié to tell someone not to act. Use a considerate tone and an appropriate context.