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让 / 叫 / 请 / 使 (make / let / ask someone do)
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One person asks another to act
- A teacher politely asks a visitor to come inside.
- teacher老师please请him他come in进来。 — The visitor is the person expected to enter.
A teacher politely asks a visitor to come inside. What does 老师请他进来。 communicate?
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The visitor is the person expected to enter. The person after 请 is also the understood subject of 进来. 让 can allow or cause, while 使 can have a non-human cause, as in 这件事使我高兴; these verbs are not interchangeable in every context.
Build the form
- The pattern in this lesson is let让 / variant of 叫叫 / please请 / to make使 (make / let / ask someone do). Locate it in the original interlinear examples below.
- Keep the words in their demonstrated positions; the pattern must fit the intended situation as well as the sentence form.
mom妈妈let让me我learn学piano钢琴。
Using the lesson pattern in this demonstrated example: Mom makes me learn piano: 妈妈 ____ 我学钢琴。
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让 + Person + Verb = make / let someone do: 妈妈让我学钢琴.
Read examples in context
please请him他come in进来。
- In the opening example, teacher老师please请him他come in进来。: The visitor is the person expected to enter.
- Explain who acts, what is described and which time or group is relevant before choosing an English paraphrase.
Which pivot is the polite “please ask someone to …”?
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请他进来 = ask him to come in (polite); 叫 is more direct.
Build: “Mom makes me learn piano.”
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Subj + 让 + Person + Predicate: 妈妈 + 让 + 我学钢琴.
Know the boundary
- The person after please请 is also the understood subject of come in进来.
- let让 can allow or cause, while to make使 can have a non-human cause, as in 这件事使me我happy高兴; these verbs are not interchangeable in every context.
In 妈妈让我学钢琴, 我 follows 学 and has no role as its subject.
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我 follows 让 and precedes 学; 我 is the person who is caused or allowed to learn.
All four causative verbs have exactly the same tone and meaning.
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The person after 请 is also the understood subject of 进来. 让 can allow or cause, while 使 can have a non-human cause, as in 这件事使我高兴; these verbs are not interchangeable in every context. The visitor is the person expected to enter.
Use the distinction
- The visitor is the person expected to enter.
- The person after please请 is also the understood subject of come in进来. let让 can allow or cause, while to make使 can have a non-human cause, as in 这件事使me我happy高兴; these verbs are not interchangeable in every context.
Read the full reference: HSK 3 grammar — Verbs.
A teacher politely asks a visitor to come inside. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.
This is supported productive practice. Compare meaning and structure; your answer need not copy the model. A partner or teacher must hear the spoken response to comment on pronunciation.