Everyday requests with ください

The idea

Make a request by adding ください to a verb’s て-form: 書く → 書いてください; 読む → 読んでください. Keep で in forms such as 読んで. This form asks someone to do something and is common in instructions. To ask someone not to do something, use the negative stem with ないでください: 入らないでください. After a noun, をください requests the item: 水をください. After a verb’s て-form, ください requests an action.

Examples

• 水みずを一杯いっぱいください。A glass of water, please.
• 冷つめたい水みずをください。Cold water, please.
• ここにお名前なまえを書かいてください。Please write your name here.
• 窓まどを少すこし開あけてください。Please open the window a little.
• この本ほんをあとで読よんでください。Please read this book later.
• ゆっくり日本語にほんごで話はなしてください。Please speak Japanese slowly.

Watch out

てください is polite but can sound direct, especially to a superior or when the request is demanding. A softener such as すみません and a more indirect request may be appropriate.

Try it yourself

1. Choose and fill the blank: コーヒーを一杯＿。（ください／です）

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   ください

   ください politely requests the coffee after the item and quantity.

2. Make a polite request. 「書かく」→ ＿＿

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   書いてください

   書いてください — Make a request by adding ください to a verb’s て-form: 書く → 書いてください; 読む → 読んでください. Keep で in forms such as 読んで.

3. Make a polite request. 「読よむ」→ ＿＿

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   読んでください

   読んでください — Make a request by adding ください to a verb’s て-form: 書く → 書いてください; 読む → 読んでください. Keep で in forms such as 読んで.

Use it today

Cover the examples. Make two new sentences using the pattern, then check them against the table.