Page 186 - Easy Japanese - Learn to Speak Japanese Quickly! (TUTTLE)

GRAMMAR NOTE Making Requests

You may recall that to request things you can say “X (o) kudasai” or “X (o)
onegai-shimasu”. You can make it even more polite by saying “X (o)

kudasaimasen ka” or “X (o) itadakemasen ka.” Request for coffee in the
following four ways:
Kōhī o kudasai.
Kōhī o onegai-shimasu.
Kōhī o kudasaimasen ka.

Kōhī o itadakemasen ka.

When requesting an action, use the te-form of the verb alone (casual) or the te-

form with kudasai, itadakemasen ka, or kudasaimasen ka. Do NOT use
onegai-shimasu with the te-form. Make the request casual by using the te-form
alone. Ask someone to wait for you in the following four ways:
Chotto matte.
Chotto matte kudasai.
Chotto matte kudasaimasen ka.

Chotto matte itadakemasen ka.

These are the most common request patterns in Japanese, but there are many

more—dozens, perhaps. It’s important to choose the right request pattern for
each situation. The choice is made based on the relationship between the
speakers, the nature of the request, the setting, etc. For example, chotto matte is
most common when speaking with friends while chotto matte itadakemasen ka
is appropriate when you are communicating with business associates.

PATTERN PRACTICE 5

Cue: Isogimashō ka. Shall I hurry?
Response: Hai, isoide kudasai. Yes, please hurry.

Cue: Tomemashō ka. Shall I stop (the car)?
Response: Hai, tomete kudasai. Yes, please stop.

Repeat this drill with the following information:

1. Tsukurimashō ka.
2. Machimashō ka.
3. Yomimashō ka.