Making someone do: 让, 叫, 使, 请 (pivot sentences)
特殊句型 / special sentence patterns
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
In a pivot sentence (兼语句), person B is both the object of the first verb and the subject of the second: 妈妈让我早点儿回家 (Mum tells me to come home early: "me" is the object of 让 and the subject of 回家).
- 让 / 叫: ask, let, make someone do (spoken).
- 请: invite / ask politely.
- 使 (shǐ): cause a state, especially a feeling, followed by an adjective or psychological verb, more written: 这件事使我很难过.
Negation goes before the first verb: 妈妈不让我出去。
Examples
朋友的话让我很感动。
Péngyou de huà ràng wǒ hěn gǎndòng.My friend's words really moved me.
他请我们周末去他家吃饭。
Tā qǐng wǒmen zhōumò qù tā jiā chīfàn.He invited us to his place for dinner this weekend.
这次误会使我们的关系更好了。
Zhè cì wùhuì shǐ wǒmen de guānxi gèng hǎo le.This misunderstanding actually made our relationship better.
老师叫我们别迟到。
Lǎoshī jiào wǒmen bié chídào.The teacher told us not to be late.
Common mistakes
✗ 这件事让我感动了很。 → ✓ 这件事让我很感动。
✗ 妈妈让我不出去。 (for "Mum won't let me go out") → ✓ 妈妈不让我出去。
✗ 使 + a deliberate action: ✗ 老师使我们写作业 → ✓ 老师让我们写作业。