ba

Suggestions with "ba"

吧 turns an order into a suggestion — "let's" rather than "do this".

Command / Suggestion + 吧

How it works

我们走吧 is "let's go". Without 吧 it's a flat statement or a command; with it, it invites agreement.

It works on requests to a single person too: 你先吃吧 — go ahead and eat. The effect is to make the instruction sound relaxed rather than bossy.

Examples

  • wǒ men zǒu ba

    我们走吧。

    Let's go.

  • wǒ men yì qǐ chī fàn ba

    我们一起吃饭吧。

    Let's eat together.

  • nǐ xiān xiū xi ba

    你先休息吧。

    Go and get some rest.