How to Make Someone Do Something: Causative Verbs 让, 叫, 请, 使
To “make / let / have / ask” someone do something, Chinese uses a causative verb in one frame: Subject + 让 / 叫 / 请 / 使 + Person + Predicate. 妈妈不让我玩游戏 (“Mum won't let me play games”), 老师叫我们安静 (“the teacher tells us to be quiet”), 我想请你帮个忙 (“I'd like to ask you a favour”). 让 is the everyday one and covers both “make” and “let”; 使 is the formal written version; 请 is the polite “ask / invite.”
Why this trips learners up
To say you make, let, have or get someone to do something, Chinese uses a causative verb in a single frame: Subject + [Causative Verb] + Person + Predicate. The person sits in the middle, receiving the “causing” and doing the predicate, which can be a verb or an adjective. The four common causatives are 让 (ràng), 叫 (jiào), 请 (qǐng) and 使 (shǐ): 妈妈不让我玩游戏 (“Mum won't let me play games”), 老师叫我们安静 (“the teacher makes us be quiet”), 我想请你帮个忙 (“I'd like to ask you a favour”), 他的演讲使听众很激动 (“his speech made the audience excited”).
The one that surprises English speakers is 让, which covers both “make” and “let.” “Make” is forcing and “let” is allowing, opposite ideas in English, but Chinese uses the same 让 for both and trusts context to sort it out: 老板让我加班 is “the boss makes me work overtime,” while 妈妈让我出去玩 is “Mum lets me go out to play.” You'll get a feel for which is meant from the situation.
The four split mostly by register and nuance. 让 and 叫 are the everyday spoken ones (“make / have / tell someone to”); 叫 is especially common with a question, 你叫我怎么办？ (“what would you have me do?”). 请 is the polite “ask / invite someone to,” the causative of doing someone a courtesy (请你帮忙, 请你照顾我的狗). 使 is formal and written, and it pairs with abstract causes and feelings rather than everyday chores: 这次经历使他成长了 (“this experience made him grow”), 经济危机使很多公司倒闭了 (“the crisis caused many companies to fold”).
Two things to watch. First, don't translate “make” as 做 (which is “to do / produce”): “this movie moved me” is 这部电影让我很感动, never 做我感动. Second, and most important, negation goes before the causative verb, and its position changes the meaning: 妈妈不让我去 means “Mum won't let me go” (she forbids it), while 妈妈让我不去 means “Mum lets me not go” (she permits skipping it). Put the 不 in the wrong place and you say the opposite.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
māma 妈妈 Subject bù 不 Negation ràng 让 Pattern wǒ 我 Object wán yóuxì 玩游戏 Verb
Mum won't let me play games (让 = “let,” negated before the verb).
zhè bù diànyǐng 这部电影 Subject ràng 让 Pattern wǒ 我 Object hěn 很 Adverb gǎndòng 感动 Adjective
This movie really moved me (让 = “make,” with an adjective predicate).
lǎoshī 老师 Subject jiào 叫 Pattern wǒmen 我们 Object ānjìng 安静 Adjective
The teacher makes us be quiet (叫, an everyday spoken causative).
tā bù tīnghuà 他不听话 Other nǐ ，你 Subject jiào 叫 Pattern wǒ 我 Object zěnme 怎么 Question bàn 办 Verb
He won't listen, so what would you have me do? (叫 with a question predicate).
wǒ 我 Subject xiǎng 想 Function word qǐng 请 Pattern nǐ 你 Object bāng gè máng 帮个忙 Verb
I'd like to ask you a favour (请 = the polite “ask someone to”).
néng bu néng 能不能 Function word qǐng 请 Pattern nǐ 你 Object zhàogù yíxià wǒ de gǒu 照顾一下我的狗 Verb
Could I ask you to look after my dog tomorrow? (请 in a polite request).
tā de yǎnjiǎng 他的演讲 Subject shǐ 使 Pattern tīngzhòng 听众 Object fēicháng 非常 Adverb jīdòng 激动 Adjective
His speech made the audience very excited (使, formal, adjective predicate).
jīngjì wēijī 经济危机 Subject shǐ 使 Pattern hěn duō gōngsī 很多公司 Object dǎobì 倒闭 Verb le 了 Function word
The financial crisis caused many companies to go under (使, formal, abstract cause).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: Don't translate “make” as 做. “This movie made me cry / moved me” is 这部电影让我很感动, not 这部电影做我感动. 做 means “to do / produce”; the causative “make (someone feel/do)” is 让 (or formal 使).
Why it happens: Negation goes before the causative verb, and its position flips the meaning. 妈妈不让我去 = “Mum won't let me go” (she forbids it); 妈妈让我不去 = “Mum lets me not go” (she allows skipping it). For “won't let,” the 不 goes before 让, not before the predicate.
Why it happens: 使 is formal and written; for everyday personal commands use 让 or 叫. “Mum makes me clean my room” is 妈妈让我打扫房间, not 妈妈使我打扫房间. Save 使 for abstract causes and feelings (使人感动, 使经济发展), not chores.
Compare & contrast
| 让: everyday spoken “make / let” | 使: formal / written “make / cause” | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 这件事让我很难过zhè jiàn shì ràng wǒ hěn nánguò = “this makes me sad” (spoken) | 这件事使我很难过zhè jiàn shì shǐ wǒ hěn nánguò = “this makes me sad” (formal / written) | 这件事让我很难过 and 这件事使我很难过 both mean “this makes me sad,” but 让 is what you say out loud while 使 belongs to formal or written Chinese. Same meaning, different register. |
| 妈妈让我早点回家māma ràng wǒ zǎodiǎn huí jiā = “Mum makes me come home early” (a person, spoken) | 这次经历使他成长了zhè cì jīnglì shǐ tā chéngzhǎng le = “this experience made him grow” (abstract, formal) | 妈妈让我早点回家 = “Mum makes me come home early,” an everyday command to a person (让). 这次经历使他成长了 = “this experience made him grow,” an abstract cause in a formal register (使). 让 for people and speech; 使 for abstract causes and writing. |
Try it yourself
Say “Mum won't let me play games.” Put 不 before the causative verb 让.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Make Someone Do Something: Causative Verbs 让, 叫, 请, 使 grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.