Requests, Commands, and Prohibitions Japanese Grammar Lessons

～てください is the standard polite way to ask someone to do something. It attaches to the te-form of an action verb. While polite, it carries a slight instructive tone, making it common for everyday requests, classroom instructions, and directions.

The Japanese expression ～ないでください is used to politely ask someone not to do something. You will encounter this frequently when receiving instructions, reading public signs, or when someone is gently advising you against an action. It is created by attaching でください directly to the short negative ない-form of a verb.

The pattern ～てはいけません is used to state that an action is strictly forbidden. It sounds authoritative and is commonly used by teachers, doctors, or on public signs to set clear rules. Because of its strong, top-down tone, it should not be used to simply ask an equal or a superior not to do something.

～ちゃいけない is a casual Japanese verb ending used to tell someone they must not do a specific action. It is a conversational contraction of the standard prohibition form ～てはいけない. Because it sounds blunt and direct, it is only appropriate for close friends, family members, or people of lower status.

The pattern ～じゃいけない is a casual, direct way to tell someone not to do something or to say that a certain state is unacceptable. It is the spoken contraction of the polite prohibition ～ではいけません, often used with close friends, family, or subordinates. You will hear it used with nouns, na-adjectives, and verbs that take the で form.

The polite verb ending ましょう is used to propose a shared action, often translated as "let's" in English. It is also the standard way to enthusiastically accept an invitation or suggest starting a group activity. Because it carries a proactive tone, it works best in everyday polite conversation when you expect the listener to agree.

The Japanese verb ending ～ましょうか is used to politely offer help or propose doing something together. It turns a verb into a gentle question, seeking the listener's input rather than forcing a decision. You will encounter this frequently in everyday conversations when someone is essentially saying "Shall I...?" or "Shall we...?".

The ending ませんか is a polite and gentle way to invite someone to do something. Although it takes the form of a negative question, its main purpose is to propose an activity while giving the listener space to decline comfortably. You will use this pattern frequently when making plans with friends, colleagues, or acquaintances.

The pattern noun + をください is used to politely ask someone to give you a specific object. It is a fundamental phrase for ordering food at restaurants, buying items at a store, or making simple requests in daily life. Unlike requesting an action, this form attaches directly to nouns to ask for physical things.

The Japanese ending ～な attaches directly to the dictionary form of a verb to create a strong, casual negative command. It is a highly direct way to tell someone not to do something, often used in emergencies, on public warning signs, or in intense situations. Because it sounds blunt and aggressive, it is generally avoided in polite conversation.

The pattern ～てくれませんか is used to politely ask someone to perform an action for your benefit. Because it translates literally to "won't you give me the favor of doing...", it sounds softer and less demanding than a direct instruction. It is best used with friends, colleagues, and people of equal status, rather than with superiors.

～ていただけませんか is a highly polite sentence ending used to ask someone to do something for you. It uses the humble verb いただく in its negative potential form, framing the request as "could I possibly receive the favor of you doing..." This pattern is ideal for speaking to superiors, teachers, customers, or strangers when you need to show deep respect and give them room to decline.

The ～なさい form is used to give a direct, firm command from a position of authority. It is most frequently used by parents speaking to children, or in written instructions on school exams and worksheets. Because it establishes a top-down relationship, it should never be used toward superiors, elders, or strangers.

The Japanese pattern お～ください is a highly polite way to make a request or give an instruction. It attaches to the pre-ます form of native Japanese verbs and is frequently used in business, customer service, and public announcements to elevate the listener's actions. Because it is an honorific form, it must never be used for the speaker's own actions.

The pattern ご～ください is a highly formal way to ask someone to do something. It attaches to Sino-Japanese action nouns—typically two-kanji words that would normally be used with する. You will often hear this honorific pattern in business emails, customer service, and public announcements on trains or in stores.

The pattern ～べからず is an advanced and highly formal way to express a strict prohibition in Japanese. It attaches to the dictionary form of verbs to command that an action must not be done, carrying an impersonal and authoritative tone. Because of its rigid feel, you will mostly see it written on public signs, warning notices, or in classical maxims, rather than hearing it in daily conversation.

お／ご～ください is an elevated polite request pattern that asks the listener to do something, often heard in service speech, announcements, signs, and business Japanese. You build it with お plus the verb form you get by dropping ます, or ご plus a Sino-Japanese verbal noun, then finish with ください. It raises the listener’s action more than ordinary ～てください, so learners meet it as a key honorific request form at the elementary N4 level.

命令形＋と言われる reports a command that someone gave you or another person, by quoting a plain verb imperative before と言われる. The quoted form stays a direct order (行け, 食べろ, しろ, 来い), while と marks the quote and passive 言われる makes the recipient the focus of the report. Learners meet this pattern at N4 when retelling school, home, or workplace orders, especially in past と言われた storytelling.

～んですが is a polite spoken lead-in that first states relevant background, then opens space for a request, question, or soft limit. Learners meet it early in classroom, service, and workplace talk because it softens what comes next without sounding formal or essay-like. The が here is a gentle connector, not a hard contrast; the real conversational goal usually appears in the following clause.

～んといて is a Kansai and casual western Japan spoken ending that asks someone not to do an action, often with a soft “please don’t / leave it undone” feel. It is often translated as “don’t …” or “please don’t …,” but Japanese structure works differently: the verb uses the ない-form base (drop final い) (the form before ない) and ends in んといて rather than standard ないで. Learners mainly meet it in regional speech, drama, and character dialogue; treat it as enrichment recognition first, and map it back to standard soft prohibition forms when you produce Japanese yourself.