お～ください - Grammar Discussion

Grammar Points
#1

please do (honorific)

Structure

  • お + Verb[stem] + ください

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#2

この文法には使われている例文はこれです。

どぞど、お座りください

ですが、敬語を使う場合は次の文章のほうがよく使われっていると思います。

こちらにお掛けください

何が違いますか？

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#3

@Daru こんにちは！

同じです。それに、どちらも非常によく使われる敬語表現です。
しかし、「どうぞ」と言ったほうが強く促してるような感があります。しかも、「お座り」は目下の者に使う言葉と受け取られることもあります。だから、注意してください。

Hello!
They are the same. Moreover, both are honorific phrases that are used very often. However “どうぞ” feels more “urging”. Plus, sometimes 「お座り」 might be interpreted as a phrase used towards subordinates. So be careful about it.

Cheers

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#4

Would it be possible to get a bit more information on the practical difference between making an honorific request and a humble request?

For instance, between the honorific request:

お許しください

and it’s humble equivalent:

許してもらえませんか

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#5

@ulurujamman
Hey and sorry for the late answer :bowing_man:

Very good question :heart_eyes:

First of all:

The humble version of てもらう is ていただける (and ていただけませんか which is a bit more polite, since it is more “hesitant”).

Differences:

  • お(ご) + … + ください is more polite and formal than ていただけませんか (and in general, お(ご) + … + くださる/お(ご) + …+ いただく are more polite and formal than てくださる/ていただく).
  • while ていただけますか/ていただけませんか are used for very polite requests, お + … ＋ください is rather used for very polite suggestions/recommendations/advice (sometimes they can be even considered very politely phrased commands)
  • usually, there is some kind of response for ていただけますか, and most of the time ご + … + ください is left without any answer.

Examples:

図書館で、司書：「もう少し静かにしていただけませんか。」
学生：「はい。すみませんでした。」
At the library, librarian: “Could you be a bit quieter?”
Student: “Yes, of course. I am sorry.” (“Do it for me (asking person), or my group” is implied)
(request)

駅でスピーカ：「ご注意ください。」
At the train station, speaker: “Please be careful.” (“Do it for your own good” is implied.)
(Suggestion, advice)

That is basically it,
I hope it helps!
Cheers :sunglasses::+1:

PS
You can achieve the greatest level of politeness and formality in requests by using:

お/ご + … + いただけるでしょうか/いただけないでしょうか
Example:
お待ちいただけないでしょうか？

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#6

Thanks, this is very comprehensive! I will study it carefully

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#7

In this exercise:

どうか _______ 。[許す]
Please find a way to forgive me.

Why is ゆるしていただけませんか not a correct answer? It wants me to type おゆるしください, but wouldn’t that imply I want them to forgive me for their own good, whereas していただけませんか would mean them forgiving me for my sake? I’m not sure it’s obvious from the English which of the two nuances are meant.

#8

@Melanthe ていただけませんか and てもらえませんか are both humble requests, but they give off the nuance of the speaker asking “won’t you (do something) for me?” rather than simply saying “please (do something).” Therefore, 許していただけませんか would be closer to “Can’t I get you to forgive me?” and お許しください would be “Please (humbly) forgive me.” I hope this helps. Cheers!

#9

So お [verb stem] ください is more neutral? I read in Genki that it has the implication of it being for the listener’s own good. That implication isn’t always there?

#10

For the example sentence どうぞお召し上がりください:

The grammar point says it’s the ーます form minus the ーます, but the ーます form of 召し上がる is 召し上げます.

Why isn’t the honorific form お召し上げください

Is there a ーます form of 召し上げる I’ve missed?

#11

it’s because 召し上がる is a godan verb. It transforms to 召し上がります

TIL, 召し上げる is an ichidan verbs meaning to forfeit or confiscate (⁠☉⁠｡⁠☉⁠)

#12

ありがとうございます

This has been driving me nuts. Of course Jisho sent me straight to the Godan verb with the same kanji and everything 😵‍💫

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#13

Please complete the payment by tomorrow.
明日()までにお支払いください。（支()払()う）

Doesn’t this example rather translate to please pay by tomorrow? Does お支払う mean to complete payment?
I tried answering with おしはらいおわりください (お支払い終わりください); is this bad Japanese?

#14

Hey there @bokudake !

お支払い is a noun that means, ‘payment’. So a more direct translation for this would be, ‘Please do a payment by tomorrow’, but because that sounds ‘too unnatural’, we have used the word ‘complete’ in the English translation.

お支払い終わりください sounds a little unnatural, but not only that, it willchange the nuance of the sentence slightly . Since おわる means to ‘finish’ it will give the nuance that this payment has been going on for a while (like a loan). This is similar to how ‘making a payment’ and ‘finished a payment’ sound similar, but have a slight difference in nuance.

I hope this clears it up! :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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#15

Thanks for the explanation!

お支払い is a noun that means, ‘payment’.

I understand you take the verb 支払う (to pay) here and turn it into the masu-form 支払い, and add the honorofic prefix お like you do with any other verb in this grammatical structure (e.g. お使()い, お閉()め, …), which turns it into a noun.