Activities: How to make requests in Japanese?

For the following situations, please make direct requests using 〜てください or 〜ないでください. You can use the provided vocabulary for each situation.

• Situation	Your co-worker has asked if you need any help. You want to politely ask them to make copies of the document you have in your hand.
  Vocabulary	コピーする[kopī suru](to make a copy)

  • You: じゃ、これ、 。
    Ja, kore, ... .
    Well then, please make copies of this.

• Situation	Your co-worker has asked if you need any help. You want to politely ask them to make copies of the document you have in your hand.
  Vocabulary	持ってくる[motte kuru](to bring)

  • You: じゃ、デザートを。
    Ja, dezāto o ... .
    Well then, please bring the dessert.

• Situation	Your co-worker has invited you for lunch, but you're in the middle of writing an email that you need to send. You want to politely ask them to wait a bit.
  Vocabulary	待つ[matsu](to wait)

  • You: すみません。ちょっと。
    Sumimasen. Chotto ... .
    Excuse me. Please wait a moment.

• Situation	You have ordered coffee at a cafe, and the staff is trying to put in some sugar that you don't need. You want to politely ask them not to put it.
  Vocabulary	入れる[ireru](to put (something) in)

  • You: あ、砂糖は。
    A, satō wa ... .
    Ah, please don't put in sugar.

• Situation	You are having dinner with a senior colleague who has been taking care of you. You opened up and shared your concerns. However, you want to politely ask them not to tell anyone about those worries.
  Vocabulary	言う[iu](to tell)

  • You: 今日話したことは、誰にも。
    Kyō hanashita koto wa, dare ni mo ... .
    Please don't tell anyone what we talked about today.

For the following situations, please make direct requests using 〜てください or 〜ないでください. Make sure to adjust the level of politeness accordingly. You may use the provided word bank for each situation.

• Situation	You found a funny picture and you want your close friend to look at it.
  Vocabulary	見る[miru](to look at)

  • You: ちょっとこれ、。
    Chotto kore, ... .
    Hey, take a look at this.

  くれ can be added at the end mostly by male speakers.

• Situation	When you entered your room, you found that your mother had rearranged it while you were away. You want to ask her not to enter your room without asking.
  Vocabulary	入る[hairu](to enter)

  • You: 勝手に。
    Katte ni ... .
    Please don't enter (my room) without asking.

  くれ can be added at the end mostly by male speakers.

• Situation	Your boss is trying to take notes but seems to have forgotten their pen. You want to offer them your pen very politely.
  Vocabulary	使う[tsukau](to use)

  • You: 私のでよかったら、。
    Watashi no de yokattara, ... .
    If it's okay with you, please use mine.

For the following situations, please make indirect requests using 〜てくれませんか or 〜ないでくれませんか. You can use the provided word bank for each situation.

• Situation	You've found a nice T-shirt at a clothing store. However, you want to see it in other colors too. You want to politely ask the staff to show you the T-shirt in different colors as well.
  Vocabulary	見せる[miseru](to show)

  • You: 他の色も。
    Hoka no iro mo ... .
    Can you show (me) other colors as well?

  Instead of くれませんか, you can use くれますか[kuremasu ka], もらえますか[moraemasu ka] or もらえませんか[moraemasen ka].

• Situation	You're an intern at a Japanese company, and you've written a report in Japanese. However, you want to politely ask your colleague to review it and correct mistakes if there are any.
  Vocabulary	直す[naosu](to correct)

  • You: 直してくれませんか。
    Machigai ga attara, ... .
    If there are any mistakes, can you correct (them)?

• Situation	You're staying with a Japanese family as a homestay. Tomorrow, you'll be returning to your country, and you want to politely ask them to give you a ride to the airport.
  Vocabulary	送る[okuru](to give (somebody) a ride)

  • You: 明日空港まで。
    Ashita kūkō made ... .
    Can you give me a ride to the airport tomorrow?

• Situation	When you arrived at work, you noticed some random boxes on your desk. It appears that your officemate left them there. You want to politely ask them not to leave their belongings on your desk.
  Vocabulary	置く[oku](to put (something somewhere))

  • You: ここに荷物を。
    Koko ni nimotsu o ... .
    Can you not leave your belongings here?

• Situation	Your neighbor plays the guitar late at night, and it's causing you difficulty sleeping. You want to politely ask them not to play the guitar late at night.
  Vocabulary	弾く[hiku](to play)

  • You: すみませんが、夜遅くにギターを。
    Sumimasen ga, yoru osoku ni gitā o ... .
    Excuse me, but can you not play the guitar late at night?

For the following situations, please make indirect requests using 〜てくれませんか or 〜ないでくれませんか. Make sure to adjust the level of politeness accordingly. You may use the provided word bank for each situation.

• Situation	You forgot your wallet and want your close friend to lend you some money.
  Vocabulary	貸す[kasu](to lend)

  • You: ちょっとお金？
    Chotto okane ... ?
    Can you lend me some money?

  Instead of くれない, you can use くれる[kureru], もらえる[moraeru] or もらえない[moraenai].

• Situation	When you came back home, you found your sister eating the cake you were looking forward to. You want to ask her not to eat it without asking.
  Vocabulary	食べる[taberu](to eat)

  • You: 食べないでくれない？
    Katte ni ... .
    Can you not eat (the cake) without asking?

• Situation	You have a meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. next week but cannot attend it due to another meeting. You want to ask your boss very politely to change the time.
  Vocabulary	変える[kaeru](to change)

  • You: すみませんが、ミーティングの時間を。
    Sumimasen ga, mītingu no jikan o ... .
    Excuse me, but could you change the meeting time (for me)?

  Instead of いただけませんか, you can use くださいますか[ kudasaimasu ka], くださいませんか[kudasaimasen ka], or いただけますか[itadakemasu ka)].