請問
May I Ask
Use 請問 (ceng2 man6 / cing2 man6) at the start of a question to ask politely when speaking with strangers, service staff, or acquaintances.
How It Works
What is 請問?
請問 (cing2 man6, with a colloquial variant ceng2 man6) combines 請 (cing2 / ceng2) 'to request/please' and 問 (man6) 'to ask'. It functions as a courteous introductory phrase meaning 'May I ask...' or 'Could you tell me...'.
Key Rules & Sentence Structure:
- Sentence-Initial Position: 請問 usually sits at the head of your question clause.
- Requires a Full Question: Grammatically, 請問 should be followed by a complete question clause, not just a noun. For example, you would normally ask: 請問洗手間喺邊度呀？ (cing2 man6 sai2 sau2 gaan1 hai2 bin1 dou6 aa3? - Excuse me, where is the restroom?). Note that truncating this to just 請問洗手間？ sounds unnatural and Mandarin-influenced; native Cantonese speakers would instead use 唔該 and ask 唔該，洗手間...？ (m4 goi1, sai2 sau2 gaan1...?).
- Verb Usage & Suffixes: While 請問 is most often a fixed speech-act opener that doesn't take aspect markers like 咗 (zo2) or 緊 (gan2), it can act as an active main verb in highly formal sentences (e.g., 我想請問你一個問題 ngo5 soeng2 cing2 man6 nei5 jat1 go3 man6 tai4 - I would like to ask you a question), though usually you would just say 我想問你一個問題 (ngo5 soeng2 man6 nei5 jat1 go3 man6 tai4). You can also attach the delimitative particle 吓 (haa5) to soften it: 請問吓 (cing2 man6 haa5).
- Information vs. Action: 請問 is strictly for asking questions to get information. To request an action or favor (e.g., 'Please help me'), you must use 唔該 (m4 goi1) or 請 (cing2). Crucially, do not use 請問 to say 'Excuse me' when pushing through a crowd; use 唔該借借 (m4 goi1 ze3 ze3) or 借過 (ze3 gwo3) instead.
Common Formulas & Colloquial Alternatives:
- The Gold Standard Survival Phrase: When approaching strangers, combining it with 唔該 (m4 goi1) to form 唔該，請問... (m4 goi1, cing2 man6...) is the ultimate polite survival phrase.
- Polite Inquiry Formulas: You will often hear standard courteous phrases such as 請問點稱呼？ (cing2 man6 dim2 cing1 fu1? - 'May I ask how to address you?').
- Colloquial Alternative — 借問聲: A traditional colloquial alternative to 請問 is 借問聲 (ze3 man6 seng1), as in 借問聲，呢度係邊度？ (ze3 man6 seng1, ni1 dou6 hai6 bin1 dou6? - 'Excuse me, where is this place?').
- Reserved for Strangers and Formal Settings: 請問 is inherently polite and formal, making it perfect for strangers, customer service, or professional settings. Using it with close friends sounds overly formal and distant. With peers, use 想問 (soeng2 man6) or 想問吓 (soeng2 man6 haa5) instead.
Examples (5)
- 請問圖書館點去呀？
May I ask how to get to the library?
Word by Word: May-I-ask library how go PRT?
Notice how 請問 (ceng2 man6) prefaces the whole question clause to make the inquiry polite.
- 唔該，請問而家幾點呀？
Excuse me, may I ask what time it is right now?
Word by Word: Excuse-me, may-I-ask now what-time PRT?
Starting with 唔該 (m4 goi1) grabs attention before 請問 (ceng2 man6) introduces the question.
- 先生，請問幾位？
Sir, may I ask how many people are in your party?
Word by Word: Sir, may-I-ask how-many-people?
Commonly used by restaurant staff when welcoming customers at the door.
- 請問呢個幾多錢呀？
May I ask how much this is?
Word by Word: May-I-ask this-one how-much money PRT?
A standard polite way to ask for prices in stores or markets.
- 請問洗手間喺邊度呀？
May I ask where the restroom is?
Word by Word: May-I-ask restroom at where PRT?
A very common and polite way to ask for directions to the bathroom.
Common Mistakes
Attaching aspect markers like 咗 (zo2) directly to 請問.
我請問咗佢圖書館點去。我問咗佢圖書館點去。請問 is a polite question starter, not an active transitive verb. To express past action like 'I asked him', use the standard verb 問 (man6) with 咗 (zo2).
Using 請問 to say 'Excuse me' when trying to get past someone in a crowd.
請問！請問！唔該借借！請問 strictly means 'May I ask...' and is only used before a question. To say 'Excuse me' to pass through a crowd, use 唔該借借 (m4 goi1 ze3 ze3) or 借過 (ze3 gwo3).
Using 請問 with close friends or family.
Different Meaning請問你今晚食乜嘢呀？想問你今晚食乜嘢呀？請問 sounds overly formal or distant among peers. Use 想問 (soeng2 man6, 'wanted to ask') or direct questions for casual situations.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use '請問' effectively, you need to understand the polite verb '請' (please) and how it combines with the verb '問' (to ask). Additionally, because this pattern is used to frame inquiries, familiarity with Cantonese question structure and softening particles is essential for natural communication.
- 請Please (Invitation)
The word '請問' is a compound starting with '請' (please/invite), which provides the polite foundation for the request.
Level 1 - Question Words Stay In Place
Since '請問' is used to introduce questions, the learner must understand how basic questions are structured in Cantonese, where question words remain in their original grammatical positions.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- 唔該Please / Thanks for a Service
唔該 (m4 goi1) acts as an attention-grabber ('Excuse me') and is frequently combined with 請問 at the start of an inquiry. It is also used instead of 請問 when requesting an action rather than information.
Level 1 - 想Want to
Combining 想 (soeng2) with 問 (man6) forms 想問 ('wanted to ask'), the casual counterpart to 請問 when speaking to peers.
Level 1 - 下Verbal Classifier: A Brief Instance
The delimitative classifier 吓 (haa5) can be attached to 請問 (請問吓) to soften the inquiry, just as it is commonly used with the casual 想問 (想問吓).
Level 3 - 邊度Where
邊度 (bin1 dou6) means 'where', a common question word that follows 請問 when asking for directions.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice 請問 in Bubblegum
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