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Lesson

Causatives (让 / 叫)

1. Explain it simply

让 and 叫 both mean 'have / make someone do something'

The order is fixed: subject + 让/叫 + person + verb.

妈妈让我回家 means 'Mom has me go home' - 我 is the person told to act.

Never drop the person: 妈妈让回家 is wrong; you must say who acts.

2. Show examples

妈妈让我早点回家。

Māma ràng wǒ zǎo diǎn huí jiā.

Mom tells me to come home early.

让 + person + verb

老师让我们多练习。

Lǎoshī ràng wǒmen duō liànxí.

The teacher has us practice more.

person = 我们

医生让他多休息。

Yīshēng ràng tā duō xiūxi.

The doctor tells him to rest more.

妈妈叫我洗澡。

Māma jiào wǒ xǐzǎo.

Mom tells me to take a shower.

叫 works the same way

3. Share a tip

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