51 expressing commands and permission
51.1 Commands
51.1.1 making a command
There is no specific command form in Mandarin, but there are several ways to make a command.The simplest way is simply to state the verb:
吃！ 说！/說！ 坐！
Chī! Shuō! Zuò!
Eat! Speak! Sit!The verb may sometimes be suffixed with 着/著 zhe:
吃着！/吃著！ 拿着！/拿著！ 坐着！/坐著！
Chīzhe! Názhe! Zuòzhe!
Eat! Hold it!/Take it! Sit!C17.2Commands may also take the form of a statement followed by 吧 ba.
吃吧！ 给我吧！ 坐吧！
給我吧！
Chī ba! Gěi wǒ ba! Zuò ba!
Eat! Give (it) to me! Sit!Note that the particle 吧 ba at the end of the sentence may also convey suggestion:
我们看电影吧！
我們看電影吧！
Wǒmen kàn diànyǐng ba!
Let’s see a movie!or supposition:
你是王老师吧。
你是王老師吧。
Nǐ shì Wáng lǎoshī ba.
You must be Professor Wang.Context will make the function of 吧 ba clear in any given sentence.C56.2