Asking for favours in Chinese 求人帮忙
qiúrén bāngmáng
Do me a favour in Chinese is 帮个忙 (bāng ge máng).
Also searched for as: asking for help, can you do me a favour, ask a favor, favours, could you help me.
Asking for a hand without being a nuisance. 15 essential asking for favours words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Asking for a favour in Chinese often starts with 帮个忙 (bāng ge máng), "do me a favour", or the politer 麻烦你 (má fan nǐ), "could I trouble you". Favours come with a strong sense of give and take, so you'll also meet 人情 (rén qíng), a favour owed, and the useful 欠你一个人情 (qiàn nǐ yī ge rén qíng), I owe you one. And when someone thanks you, 小事 (xiǎo shì), it's nothing, is the perfect modest reply.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 帮个忙 | bāng ge máng | do me a favour |
| 帮忙 | bāng máng | to help |
| 麻烦你 | má fan nǐ | could I trouble you |
| 不好意思麻烦你 | bù hǎo yì si má fan nǐ | sorry to bother you |
| 能不能 | néng bu néng | could you possibly |
| 拜托 | bài tuō | please; I'm counting on you |
| 求你了 | qiú nǐ le | please, I'm begging you |
| 有空吗 | yǒu kòng ma | are you free? |
| 借 | jiè | to borrow; to lend |
| 顺便 | shùn biàn | while you're at it |
| 人情 | rén qíng | favour (owed); goodwill |
| 欠你一个人情 | qiàn nǐ yī ge rén qíng | I owe you one |
| 请你吃饭 | qǐng nǐ chī fàn | to treat you to a meal |
| 小事 | xiǎo shì | a small thing; no big deal |
| 举手之劳 | jǔ shǒu zhī láo | no trouble at all |
Usage tips
- 帮忙 is a separable verb, so other words go in the middle: 帮个忙 (bāng ge máng), 帮我一个忙 (bāng wǒ yī ge máng), 帮了大忙 (bāng le dà máng), that was a huge help.
- 改天我请你吃饭 (gǎi tiān wǒ qǐng nǐ chī fàn), I'll treat you to a meal some time, is a standard way to say thanks; it's sincere, but it's often a gesture rather than a fixed plan.
- 拜托 (bài tuō) means "please, I'm counting on you", but said with a sigh it can also mean "oh, come on!", especially in Taiwan.
Common mistakes
- Saying 帮忙我 for "help me" → 帮忙 can't take an object directly, so say 帮我 (bāng wǒ) or 帮我个忙 (bāng wǒ ge máng).
- Getting the direction of 借 (jiè) wrong: 我能借你一支笔吗 means "Can I lend you a pen?" → to borrow, say 我能跟你借一支笔吗 (wǒ néng gēn nǐ jiè yī zhī bǐ ma), or 你能借我一支笔吗 (nǐ néng jiè wǒ yī zhī bǐ ma), can you lend me a pen?
- Using 求你了 (qiú nǐ le) for small requests sounds dramatic, like begging → for everyday favours, 麻烦你 or 能不能 (néng bu néng) is enough.
Mini dialogue
- A不好意思麻烦你，你明天下午有空吗？Bù hǎo yì si má fan nǐ, nǐ míng tiān xià wǔ yǒu kòng ma?Sorry to bother you, but are you free tomorrow afternoon?
- B有空，怎么了？Yǒu kòng, zěn me le?Yes, what's up?
- A我要搬家，你能不能帮个忙？Wǒ yào bān jiā, nǐ néng bu néng bāng ge máng?I'm moving house. Could you possibly give me a hand?
- B没问题，小事一件。Méi wèn tí, xiǎo shì yī jiàn.No problem, it's nothing.
- A太好了，我欠你一个人情！改天我请你吃饭。Tài hǎo le, wǒ qiàn nǐ yī ge rén qíng! Gǎi tiān wǒ qǐng nǐ chī fàn.Brilliant, I owe you one! I'll take you out for a meal some time.
Example sentences
- 你能帮个忙吗？Could you do me a favour?
- 谢谢你帮忙，辛苦了！Thanks for helping, I know it was a lot of work!
- 麻烦你帮我拿一下。Could you pass that to me, please?
- 不好意思麻烦你，能借我支笔吗？Sorry to bother you, could I borrow a pen?
- 能不能帮我看一下孩子？Could you possibly keep an eye on the kids for me?
- 拜托了，就这一次！Please, just this once!
- 求你了，帮帮我吧！Please, I'm begging you, help me out!
- 你明天下午有空吗？Are you free tomorrow afternoon?
- 能借我一百块钱吗？Could you lend me a hundred kuai?
- 你顺便帮我买瓶水吧。Grab me a bottle of water while you're at it.
- 这个人情我记住了。I won't forget this favour.
- 太好了，我欠你一个人情！Brilliant, I owe you one!
- 改天我请你吃饭！I'll take you out for a meal some time!
- 小事一件，不用谢。It's nothing, don't mention it.
- 举手之劳，别客气。It was no trouble at all.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Asking for favours speaking island has 8 everyday questions about asking for favours to prepare your own answers to.