Pivotal Sentences (兼语句): Causatives with 请 / 叫 / 让
兼语句1：表使令
Have one person ASK / TELL / LET another person do something
A 兼语句 ("pivot sentence") packs two verbs and two subjects into one clause. The middle noun PIVOTS: it's the object of the first verb (请/叫/让) AND the subject of the second verb. 我请他吃饭 = "I invite him + he eats" → "I invite him to eat."
HSK 2 introduces THREE causative pivots: 请 (please / invite — polite request), 叫 (tell / make — neutral or commanding), 让 (let / allow — permission or weak compulsion). The PIVOT (宾语1) sits between the two verbs.
Lesson Targets
Podcast
Podcast: Pivotal Sentences (兼语句): Causatives with 请 / 叫 / 让 (兼语句1：表使令)
Listen to Jason & Amy explain the 兼语句1：表使令 pattern
New here?
Understanding 兼语句1：表使令
Up to now your verbs each have ONE subject. 兼语句 (jiānyǔjù, "pivot sentence") breaks that rule: the middle noun does double duty. 我请你来 — "I invite you" + "you come." The 你 PIVOTS, serving as the object of 请 AND the subject of 来. HSK 2 names three causative pivots: 请 (polite invite / please), 叫 (have someone do something — neutral or commanding), 让 (let / allow). Without 兼语句, sentences like "Mom asked me to buy milk," "The teacher let us go home early," or "Please tell him to come" become awkward to express. The PDF puts this structure at HSK 2 because by then you have enough vocabulary to put it to real use.
Key Points
- 请 — polite invitation / request. 请他吃饭 (invite him to eat).
- 叫 — neutral "have someone do." 妈妈叫我去买东西 (Mom told me to go shopping).
- 让 — let / allow / make. 老师让我们回家 (The teacher let us go home).
- The PIVOT (the person) sits BETWEEN the two verbs. 我请他来 — not 我请来他.
- Aspect 了 / 过 attach to the SECOND verb (the action), not the first. 我请他吃了饭.
- Negation 不 / 没 goes BEFORE the first verb (请/叫/让). 妈妈没让我去.
- 让 + person + 不 + V2 is also possible to express "don't let them": 妈妈不让我去网吧.
- The second verb can take its own object: 我让他给我打电话 (I asked him to call me).
请 carries unique politeness in Chinese — 请他吃饭 doesn't just mean "ask him to eat," it specifically implies "treat him to a meal" (you're paying). Restaurant invitations in China nearly always carry this meaning unless explicitly framed otherwise.
Key Vocabulary
Example Sentences
我请你吃饭。
I invite you to dinner. (My treat.)
Polite invitation, often implies "treat."
妈妈叫我去买东西。
Mom told me to go shopping.
叫 = "have someone do." V1+V2 with the pivot 我 between.
老师让我们回家。
The teacher let us go home.
让 = let / allow.
请你帮我一下。
Please help me out.
请 + you + V — polite request.
爸爸不让我看电视。
Dad won't let me watch TV.
Negation BEFORE 让.
我叫他给我打电话。
I asked him to call me.
V2 can take its own complement.
老师请我们看一部电影。
The teacher took us to see a movie.
Both V1 and V2 carry full meaning.
医生让我多喝水。
The doctor told me to drink more water.
请大家安静一下。
Please be quiet, everyone.
Common public-address opener.
妈妈没叫我洗碗。
Mom didn't tell me to wash the dishes.
Past negation: 没 + V1.
Common Mistakes
The PIVOT (person) sits BETWEEN the two verbs. Word order is Subject + V1 + Person + V2.
Negation 没 sits BEFORE the first verb (让), not between 让 and the pivot.
In a pivotal sentence, aspect 了 attaches to the SECOND verb (the action), not the causative verb 让.
Practice Exercises
Tips & Tricks
Three causative pivots, three flavors: 请 = polite invite, 叫 = neutral order, 让 = permit / let.
The pivot ALWAYS sits between V1 and V2. If you can't put a name or pronoun in that slot, you don't have a 兼语句.
Negation and aspect attach to different verbs: 不/没 goes before V1; 了/过 attach to V2 (or sentence-final).
请 in invitations almost always implies the inviter pays. Use 叫 for a neutral "have someone come" without that implication.
Homework
Write six pivotal sentences: two with 请 (polite invitations), two with 叫 (neutral assignments), and two with 让 (permission or restriction). Try negating at least two and adding 了 to two others to mark completion.