HSK 2
让 / 叫: Make Someone Do in Chinese
让 and 叫 build a "pivotal" sentence: A + 让/叫 + B + verb — A makes, lets, or tells B do something. 妈妈让我早点睡 — Mom makes me sleep early. B is both the object of 让/叫 and the subject of the second verb. 让 leans "let / allow", 叫 leans "tell / order".
STRUCTURE
A + 让/叫 + B + Verb (pivotal sentence)
When to use 让/叫 — and when not
Use it when
- Making or letting someone do something: 老师让我们写作业。
- Telling or asking someone to do it: 妈妈叫我回家。
- Negating with 不 before 让/叫: 爸爸不让我出去。
Don't use it when
- Dropping the second verb — the pivot needs B's action: 妈妈让我 needs a verb, e.g. 让我睡觉。
- Confusing two scopes of negation — 爸爸不让我出去 means he does not allow it; 爸爸让我不出去 means he tells me not to go out。
- Using 让/叫 for your own action — they cause someone else to act.
Right vs. wrong
妈妈让我。
妈妈让我早点睡。
Missing the second verb
A 让/叫 sentence is pivotal — B has to do something. 妈妈让我 leaves out what she makes me do; add the verb: 让我早点睡。
老师让写作业我们。
老师让我们写作业。
Person (B) and verb in the wrong order
The person B comes right after 让/叫, then the verb: 让 + 我们 + 写作业. Putting the verb before B breaks the pivot structure.
Examples
妈妈让我早点睡。
Māma ràng wǒ zǎodiǎn shuì.
Mom makes me sleep early.
老师让我们写作业。
Lǎoshī ràng wǒmen xiě zuòyè.
The teacher has us do homework.
妈妈叫我回家。
Māma jiào wǒ huí jiā.
Mom tells me to come home.
爸爸不让我出去。
Bàba bù ràng wǒ chūqù.
Dad won't let me go out.
医生让他多喝水。
Yīshēng ràng tā duō hē shuǐ.
The doctor tells him to drink more water.
Common mistakes
妈妈让我。
Māma ràng wǒ.
A pivotal sentence needs the second verb: 妈妈让我早点睡。
老师让写作业我们。
Lǎoshī ràng xiě zuòyè wǒmen.
Person first, then verb: 老师让我们写作业。
爸爸我不让出去。
Bàba wǒ bù ràng chūqù.
Put 不让 before the person: 爸爸不让我出去。
Think you've got it?
Write your own 让/叫 sentence and check that grammar point first.
让 / 叫: Make Someone Do FAQ
What is a 让/叫 (pivotal) sentence?
A + 让/叫 + B + verb: one noun (B) is both the object of 让/叫 and the subject of the next verb. 妈妈让我学中文 — Mom has me study Chinese.
What is the difference between 让 and 叫?
让 leans "let / allow / have" (老师让我们休息). 叫 leans "tell / order" and is a bit more direct (他叫我等一下). They overlap a lot in everyday speech.
How do I make it negative?
The position changes the meaning. 爸爸不让我出去 means Dad does not allow me to go out; 爸爸让我不出去 means Dad tells me not to go out. Both are grammatical.