大家好! I have a question about "一下"
Hi everyone! I've recently heard these two sentences in a video:

那我想请问一下你有外国朋友吗？
(Nà wǒ xiǎng qǐngwèn yīxià nǐ yǒu wàiguó péngyǒu ma?)

那你方便说一下您的年龄吗？
(Nà nǐ fāngbiàn shuō yīxià nín de niánlíng ma?)

And also, a Chinese friend of mine wrote me this on WeChat:
我正在上课，下课后整理一下发给您
(Wǒ zhèngzài shàngkè, xiàkè hòu zhěnglǐ yīxià fā gěi nín)

Why do Chinese people use 一下 ("a bit" according to google translate) in these sentences?
Whould these sentences mean the same thing if you just leave it out?

谢谢!!

Question

大家好!  I have a question about "一下"
Hi everyone! I've recently heard these two sentences in a video:

那我想请问一下你有外国朋友吗？
(Nà wǒ xiǎng qǐngwèn yīxià nǐ yǒu wàiguó péngyǒu ma?)

那你方便说一下您的年龄吗？
(Nà nǐ fāngbiàn shuō yīxià nín de niánlíng ma?)

And also, a Chinese friend of mine wrote me this on WeChat: 
我正在上课， 下课后整理一下发给您
(Wǒ zhèngzài shàngkè, xiàkè hòu zhěnglǐ yīxià fā gěi nín)

Why do Chinese people use 一下 ("a bit" according to google translate)  in these sentences?
Whould these sentences mean the same thing if you just leave it out?

谢谢!!

Answer

一下 when added to a verb, can have 2 different effects:
(a) it has the idea of: a little while or a moment
     e.g. 等一下(wait a moment)
             休息一下(rest for a moment)
             你可以用一下(you may use it for a little while)
(b) it makes the force of the verb less direct, hence more gentle or friendly:
     e.g. 你看一下(take a look)  
             你問她一下(ask her about it)

Answer

打扰一下、说明一下、看一下、整理一下，这些”一下”是代表稍微的、短暂的、客气的，不是要求很彻底的，例如: 
1.可以打扰你一下吗 = 可以打扰你一点时间吗
2.可以麻烦您看一下吗 = 可以麻烦您花点时间看看吗
3.”请你打扫一下房间” 和 “请你彻底打扫房间”，两句的打扫程度和客气程度是不一样的，前者没有要求扫得很干净且比较客气。

Answers · 4

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