jiào

叫(jiào)means “tell/make someone do: colloquial causative 叫”. 叫 works like 让 in the pattern 叫 + person + verb, telling or making someone do something. Formation: 叫 + 人 + 动词(否定:不叫)

tell/make someone do: colloquial causative 叫

HSK3

Formation

叫 + 人 + 动词(否定:不叫)

Explanation

叫 works like 让 in the pattern 叫 + person + verb, telling or making someone do something. It is more colloquial and often carries a sense of instructing or ordering. Negative 不叫 = tell someone not to / not let.

Examples

老师 我们安静。
lǎoshī jiào wǒmen ānjìng.
The teacher tells us to be quiet.
妈妈 我去买菜。
māma jiào wǒ qù mǎi cài.
Mom tells me to go buy groceries.

Note

Near-synonym of 让; 叫 sounds more like an instruction or order.

FAQ

叫 — what does it mean and how is it used?

tell/make someone do: colloquial causative 叫. 叫 works like 让 in the pattern 叫 + person + verb, telling or making someone do something. It is more colloquial and often carries a sense of instructing or ordering. Negative 不叫 = tell someone not to / not let.

叫 — how do you form it?

叫 + 人 + 动词(否定:不叫)

叫 — any usage notes?

Near-synonym of 让; 叫 sounds more like an instruction or order.

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