Asking for something: ～を ください
N を ください／N を おねがいします
Object を（quantity）ください = “give me…”. More polite: おねがいします. To decline: けっこうです.
In short
In a shop or a restaurant: ～を ください (give me…) or ～を おねがいします (…, please). You can give the quantity before ください: コーヒーを 二つ ください.
- おみずを ください。omizu o kudasaiSome water, please.
- これを 三つ ください。kore o mittsu kudasaiThree of these, please.
- カレーを おねがいします。karē o onegai shimasuA curry, please.
The basics
To ask for something (in a shop, at a restaurant), you say what you want, を, then ください: “give me…”. It's the basic sentence for any purchase.
- 水を ください。mizu o kudasaiSome water, please.
- この シャツを ください。kono shatsu o kudasaiI'll take this shirt.
With a quantity
The quantity goes between を and ください, with no particle: りんごを 三つ ください.
- コーヒーを 二つ ください。kōhī o futatsu kudasaiTwo coffees, please.
ください or おねがいします?
おねがいします (please) is a little more polite and also works for services, not just objects. At a restaurant or a counter, you often hear both.
| Phrase | Use |
|---|---|
| ～を ください | asking for an object, polite and direct |
| ～を おねがいします | object or service, a little more polite |
| ～で おねがいします | choosing an option: カードで (by card) |
Declining politely
To decline a bag or a receipt, you say けっこうです (no thank you, I'm fine) or だいじょうぶです.
- ふくろは けっこうです。fukuro wa kekkō desuNo bag needed, thank you.
Common mistakes
- Putting the quantity before the object as in English: you say コーヒーを 二つ, not 二つ コーヒーを.
- Forgetting を: it's sometimes dropped in speech, but the full form is 水を ください.
- Using ください on its own to ask someone to do something: for an action, it's ～てください (covered later).
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Oedo Line (Daily life) of the Tokyo subway.