你能帮我吗？
nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?
Can you help me · trad. 你能幫我嗎？
你能帮我吗？ (Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma) is a polite and direct way to ask for help in Mandarin Chinese. It is suitable for most situations, including when speaking to strangers.
What does 你能帮我吗？ (nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?) mean?
你能帮我吗？ (nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?) means “can you help me” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “You can help me?”
When to use it
Polite and appropriate for general use. For a slightly more formal or deferential request, you can add 请问 (qǐngwèn, “excuse me”). A common reply is 没问题 (méi wèntí), meaning “no problem.”
How to pronounce it
Sounds like “nee-NUNG bahng WUH mah.” The tones are important for clarity: second tone on 能, first tone on 帮, and third tone on 我.
Other ways to say it
- 请问，你能帮我吗？qǐngwèn, nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?Excuse me, can you help me?
- 可以帮我吗？kěyǐ bāng wǒ ma?Can you help me? (slightly more direct)
- 帮我一下。bāng wǒ yíxià.Help me a bit. (more casual)
Examples
你能帮我吗？我找不到我的钥匙了。
nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma? wǒ zhǎo bú dào wǒ de yàoshi le.
Can you help me? I can't find my keys.
请问，你能帮我吗？我想去火车站。
qǐngwèn, nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma? wǒ xiǎng qù huǒchēzhàn.
Excuse me, can you help me? I want to go to the train station.
我需要一些帮助，你能帮我吗？
wǒ xūyào yìxiē bāngzhù, nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?
I need some help, can you help me?
Pro tip: The particle 吗 (ma) turns a statement into a question. Without it, 你能帮我 (Nǐ néng bāng wǒ) would be a statement: “You can help me.”
Related phrases
别客气 · Don't be so polite帮我一下 · Give me a hand需要帮忙吗？ · Do you need help
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