Japanese Language Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for students, teachers, and linguists wanting to discuss the finer points of the Japanese language. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
One of the multiple choice questions in a book I was reading was as follows:
- まどを_____.
はい、おねがいします。
a) 開けましょうか
b) 開けてもいいですか
c) 開けなさい
d) 開けてくれませんか
I selected b) as the answer, but the given correct choice was a).
I can see why a) would be a more natural fit than b), but could they both be considered correct? My translation for the dialogue was essentially: 'Is it okay if I close the window?' 'Yes, thanks', but would this seem unnatural/wrong in the context?
Firstly 開ける means 'open' not 'close'. I'm sure that was just a slip, but I wanted to make sure.
Option a) is 'Shall I open the window?'. You are offering a service to another person so 'yes please' would be a natural response.
Option b) is 'Is it okay if I open the window?'. In this case you are seeking permission to do something for your own benefit, so 'yes please' doesn't seem like a good match to this question.
In summary a) seems like the only natural answer.
While it probably wouldn’t be the right choice in a multiple choice exam, (b) is also fine — it just requires that the responder is trying to emphasize that they are not just giving permission, but if anything are being done a favor. This sort of reframing is quite common because it can be seen as humbling (in the sense of “who am I to give permission”), which is fairly core to Japanese conversation dynamics. Though もちろん(です)、お願いします might be a little better for this since it more fully reframes (although it depends on the relationship).
