Subject + 让 (ràng) + Object + Verb/Adjective
Use this when one person or thing causes another to do or feel something — 'make me wait,' 'let her go,' 'this news makes everyone happy.' It's the everyday causative in Chinese, covering everything from polite permission ('let me try') to emotional cause ('the movie made me cry'). The thing being acted on or affected sits right after 让.
Structure
[A] 让 [B] [VERB / ADJECTIVE]
ràng
How to Think About It
Think of 让 as a baton being passed: A hands the action to B, and B is the one who actually does it or feels it. That's why what follows B is almost always something a person can do or feel — a verb or an emotion adjective. Putting an object directly after 让 (without a person to receive the baton) breaks the pattern.
Examples
这部电影让我很感动。
Zhè bù diànyǐng ràng wǒ hěn gǎndòng.
This movie really moved me.
妈妈不让我吃糖。
Māma bù ràng wǒ chī táng.
Mom won't let me eat candy.
请让他先说。
Qǐng ràng tā xiān shuō.
Please let him speak first.
Common Mistake
Learners try to use 让 like the English 'make' with non-human objects ('make the room clean'). In Chinese that's the job of 把, not 让. 让 needs a human or animate object to pass the action to.
我让房间很干净。
我把房间打扫干净了。
Don't Confuse With
把 + Object + Verb
Use 把 when you act ON an object yourself; use 让 when you cause someone ELSE to act or feel.
使 + Object + Adjective
Same causative meaning, but 使 is formal/written — essays and news. In speech, always 让.
叫 + Object + Verb
叫 is closer to 'order/tell someone to,' carrying a sharper command tone than the neutral 让.
Practice
这个消息_____ 大家都很高兴。 (causative)
Show answer
让
老师让我们_____ 一篇文章。 (write)
Show answer
写
Arrange: 让 / 等 / 你 / 久了 / 我
Show answer
让你久等了。 (or 我让你等久了。)
Translate: Don't let him drive.
Show answer
别让他开车。
Write a sentence with 让 about something that made you happy.
Show answer
她的微笑让我很开心。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: