24.6 The Expression 麻煩 maa4 faan4 (‘please’)

The expression 麻煩 maa4 faan4 literally means ‘to trouble’. In this context, it means ‘please’. We can use 麻煩 maa4 faan4 to make a request extra polite. It is often used at restaurants or shops. We put 麻煩 maa4 faan4 at the beginning of the sentence. The subject of the sentence will usually be the listener.

We can optionally omit the subject because it will usually be the listener.

We don’t usually use 麻煩 maa4 faan4 if the subject is not the listener. This often happens when we are making a request indirectly. In such cases, we can use 唔該 m4 goi1 instead.

Note that 麻煩 maa4 faan4 makes a request extra polite. It may sound unusual if we use 麻煩 maa4 faan4 with someone we are close to. We will usually use 唔該 m4 goi1 with them instead.