WHY「”ぜひ”気をつけます」is INCORRECT/ Advice to Japanese learners

Hi I’m Satomi. I am a Japanese teacher. Sometimes, my students use “ぜひ” incorrectly. In this article,I want to explain how to use “ぜひ” correctly.

QUIZ１：Which is correct ?

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1.（　　）、来年は　日本へ来てくださいね。
　　a.さあ　　b.ぜひ

2. 私はパーティーがきらいです。（　　）行きたくないです。
　　a.ぜったい　　b.ぜひ

3. A「これは私が作ったおにぎりです。食べますか？」
　B「おいしそうですね！（　　）食べます！」
　　a.ぜひ　　b.もちろん

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QUIZ１：Answer

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1.　ぜひ、来年は　日本へ来てくださいね。
　　Definitely please come to Japan in the next year.

2. 私はパーティーがきらいです。ぜったい行きたくないです。
　　I never want to join a party because I don’t like it.

3. A「これは私が作ったおにぎりです。食べますか？」
　B「おいしそうですね！もちろん食べます！」
　　A”Why don’t you eat the onigiri I made?”
　　B”It looks good. Of course I’ll eat it!”

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Do you know how to use “ぜひ” correctly?

How was the quiz? Did you know these differences? Please don’t feel nervous if you were not able to answer correctly. Let’s review how to use “ぜひ” with me!

The rules you should know to use “ぜひ” correctly

The most important thing is not the meaning, but how to connect with verbs.
So, I want to explain about it more clearly from now!

“ぜひ” never connect with “ます form”

Some Japanese learners might make the mistake that “ぜひ～ます” use together. Of course, “ぜひ” means “certainly”, “definitely”, but you can’t use “ぜひ～ます” to only emphasize your feeling.

The point is that “ぜひ” emphasizes your desire or request. Let’s look at the sentences!

”ぜひ～てください” and “ぜひ～たい”…request and desire

Let me show you these sentences.

①ぜひ、来年は　日本へ来てくださいね。
ーDefinitely please come to Japan in the next year.

②来月の結婚式に、ぜひ参加したいです。
ーI really want to join your wedding party in the next month.

In Japanese language, ①“Vてください” means “your request to others”. Also, ②”Vたい” means “your desire”. On the other hand, if you would use “ぜひ” and “ます” together…

①*ぜひ、来年は　日本へ来ますね。？
ーDefinitely you come to Japan in the next year. ?

②*来月の結婚式に、ぜひ参加します。？
ーI really join your wedding party in the next month. ?

You know, even if you make sentences in English like ①* and ②*, they don’t make sense, right? In short, “～ます” doesn’t express the meaning of “your request” and “your desire”. The reason why you can’t use “ぜひ” and “ます” together.

QUIZ２：Review

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1. 明日、（　　）ミーティングに参加します。
　　a.かならず　b.ぜひ

2.明日（　　）お祭り（おまつり）に参加したいです。
　　a.たぶん　b.ぜひ

3（　　）日本へ旅行に行くかもしれません。
　　a.ぜひ　　b.たぶん

4.（　　）一緒に日本へ行きましょう！
　　a.ぜひ　b.たぶん

5.姉は私の友だちに「（　　）私の家に遊びに来てくださいね。」と言った。
　　a.ぜひ　b.とても

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QUIZ２：Answer

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1. 明日、かならずミーティングに参加します。
　ーI will definitely attend the meeting tomorrow.
　　a.かならず　b.ぜひ
　
　★Point★　✕”ぜひ～ます”

2.明日、ぜひお祭り（おまつり）に参加したいです。
　ーI would love to attend the festival tomorrow.
　　a.たぶん　b.ぜひ

3.たぶん日本へ旅行に行くかもしれません。
　ーI might travel to Japan.
　　a.ぜひ　　b.たぶん

★Point★　”たぶん～かもしれない” means “perhaps”.

4.ぜひ一緒に日本へ行きましょう！
　ーLet’s go to Japan together!
　　a.ぜひ　b.たぶん

★Point★ “～ましょう” means “let’s ～”. In Japanese language, “～ましょう” express “you suggest/request doing something with someone”. So you can use “ぜひ～ましょう” together as well.

5.姉は私の友だちに「ぜひ私の家に遊びに来てくださいね。」と言った。
　ーMy sister said to my friend, “Come and visit my house”.
　　a.ぜひ　b.とても

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Do you understand how to use “ぜひ” in Japanese conversation? I want to suggest you to use it as soon as possible before you will forget it. “Ohanasi Kagawa” hosts free online language exchange events. The events are held six times a month, and you can find a language exchange partner who is a native Japanese speaker! Instead of teaching English, you will be matched with a Japanese person who wants to learn English. Interaction with a language exchange partner is very important for developing real communication skills in learning Japanese, and since we switch the language we speak for 15 minutes at a time, even beginners may find it easy to participate.

ぜひ　Ohanasi Kagawaに　参加してみましょう！

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We at Ohanasi Kagawa are currently hosting an online Japanese-English language exchange event on weekends.
However, we have noticed that there are many people who want to participate but are not confident enough in their Japanese to do so.

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