N4 Honorific Expressions

[使役しえき形けい]ていただけませんか: meaning, usage and examples

[使役しえき形けい]ていただけませんか means: Would you please let me do...?

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. ちょっと考かんがえさせていただけませんか。

   Would you please let me think about it a little?

2. 先さきに帰かえらせていただけませんか。

   Would you please let me leave early?

3. 少すこし休やすませていただけませんか。

   Would you please let me rest for a little while?

4. このパソコンを使つかわせていただけませんか。

   Would you please let me use this computer?

When to use it

Use this pattern to ask permission very politely: "Would you please let me...?" or "Could I...?" The causative form means "let someone do," and ていただけませんか turns it into a humble request. It is common at work, at school and with customers when you want to leave early, take a day off, use something or speak.

Nuance

This is more polite than てもいいですか (May I...?). It shows you are asking for the other person's permission and are grateful for it. The statement form させていただきます is also common in business, but overusing it can sound stiff.

Compare

Compare it with ていただけませんか, where you ask the other person to do something: 窓まどを開あけていただけませんか (Could you open the window?). With the causative, you will do it: 窓まどを開あけさせていただけませんか (Could you let me open the window?). Compare also てもいいですか, which is simpler and less formal.

Tip: Get the causative right first: 使つかう -> 使つかわせて, 見みる -> 見みさせて, する -> させて. Then just add いただけませんか.

More on this in Japanese passive and causative forms.