N4 Giving and Receiving Actions

~てくれませんか/~てくださいませんか/~ていただけませんか: meaning, usage and examples

~てくれませんか/~てくださいませんか/~ていただけませんか means: Could you...?

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

Examples

1. この漢字かんじの読よみ方かたを教おしえていただけませんか。

   Could you please tell me how to read this kanji?

2. ちょっと待まってくれませんか。

   Could you wait a moment?

3. すみません、窓まどを開あけてくださいませんか。

   Excuse me, would you mind opening the window?

4. ペンを貸かしてくれませんか。

   Could you lend me a pen?

When to use it

These are polite ways to ask someone to do something for you, like "Could you...?" or "Would you mind...?" They are softer than てください because they ask a negative question and leave the other person room to say no. Use くれませんか with friends and equals, and くださいませんか or いただけませんか with strangers, customers, teachers and bosses.

Nuance

Politeness rises in this order: てくれませんか, てくださいませんか, ていただけませんか. The last one is very common at work and in shops. The forms without ません (てくれますか, ていただけますか) are also used but sound a little more direct. In casual speech, friends say てくれない？

Compare

てください is a polite request but still sounds like an instruction: 窓まどを開あけてください. ていただけませんか turns it into a humble question: 窓まどを開あけていただけませんか. Do not confuse ていただけませんか (could you do it for me?) with させていただけませんか (could you let me do it?).

Tip: When you are unsure, choose ていただけませんか. It fits almost any polite situation, from asking a stranger for directions to asking your boss for help.

More on this in The Japanese te-form.