BackGrammar JLPT Level N3 - Lesson 5
Structure of てごらん:
Verb［て］+ ごらん
Verb［て］+ ごらんなさい
Details about てごらん:
てご覧 is an honorific language expression in Japanese that is used in a similar way to なさい. It is usually translated as 'please try to (A)', where (A) is the verb that ご覧 is connected to, through the use of the conjunction particle て.
- この本を読ん____。この本を読んだら日本について色々と学べるよ。Try reading this book. If you read it, you will learn various things about Japan.
- 外を見____。虹が出ているよ。Look outside. There is a rainbow.
However, despite being translated as 'please try to (A)', the literal meaning of 覧 is 'to look', or 'to peruse' (to look at one's own leisure, without needing to rush). Due to this, てごらん can be thought of as being quite similar to てみる 'to try', but with the added emphasis of 'try as you like, when it suits you'.
Usage Notes for てごらん:
As ご覧 is honorific language, it cannot be used to refer to your own actions, or things that you will 'try'. It will only ever be used to make suggestions to other people about what they should try.
これ食べてごらん。あなただったら絶対に好きだと思うよ。
Try eating this. If it's you, I think you'll definitely like it.
Sometimes ごらん and なさい will be paired together. This slightly increases the strength of the suggestion, and may be perceived as a very light command. Because of this, ごらんなさい is primarily used by superiors/elders, when requesting that a subordinate/younger person try something.
見てごらんなさい。こんな酷いことをネットにかかれたんだよ、酷くない？
Look at this. Someone wrote something this cruel on the internet. Don't you think this is awful?
Synonyms for てごらん:
Example of てごらん
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