qǐng quèdìng gōuhuǒ yǐjīng xīmiè.

already

Breakdown of qǐng quèdìng gōuhuǒ yǐjīng xīmiè.

• 请qǐng: to ask (politely)
• 熄灭xīmiè: to extinguish; go out

Questions & Answers about qǐng quèdìng gōuhuǒ yǐjīng xīmiè.

What does 请 do at the beginning of the sentence?

请 makes the sentence polite. It is often translated as please.

So 请确定... means please make sure... or please confirm....

In instructions, warnings, and signs, 请 is very common:

• 请坐。 = Please sit.
• 请注意安全。 = Please pay attention to safety.

Here, it softens the command, but the sentence is still clearly an instruction.

What does 确定 mean here? Does it mean determine or make sure?

In this sentence, 确定 means make sure, confirm, or ascertain.

So 请确定篝火已经熄灭 means something like:

• Please make sure the campfire is out.
• Please confirm that the campfire has already been extinguished.

A useful point: 确定 can have different uses:

• as a verb: to confirm / determine / make sure
• as an adjective: certain / definite

Examples:

• 我不确定。 = I’m not sure.
• 请确定时间。 = Please confirm the time.

In your sentence, it is a verb.

Why is there no word for that, as in make sure that the campfire...?