Let's A (together)
Can mean "I'll A" when the subject is 1st person such as 私/わたし
- Let's A (together) Can mean "I'll A" when the subject is 1st person such as 私/わたし
- Shall I/we A?
乗ってみましょう！
Let's try riding them!
53
おはよう! 朝ご飯を食べましょう！
Good morning! Let's eat breakfast together!
55
駅の前で会いましょう。
Let's meet in front of the station.
5
このCDはいいですよ。一緒に聞きましょう。
This CD is good! Let's listen (to it) together.
8
さあ、ドライブへ行きましょう！
Alright, let's go on a drive!
14
夕飯にカレーを作りましょう。
Let's make curry for dinner.
Getting the sentences
List
ませんか
ましょう
ましょうか
ましょう
ましょうか
In this lesson, we will look at a few different ways to invite someone to do something with us.
~ませんか
おちゃ を のみませんか。
いちじ に ひるごはん を たべませんか。
としょかん で ほん を よみませんか。
The first kind of invitation we will look at is the most polite, and uses the negative verb ending ません that we already learned, plus the question particle か.
The first kind of invitation we will look at is the most polite, and uses the negative verb ending ません that we already learned, plus the question particle か.
This is kind of similar to the phrase “won’t you…?” in English. For example, the Alphabet Song ends with the line “next time won’t you sing with me?”
You can use all the particles we have already learned in your invitation as well to make them as specific as you want.
This would be “Would you like to have some tea?”
This would be “Would you like to have lunch at 1:00?”
And this would be “Would you like to read books at the library?”
~ましょう
~ましょうか
~ましょうか
およぎましょう
およぎましょうか
およぎましょうか
テニス を しましょう。
さん じ に いきましょうか。
しゃしん を とりましょうか。
The next type of invitation we will look at is still polite, but not quite as formal as ませんか. This uses a new variation on the ます form, ましょう. You can also add the question particle か to the end.
The next type of invitation we will look at is still polite, but not quite as formal as ませんか. This uses a new variation on the ます form, ましょう. You can also add the question particle か to the end.
You will conjugate this form the same way you would any polite verb, but you will end with ましょう instead of ます or ません.
Using ましょう more closely aligns with the English phrase “Let’s …”, while ましょうか is more like “Shall we…?”
So およぎましょう would be “Let’s swim!”, while およぎましょうか would be “Shall we swim?”
Just like with our other invitations, you can use ましょう and ましょうか with all the other particles we have learned.
So this would be “Let’s play tennis!”
And this would be “Shall we go at 3:00?”
You can also use ましょうか to offer assistance.
For example, if you are offering to take a photo of someone, you can say しゃしんをとりましょうか, which you can translate as either “Shall I take a photo (of you)?” or “Would you like me to take a photo?”
To recap, the suffix ませんか can be used for polite invitations.
To recap, the suffix ませんか can be used for polite invitations.
ましょう is the most casual, and is closer to “Let's ..”, and ましょうか (“Shall we ..”) falls in the middle.
Construction
(Elements in parentheses are optional.)
Basic Examples:
行きましょう (let's go)
Related Expressions
ませんか
Volitional/意志
Volitional/意志
Where this grammar is found
User notes
Shall I/we A?
- Let's A (together) Can mean "I'll A" when the subject is 1st person such as 私/わたし
- Shall I/we A?
8
ね、一緒に行きましょう？
Hey, shall we go together?
8
人ごみがいやなら、公園に行きましょうか。
If you don't like crowds, why don't we go to the park?
Getting the sentences
Construction
(Elements in parentheses are optional.)
Basic Examples:
踊りましょうか？ (Shall we dance?)
Related Expressions
ませんか
Volitional/意志
Volitional/意志
Where this grammar is found
User notes
Discussion about this grammar
