Today’s topic is ～たら どうですか which is often translated as “Why don’t you ～? It is an expression when making a suggesting to “you,” the person one is talking to. It is a rather direct expression and has a bit of patronizing tone, so I don’t recommend you use it too often but when you hear somebody else say it to you, you should know that that is a suggestion made to you.
[past plain verb] + ら means “If ～” so the more direct translation would be “how will it be if you did ….”
この くるまを かったら どうですか。
How will it be if you bought this car? => Why don’t you buy this car?
More example on this pattern can be:
でんきを つけたら どうですか。
Why don’t you turn on the light?すこしは べんきょうしたら どうですか。
Why don’t you study a bit?ラーメンでも つくったら どうですか。
Why don’t you make ramen or something?てがみを かいたら どうですか。
Why don’t you write a letter?じてんしゃで がっこうに いったら どうですか。
Why don’t ride a bike to school?
The title says ～たら どうですか but as that ～た represent the past plain form of a verb, so in case of a verb like のみます/のむ, it becomes のんだら どうですか。
みずを のんだら どうですか。
Why don’t you drink some water?およいだら どうですか。
Why don’t you swim?
As I said earlier, it is a suggestion to the person you are talking to, so if you want to make a suggestion to do something together with you, you should say ～ませんか or ～ましょう（か）instead.
コーヒーを のみませんか。
Why don’t we have coffee?
コーヒーを のみましょうか。
Shall we have coffee?
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