EasyJapaneseE@gmail.com

Module 4.3 – Let’s eat sushi

You have learned about ~ます、ました、ません、ませんでした endings. You also have learned by adding か after those endings, the sentence becomes a question.

Another set of endings I’d like you to learn today is the ways to suggest an action.

  • ~ましょう ending is used when you want to do something together with the person you are talking to, so it’s like “Let’s ~” in English.
  • ~ましょうか has 2 usages,
    • “Shall I ~?” (asking if I should do something) and
    • “Shall we ~?” (reservedly suggesting the other person to do something with you).
  • ~ませんか
    • “Don’t you ~/won’t you~?” or “Won’t you ~ with me?”
    • validating the negative statement (implying surprise or disappointment)

Explanation Video

Examples

じゃあ、いきましょう。
Well then, let’s go.

  • ええ、そうですね。いきましょう。
    Yes, that’s right. Let’s go.

さあ、がんばりましょう。
C’mon, let’s try hard!

しゃしんを とりましょう。
Let’s take a photo.

  • はい/ええ、とりましょう。
  • ああ、しゃしんはちょっと…

しゃしんを とりましょうか。(upwards)
Shall I take your photo? 

  • はい、おねがいします。
  • いいえ、けっこうです。ありがとう(ございます)。

しゃしんを とりましょうか。(downwards)
Shall we take a photo?

  • はい/ええ、とりましょう。

しゃしんを とりませんか。(upwards)
Why don’t you take a photo? or Shouldn’t we take a photo?

  • はい/ええ、とりましょう。
  • ああ、しゃしんはちょっと…

しゃしんを とりませんか。(downwards)
Oh, you don’t take photos.

  • あのう、しゃしんはちょっと… (すみません。)

えいがに いきましょう。
Let’s go to a movie.

  • はい/ええ、いきましょう。
  • ああ/あのう、えいがはちょっと…

えいがに いきましょうか。(upwards)
Shall I go to a movie?

  • はい、おねがいします。
  • いいえ、けっこうです。ありがとう(ございます)。

えいがに いきましょうか。(downwards)
Shall we go to a movie?

  • はい/ええ、いきましょう。
  • ああ/あのう、えいがはちょっと…

えいがに いきませんか。(upwards)
Why don’t we go to a movie?

  • はい/ええ、いきましょう。
  • ああ/あのう、えいがはちょっと…

えいがに いきませんか。(downwards)
eiga ni ikimasenka.
Oh, you don’t go to a movie…

  • あのう、しゃしんはちょっと… (すみません。)

Similarly, by adding one letter, か, ね or よ to a -ます or -です ending statement, you can change the statement into a question or change the tone of the statement. Watch this video first.

As the video says, the intonation how you end the sentence is important.

Upward か

That makes a statement into a straight forward Yes/No question.

  • For yes, say はい or ええ and repeat the same ending word without か
  • For no, say いいえ and use a negative or opposite ending. Just be careful to be diplomatic.

Downward か

That implies a surprise of the speaker.

Upward ね

If the speaker adds an upward ね, he/she is asking for a confirmation.

  • For yes, say はい or ええ and repeat the same ending word without か
  • For no, say いいえ and use a negative or opposite ending. Just be careful to be diplomatic.

Downward ね

This softens the statement to avoid sounding judgemental.

Upward よ

Either implies the excitement of the speaker or the speaker is urging others to join in.

Downward よ

This implies the speaker’s discontent.

To be diplomatic

If somebody asks you ~が すきですか or a loaded question like ~を たべますか, you can say something like:

  • いいえ、あんまり*… No, not really…
  • ああ、ちょっと… Ah, it’s a bit…

*we say あんまり but when we write it, we often skip ん. So あまり is more often used than あんまり in writing.

Suggested Activities

Say a few sentences to suggest an activity.

Complete all the exercises of Module 4 in the Moodle Course.

Course: JLPT N5