Japanese for English speakers House · Lesson 8

Let's do something

Suggest activities with the volitional ましょう (mashō, let's ...) — ケーキを作りましょう (let's make a cake). Replace ます with ましょう on any polite verb.

Conversation

  1. Yennifer Yennifer

    休みの時はつまらないですね

    yasumi no toki wa tsumaranai desu ne.

    Ugh! Holidays are boring

    Tip: <noun + no + toki> = when it is ... <tsumaranai> = boring ("i" adjective)

  2. Pishi Pishi

    そうですよね

    sō desu yo ne

    Yeah, you're right

  3. Yennifer Yennifer

    ケーキを作りましょうよ！

    kēki o tsukurimashō yo!

    Let's make a cake!

    Tip: <kēki> = cake <tsukurimasu> = to make, to create <[verb] + mashō> = let's do something. To use this structure take away the "masu" ending and replace it with "masho". <tabemasu> = to eat. <tabemashō> = let's eat.

  4. Pishi Pishi

    いいですね！そうしましょう！

    ī desu ne! sō shimashō!

    Good idea! Let's do it!

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How do you say 'let's ...' in Japanese?

Replace ます with ましょう on the polite verb form: 食べます → 食べましょう = 'let's eat'.

What's the difference between ましょう and ませんか?

ましょう is direct ('let's!'). ませんか is softer, framed as a question ('won't you?'). The latter is politer for offers.

What does つまらない mean?

'Boring' — an い-adjective. Holidays without anything to do are つまらない.

Test yourself

Pick the English translation for each line from this lesson. Wrong answers are pulled from other Japanese lessons.

4 quick questions on what you just heard.