ましょう

ましょう Japanese Grammar Lesson

Grammar Type: Auxiliary verb ending

Essential Meaning: Let’s do X / I’ll do X / We’ll do X

Construction: 

• Verb ます-Form + ましょう
  • E.g. 話はなしましょう [Let’s speak / I will speak]
  • E.g. 食たべましょう [Let’s eat / I will speak]

Notes:

• ましょう is a very common polite volitional verb ending that expresses a volitional invitation (“Let’s do X“) or conveys one’s personal volition (“I will do X“). In invitational situations, the subject is typically omitted.
  • E.g. Invitation: 行いきましょう。[Let’s go.]
  • E.g. Personal volition 私わたしが彼かれに話はなしましょう。[I will talk to him.]

• In certain contexts, ましょう can be used to extend an invitation to help someone (i.e. “Let me do X for you” or “I’ll do X for you“).
  • E.g. そのカバンを持もちましょう。[I’ll carry that bag.]
  • E.g. 手て伝つだいましょう。[I’ll help you.]

• By appending the interrogative particle か, the meaning of ましょう becomes clearly invitational (i.e. “Shall we do X?“). You can make an invitation even more polite by using a negative interrogative form.
  • E.g. 行いきましょうか。[Shall we go?]
  • E.g. 行いきませんか。[Wouldn’t you like to go?] This is extra polite.

• Negative volition (e.g. “I won’t do X“) is typically expressed through a simple nonpast verb ending or through special grammatical structures such as まいとおもう or つもり.
  • E.g. 行いきません。[I’m not going.]
  • E.g. 行いくまいとおもう。[I think that I will not go.]
  • E.g. 行いくつもりはない。[I don’t intend to go.]

• Invitational negative volition (e.g. “Let’s not do X“) can be expressed in a couple of ways:
  • (1) Verb informal + のはやめましょう / よしましょう (i.e. “Let’s stop doing X“)
    • E.g. パーティーに行いくのはやめましょう。[Let’s not go to the party. (i.e. Let’s cancel the idea of going to the party).]
    • E.g. パーティーに行いくのはよしましょう。[Let’s not go to the party (Let’s cancel the idea of going to the party).]
  • (2) Verb negative stem + ないでおきましょう (i.e. “Let’s leave X undone“)
    • E.g. マークには言いわないでおきましょう。[Let’s not tell Mark (i.e. Let’s leave the idea of telling Mark undone).]

• In indirect volitional speech (e.g. when quoting someones volitional statement or when conveying hearsay about someone’s volition with verbs such as 思おもう [To think] or 言いう [To say]), the informal volitional form is used (e.g. 見みよう, rather than 見みましょう)
  • E.g. 村田むらたさんはコーヒーを飲のもうと言いった。[Murata-san said that we should go drink coffee.] In this example, the informal volitional form 飲のもう is used.
  • E.g. 私わたしは来年らいねん日本にほんへ行いこうと思おもいます。[I think I will go to Japan next year.] In this example, the informal volitional form 行いこう is used.

• To express a future volition (e.g. “I will do X in the future“), ようと思おう can be used.
  • E.g. 私わたしは映画えいがを見みようと思おもう。[I think I will see a movie (in the future).]

Example Sentences:

私わたしが彼かれに話はなしましょう。[I will talk to him.]

映画えいがに行いきましょう。[Let’s go to a movie.]

私わたしたちが行いきましょうか。[Shall we go?]

ビールを飲のみましょう。[Let’s drink beer.]

車くるまで行いきましょうか。[Shall we go by car?]

WILD Examples:

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