〜ましょう

Meaning

Mashō is attached to the masu-stem of verbs to invite someone to do something together, meaning 'let's' or 'shall we'. It expresses a fairly direct invitation based on the assumption that both speaker and listener share the same intention. Unlike masén ka (which politely asks the listener's opinion), mashō is a stronger, more assertive invitation where the listener is more likely to accept. Mashō can also be used to accept an invitation when responding to someone else's suggestion.

Formation

Examples

1. 日曜日の 7時に 新宿駅で 会いましょう。
   Let's meet at Shinjuku Station at 7 o'clock on Sunday.

2. 明日 いっしょに 学校に 行きましょう。
   Let's go to school together tomorrow.

3. 大阪城に 行きましょう。
   Let's go to Osaka Castle.

4. A:あした カラオケに 行きませんか。 B:行きましょう。
   A: Would you like to go to karaoke tomorrow? B: Yes, let's go.

5. A:いっしょに 昼ごはんを 食べませんか。 B:はい、食べましょう。
   A: Would you like to eat lunch together? B: Yes, let's eat together.

Summary

• Mashō invites someone to do something together, assuming shared intention and expressing a moderately strong invitation
• Use mashō when you expect the listener to likely accept, unlike masén ka which is more polite and tentative
• Mashō can be used both to initiate an invitation or to accept an invitation from someone else