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Lesson 11: Let's go.

This lesson is about the "let's" or "ましょう" form of verbs. Recall that 'ます' is the polite present ending for verbs. Taking off the ます and replacing it with ましょう changes it to "let's --", where the -- is replaced by whatever the verb means.

Examples:

ます form English ましょう form English
たべます to eat たべましょう let's eat
のみます to drink のみましょう let's drink
よみます to read よみましょう let's read
かきます to write かきましょう let's write
いきます to go いきましょう let's go
かいます to buy かいましょう let's buy
みます to watch/see みましょう let's watch
ききます to listen/hear ききましょう let's listen

Using the previous lessons and some vocabulary, you should now be able to say all of the following.

 

Examples:

こうえんに いきましょう。
えいがを みましょう。
おんがくを ききましょう。
てがみを かきましょう。
ほんを よみましょう。
たべましょう。
のみましょう。
くるまを かいましょう。
にほんごを べんきょう しましょう。



Let's go to the park.
Let's watch a movie.
Let's listen to music.
Let's write a letter.
Let's read a book.
Let's eat.
Let's drink.
Let's buy a car.
Let's study Japanese.
The mashou form is also a nice way to ask people if they want to do something with you. Just add the particle ka to the end of the sentence to make it "shall we~?".
 
Examples:
こうえんに いきましょうか。

Shall we go to the park? 

にほんごを べんきょう しましょうか。

Shall we study Japanese?

A more formal way to ask if someone will do something with you is to use the masen ka ending. This is more like asking "Won't you do this?"

Examples:

ざっしを よみませんか。
がっこうへ いきませんか。



Won't you read a magazine?
Won't you go to school?

Lesson 11 Vocabulary:

 

たべます

to eat

のみます

to drink

よみます

to read

かきます

to write

ききます

to listen

みます

to watch

かいます

to buy

べんきょう します

to study

いきます

to go

   

-ます

present/future positive verb ending

-ましょう

"let's" verb ending

-ましょうか

"shall we" verb ending

-ませんか

"won't you" verb ending

   
えいが movie
ほん book
こうえん park
くるま car
おんがく music
てがみ letter
にほんご Japanese language
ざっし magazine
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