Giving And Receiving Invitations
Hanging out with friends is always fun. Sasou (sah-soh-oo; invite) your friends out for a night on the town or simply invite some people over to watch a movie. To start with, conjugate the u-verb sasou (sah-soh-oo; to invite):
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| Form | Pronunciation |
| sasou | sah-soh-oo |
| sasowanai | sah-soh-wah-nah-ee |
| sasoi | sah-soh-ee |
| sasotte | sah-soht-teh |
Making a suggestion using "why don't We?"
If you want to go somewhere with your friend, make a suggestion by saying "Why don't we go there?"; "How about going there?"; or "Would you like to go there?" The easiest, most natural, and least pushy way of making a suggestion in Japanese is to ask a question that ends in -masen ka (mah-sehn kah). -Masen ka is the polite negative ending -masen plus the question particle ka.
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Why negative? In English, you say things like "Why don't we go to the bar tonight?" That form is negative, too. Make sure that the verb before -masen ka is in the stem form, as in Ikimasen ka (ee-kee-mah-sehn kah; Why don't we go there?). The iki part is the stem form of the verb iku (ee-koo; to go). If you want to do something, use verbs like suru (soo-roo; to do) and taberu (tah-beh-roo; to eat).
- Eigakan ni ikimasen ka. (ehh-gah-kahn nee ee-kee-mah-sehn kah; Why don't we go to a movie theater tonight?)
- Itsuka isshoni tenisu o shimasen ka. (ee-tsoo-kah ees-shoh-nee teh-nee-soo oh shee-mah-sehn kah; Why don't we play tennis together someday?)
- Kondo isshoni robusuta o tabemasen ka. (kohn-doh ees-shoh-nee roh-boo-soo-tahh oh tah-beh-mah-sehn kah; How about eating lobster together next time?)
Saying "let's go" and "shall We go?"
In English, you can invite friends to an activity by saying "Let's go there" or "Let's do it." Saying "let's" in Japanese is easy: Get a verb in the stem form and add the ending -masho (mah-shohh), as in ikimasho (ee-kee-mah-shohh; let's go) and shimasho (shee-mah-shohh; let's do it).
- Isshoni utaimasho. (ees-shoh-nee oo-tah-ee-mah-shohh; Let's sing together.)
- Konban isshoni nomimasho. (kohn-bahn ees-sho-nee noh-mee-mah-shohh; Let's drink together tonight.)
- Kondo isshoni eiga o mimasho. (kohn-doh ees-shoh-nee ehh-gah oh mee-mah-shohh; Let's see a movie together next time.)
To make a question using "Shall we," add -masho to the end of the verb.
- Chesu o shimasho ka. (cheh-soo oh shee-mah-shohh kah; Shall we play chess?)
- Kantori Gaden ni ikimasho ka. (kahn-toh-reee gahh-dehn nee ee-kee-mah-shohh kah; Shall we go to Country Garden?)
-Masho ka also means "Shall I?" so you can use it to say something like "Shall I bring something?" or "Shall I help you?" The context usually clarifies whether -masho ka means "Shall we?" or "Shall I?"
- Nanika motteikimasho ka. (nah-nee-kah moht-teh-ee-kee-mah-shohh kah; Shall I bring something?)
- Tetsudaimasho ka. (teh-tsoo-dah-ee-mah-shohh kah; Shall I help you?)
Inviting friends to your house
Clean up your house and buy some drinks and chips. Then you're ready to have some friends over! Use the verb kuru (koo-roo; to come) when you call. But before you invite anyone, practice conjugating the verb kuru (koo-roo; to come). It's an irregular verb.
| Form | Pronunciation |
| kuru | koo-roo |
| konai | koh-nah-ee |
| ki | kee |
| kite | kee-teh |
Here are some examples of the verb kuru in action:
- Uchi ni kimasen ka. (oo-chee nee kee-mah-sehn kah; Would you like to come to my house?)
- Ashita watashi no apato ni kimasen ka. (ah-shee-tah wah-tah-shee noh ah-pahh-toh nee kee-mah-sehn kah; Would you like to come to my apartment tomorrow?)
If you're the one who gets invited, asking your friend what you can motteiku (moht-teh-ee-koo; bring) is a good idea. Japanese hosts tend to tell their guests not to bring anything, but bring something anyway.
