What is the Mashou Form?
The ましょう form is how you politely suggest doing something together in Japanese. "Let's eat," "shall we start?," "let's go". All ましょう territory.
It's the polite version of the volitional form (〜よう). Use ましょう with people you're being polite to. Coworkers, acquaintances, group settings. Save the casual volitional for close friends. Our lesson on making invitations covers ましょう and ませんか together so you can practice both invitation patterns.
How to Conjugate
Take the ます form, swap ます for ましょう. Same stem, different ending:
U-verbs
| Masu-Form | Mashou-Form |
|---|---|
| 飲みます | 飲みましょう |
| 行きます | 行きましょう |
| 買います | 買いましょう |
| 話します | 話しましょう |
Ru-verbs
| Masu-Form | Mashou-Form |
|---|---|
| 食べます | 食べましょう |
| 見ます | 見ましょう |
| 始めます | 始めましょう |
Irregular Verbs
| Masu-Form | Mashou-Form |
|---|---|
| します | しましょう |
| きます | きましょう |
Two Uses
1. Suggestion: "Let's do ~"
A straightforward proposal to do something together:
- 始めましょう (Let's begin)
- 行きましょう (Let's go)
- 休みましょう (Let's take a break)
2. Offer: "Shall I ~?" (with か)
Add か to offer help or ask if someone wants you to do something:
- 手伝いましょうか？ (Shall I help?)
- 荷物を持ちましょうか？ (Shall I carry your luggage?)
- 窓を開けましょうか？ (Shall I open the window?)
This is a polite, gentle way to offer assistance. Very common in customer service and daily Japanese.
Mashou vs Volitional Form
| ましょう | Volitional (〜よう) |
|---|---|
| 食べましょう | 食べよう |
| Polite | Casual |
| Coworkers, groups | Close friends |
| Same meaning | Same meaning |
Both mean "let's". The only difference is formality level. See volitional form for the full conjugation rules.