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JLPT N5Verb Forms

ませんか— The Polite Invitation

A polite, softening way to invite someone. Phrasing the invitation as a negative question ('won't you ~?') gives the listener easy room to decline, so it feels considerate and non-pushy.

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Pro lessonUNIT 13 · VERB FORMS

Structure · 形

[Verb masu-stem] + ませんか

Examples · 例文

  • 今夜、飲みに行きませんか？

    Konya, nomi ni ikimasen ka?

    Won't you go out for a drink tonight?

    行き (go, masu-stem) + ませんか (won't you ~?)

  • 一緒に勉強しませんか？

    Issho ni benkyou shimasen ka?

    Would you like to study together?

    一緒に (together) + 勉強し + ませんか — gentler than 勉強しましょう

  • 週末、映画を見ませんか？

    Shuumatsu, eiga o mimasen ka?

    Won't you watch a movie this weekend?

    見 (watch, masu-stem) + ませんか — a considerate invitation that is easy to decline

Usage notes · 注意

  • Why it's polite: because it's phrased negatively, the listener can trail off with 'ちょっと…' (well, a little…) and gracefully decline. • Compare with ましょう, which assumes a yes and leaves less room to refuse.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ませんか is tested against.

vs〜ましょう

ましょう ('let's') presumes agreement and is more forceful; ませんか ('won't you?') is a soft invitation that invites the listener to decide.

vs〜ませんか vs 〜ましょうか

ませんか invites the listener to join / accept; ましょうか offers to do the action or confirms a plan already leaning toward yes.

More verb forms

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