ましょう — The Polite "Let's"
A polite way to propose doing something together, or to offer to do something. Turns the speaker's intent into a shared suggestion: 'let's ~' or, with か, 'shall we / shall I ~?'
Structure
[Verb masu-stem] + ましょう / ましょうか
Examples
乾杯しましょう！
Kanpai shimashou!
Let's toast / cheers!
乾杯し (masu-stem of 乾杯する) + ましょう (let's)
少し手伝いましょうか？
Sukoshi tetsudaimashou ka?
Shall I help you a little?
手伝い (help, masu-stem) + ましょうか — offering to do something for the listener
駅の前で会いましょう。
Eki no mae de aimashou.
Let's meet in front of the station.
会い (meet, masu-stem) + ましょう — proposing a shared plan
• Nuance: ましょう assumes a fair amount of shared agreement — you are proposing something you expect the listener to go along with. • ましょうか has two readings by context: 'shall we ~?' (joint action) or 'shall I ~?' (offering to do it for them). • Casual counterpart: the plain volitional form — 行こう！(Let's go!).
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ましょう is tested against.
vs 〜ませんか
ませんか is a softer invitation that leaves the listener free to decline; ましょう assumes agreement and rallies the group into action.
vs 〜たい
たい states the speaker's own desire ('I want to'); ましょう proposes a shared action ('let's').
vs Volitional 〜おう/よう
The plain volitional (行こう) is the casual equivalent of ましょう; ましょう is its polite form.
More verb forms
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