〜ませんか

Use 〜ませんか when you want to invite someone to do something with you. Although it takes the form of a negative question, its real meaning is a polite invitation: 「映画を見ませんか。」= Won't you watch a movie (with me)?

How to form it: take the verb's ます-form, drop ます, and add ませんか. Compared with 〜ましょう, this phrasing is more polite because it lets the listener decide, without imposing.

To accept, you can reply いいですね or ええ、〜ましょう. To decline, Japanese people usually say ちょっと… rather than a blunt いいえ.

Examples

• 一緒(いっしょ)に映画(えいが)を見(み)ませんか。

  Would you like to watch a movie with me?

• 日曜日(にちようび)にテニスをしませんか。

  Would you like to play tennis on Sunday?

• お茶(ちゃ)を飲(の)みませんか。

  Won't you have some tea?

Related patterns

• 〜ましょう
• 〜ましょうか
• 〜ます・〜ません・〜ました・〜ませんでした