Permission and prohibition

～ませんか

won't you ~? / would you like to ~?

AI-written, reviewed by AI (ChatGPT)

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How to form it

  • Verb (ます-stem, e.g. 行き) + ませんか
  • Plain, casual: ～ない?

Register: Polite

Explanation

A polite invitation in question form.

The negative question is tentative, so it leaves room for the listener to refuse. It is softer than ～ましょう.

Examples

  1. 今度の日曜日、映画を見に行きませんか。

    こんどのにちようび、えいがをみにいきませんか。

    Would you like to go to see a film this Sunday?

  2. 一緒にお茶を飲みませんか。

    いっしょにおちゃをのみませんか。

    Won't you have tea with me?

  3. 今晩、うちで食べませんか。

    こんばん、うちでたべませんか。

    How about eating at my place tonight?

Compare with

Common mistakes

  • Answering with はい, ありません; the usual answers are はい、ぜひ or すみません、ちょっと…