Making Suggestions and Recommendations

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to make natural suggestions and recommendations in Japanese conversation using three key patterns: ～たほうがいい (tahou ga ii), ～たらどうですか (tara dou desu ka), and ～ませんか (masen ka).

In Japanese, making suggestions and recommendations is about offering advice or inviting someone to do something without being too pushy. The level of politeness and directness changes depending on the pattern you choose. You'll learn three common ways to suggest, from casual to polite.

1. ～たほうがいい (tahou ga ii) – "It's better to..."

This is the most common way to give advice or make a strong recommendation. It means "it's better to do [verb]." Use it when you want to suggest something you believe is a good idea.

Formation:

• Take the ます-stem (masu-stem) of a verb and change it to the た-form (ta-form), then add ほうがいい (hou ga ii).

Negative form: Use ～ないほうがいい (nai hou ga ii) – "it's better not to..."

• 食べないほうがいい (tabenai hou ga ii) – It's better not to eat.食

2. ～たらどうですか (tara dou desu ka) – "How about doing...?"

This is a softer, more polite suggestion. It literally means "if you do [verb], how is it?" Use it when you want to offer an idea without being too direct.

Formation:

• Take the た-form (ta-form) of a verb, replace た (ta) with たら (tara), then add どうですか (dou desu ka).

Casual version: ～たらどう？ (tara dou?) – Use with friends or close colleagues.

3. ～ませんか (masen ka) – "Won't you...?"

This is a polite invitation or suggestion, often used to invite someone to do something together. It means "won't you do [verb]?" It's friendly but not too casual.

Formation:

• Take the ます-stem (masu-stem) of a verb, add ませんか (masen ka).

Note: This pattern is always polite. For casual invitations, use ～ない？ (nai?) or ～よう (you) forms.

～たほうがいい (tahou ga ii):

• 毎日運動したほうがいいです。
  Mainichi undou shita hou ga ii desu.
  "It's better to exercise every day."毎日運動
• この本を読んだほうがいいよ。
  Kono hon wo yonda hou ga ii yo.
  "You should read this book." (casual)本読

～たらどうですか (tara dou desu ka):

• 医者に行ったらどうですか。
  Isha ni ittara dou desu ka.
  "How about going to the doctor?"医者行
• 休みを取ったらどう？
  Yasumi wo tottara dou?
  "How about taking a break?" (casual)休取

～ませんか (masen ka):

• 一緒に映画を見ませんか。
  Issho ni eiga wo mimasen ka.
  "Won't you watch a movie with me?"一緒映画見
• コーヒーを飲みませんか。
  Kouhii wo nomimasen ka.
  "Won't you have some coffee?"飲

Mistake: Using ～たほうがいい (tahou ga ii) with です (desu) directly after the verb without the た-form (ta-form).

• ❌ 食べるほうがいいです (taberu hou ga ii desu) – Incorrect.食
• ✅ 食べたほうがいいです (tabeta hou ga ii desu) – Correct.食

Tip: Always use the た-form (ta-form) before ほうがいい (hou ga ii). The dictionary form (e.g., 食べる) is not used here.食

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

1. 風邪をひいたから、薬を＿＿＿＿ほうがいいです。(飲む - nomu)
   Kaze wo hiita kara, kusuri wo ____ hou ga ii desu.
   Answer: 飲んだ (nonda)風邪薬飲

   風邪薬飲

2. 週末に＿＿＿＿ませんか。(遊ぶ - asobu)
   Shuumatsu ni ____ masen ka.
   Answer: 遊び (asobi)週末遊

   週末遊

3. 新しい仕事を＿＿＿＿たらどうですか。(探す - sagasu)
   Atarashii shigoto wo ____ tara dou desu ka.
   Answer: 探し (sagashi)新仕事探

   新仕事探

You now know three key patterns for making suggestions and recommendations:

• ～たほうがいい (tahou ga ii) – Strong advice ("it's better to")
• ～たらどうですか (tara dou desu ka) – Polite suggestion ("how about")
• ～ませんか (masen ka) – Polite invitation ("won't you")

Next Step: Practice using these patterns in real conversations. Try suggesting a restaurant to a friend using ～たほうがいい (tahou ga ii), then invite them using ～ませんか (masen ka). In the next lesson, you'll learn how to politely refuse suggestions and recommendations.