JLPT N5 grammar

〜ませんかmeaning and usage

Meaning

A polite negative question used to invite someone to do something together: “Would you like to ...?” or “Shall we ...?”

How to form it

  • verb (masu-stem)ませんか

How it is used

Invites someone with a negative question (“Won't you …?”), leaving the choice to them, so it is politer than 「〜ましょう」. A typical yes is 「ええ、〜ましょう」.

Examples

  1. 明日、 一緒に映画を見ませんか。

    Would you like to see a movie together tomorrow?

  2. 土曜日、うちで晩ご飯を食べませんか。

    Would you like to have dinner at my place on Saturday?

  3. ちょっと喫茶店で休みませんか。

    Shall we take a break at a café?

About the example The ませんか in 見ませんか politely invites the listener to see a movie together tomorrow.