～ましょうか(？) (Bonus Unit E)
This can have two possible meanings.
1) It can be an offer to do something: "Shall I VERB?" (←The Japanese sentence should end with a question mark and a rising intonation.)
2) It can be a suggestion for the speaker and listener to do something: "Shall we VERB?" (←The Japanese sentence does not need to end with a question mark nor a rising intonation.)
For example, let's say that you're at the city office in Japan, filling out one of those horrific forms they make people fill out. On the form, you're supposed to write your previous address in Japanese. You always forget the weird kanji used in your old address, so you look it up on your phone, and you're painstakingly writing it down on the form. One of the city office employees notices your struggles, and offers to write it for you:
書きましょうか？
かきましょう か？
Shall I write it? // Would you like me to write it?
Literally: "let's write + か?"
Or let's say that you're planning to grab drinks with some coworkers after work this evening. Altogether, four of you are planning to go for drinks. You're in the office. Everyone's work is finished, and the four of you are standing around chatting. Since everyone is there, you figure you can head off to the izakaya, so you say:
行きましょうか。
いきましょう か。
Shall we go?
Literally: "let's go + か."
↑ The reason you might use formal language in this situation is that one of the three other people in your group might be your sempai, or someone who has a higher position than you in the company. If you're at a higher level than the others, though, then it would be fine to just use the plain volitional:
行こうか。
いこう か。
Shall we go? // Wanna go?
Literally: "let's go + か."
↑ I know we're supposed to be focusing on ～ましょうか conjugations in this lecture, but I just couldn't help but mention that. ^_^
Anyway, have fun with these:
