Do you want to give ideas to your friends or family in English? Learning how to make suggestions is a super useful skill! When we make suggestions, we are offering ideas about what someone can do. It’s a friendly way to help and plan things together. In this lesson, we will learn some easy English phrases for suggestions that are perfect for beginners. Let’s start making suggestions in English!

What are Suggestions?

Imagine you and your friend are bored. You want to do something fun, but you don’t know what. You can suggest ideas! A suggestion is like saying, “Hey, how about we do this?”. It’s offering an idea for someone to think about and maybe do. Making suggestions helps us to:

• Help people decide what to do.
• Plan activities with friends and family.
• Be polite and friendly in conversations.
• Practice speaking English in everyday situations.

For example, if your friend says, “I’m hungry,” you can make a suggestion like, “Let’s eat pizza!” See? Easy! In this lesson, we will learn some very simple suggestions English phrases that you can use right away.

Easy Ways to Make Suggestions in English

There are a few simple ways to make suggestions in English, especially for beginners. We will focus on three very common and easy phrases:

1. Let’s
2. Why don’t we…?
3. How about…?

These phrases are great for spoken English practice and are perfect for English for beginners. Let’s look at each one in detail.

1. Using “Let’s”

“Let’s” is a short and very common way to make a suggestion. It is short for “Let us”. We use “Let’s” to include ourselves and other people in the suggestion. It’s a very direct and friendly way to suggest doing something together.

Structure:

Let’s + verb (base form) + …

Examples:

• Let’s go to the park. (Suggesting going to the park together)
• Let’s eat some ice cream. (Suggesting eating ice cream together)
• Let’s watch a movie tonight. (Suggesting watching a movie together tonight)
• Let’s study English together. (Suggesting studying English together)
• Let’s play a game. (Suggesting playing a game together)

“Let’s” is a fantastic way to start making suggestions because it’s simple, direct, and everyone understands it. It’s great for improving English vocabulary related to activities and actions.

2. Using “Why don’t we…?”

“Why don’t we…?” is another easy way to make suggestions. It’s in the form of a question, but we use it to offer an idea. It’s a little less direct than “Let’s,” but still very friendly and common. It’s a good way to suggesting ideas in a slightly softer way.

Structure:

Why don’t we + verb (base form) + …?

Examples:

• Why don’t we go to the beach? (Suggesting going to the beach)
• Why don’t we try that new restaurant? (Suggesting trying a new restaurant)
• Why don’t we have a picnic? (Suggesting having a picnic)
• Why don’t we call our friend? (Suggesting calling a friend)
• Why don’t we listen to music? (Suggesting listening to music)

“Why don’t we…?” is excellent for spoken English practice because it encourages a response. Someone might say “Yes, that’s a good idea!” or “Hmm, maybe not. How about…?” This helps you have a conversation and improve English speaking skills.

3. Using “How about…?”

“How about…?” is the third easy phrase for making suggestions we’ll learn. It’s also a bit less direct than “Let’s” and is often used when you want to offer an idea but are not sure if others will like it. It’s a very common and useful phrase in English conversation.

Structure:

How about + verb-ing (gerund) + …? (Note: We use the -ing form of the verb here.)

Examples:

• How about going to the cinema? (Suggesting going to the cinema)
• How about eating Italian food tonight? (Suggesting eating Italian food tonight)
• How about taking a walk? (Suggesting taking a walk)
• How about reading a book? (Suggesting reading a book)
• How about visiting the museum? (Suggesting visiting the museum)

Notice that with “How about,” we use the -ing form of the verb (going, eating, taking, etc.). This is an important grammar point to remember. Using “How about” is a great way to sound natural when making suggestions and it’s very useful for improving English pronunciation tips by practicing the flow of the phrase.

Making Suggestions More Polite

For A1 level, “Let’s,” “Why don’t we…?,” and “How about…?” are already quite polite and friendly. However, if you want to be even more polite, you can add “please” to your suggestions. For example:

• Let’s go to the park, please.
• Why don’t we have some tea, please?
• How about watching a movie, please?

Saying “please” always makes your suggestions sound a little softer and more courteous. Remember to also use a friendly and helpful tone of voice when making suggestions.

Let’s Practice Making Suggestions!

Now it’s your turn to practice! Read each situation and choose the best phrase to make a suggestion. Use “Let’s,” “Why don’t we…?,” or “How about…?“.

1. You and your friend are thirsty. You see a juice shop. You say: “_________ get some juice?”
2. It’s a sunny day and your family is at home. You say: “_________ go outside and play?”
3. Your friend is bored and doesn’t know what to do. You say: “_________ read a book?”
4. You and your classmate need to study for a test. You say: “_________ study together after class?”
5. It’s cold and you are at home with your family. You say: “_________ make some hot chocolate?”

Answers to the Practice Questions

1. Let’s get some juice?
2. Let’s go outside and play? (or Why don’t we go outside and play? / How about going outside and playing?)
3. How about reading a book? (or Why don’t we read a book?)
4. Why don’t we study together after class? (or Let’s study together after class.)
5. Let’s make some hot chocolate? (or Why don’t we make some hot chocolate? / How about making some hot chocolate?)

Practice Making Suggestions and Speak English Confidently!

Congratulations! You have learned three easy and useful ways to make suggestions in English! Remember to practice using “Let’s,” “Why don’t we…?,” and “How about…?” in your daily conversations. The more you practice, the more natural and confident you will become when speaking English.

To continue improving your spoken English practice and to practice making suggestions in real conversations, try Lingofrnd.com! Lingofrnd is your AI spoken English teacher that can help you practice making suggestions and many other useful English phrases. It’s a great way to improve English speaking and build your confidence.

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Lingofrnd.com – Your AI Spoken English Teacher. Practice making suggestions and much more!