Giving advice: 〜たらどうですか・〜ばいい
Verb in た + ら どうですか ／ Verb in ば + いいですか
Verb in たら + どうですか: “why don't you…?”, a gentle suggestion. Question word + verb in ば + いいですか: “what should I do?”, to ask for advice.
In short
To suggest something to someone, say 〜たら どうですか: “why don't you…?”. To ask for advice, say どう すれば いいですか or 何を 〜ば いいですか: “what should I do?”.
- 少し 休んだら どうですか。すこし やすんだら どうですか。Why don't you rest a bit?
- 先生に 聞いたら どう？せんせいに きいたら どう？Why don't you ask the teacher?
- うめだ駅へは どう 行けば いいですか。うめだえきへは どう いけば いいですか。How do I get to Umeda Station?
- 何を 持って いけば いいですか。なにを もって いけば いいですか。What should I bring?
The basics: suggesting
〜たら どうですか literally means “if you did…, how would it be?”. In English, that's “why don't you…?” or “how about…?”. It's a gentle suggestion: you put forward an idea, and the other person is free to take it or leave it.
Start from the たら conditional (already covered) and add どうですか, or just どう？ among friends.
Why don't you rest a bit?
- other
- verb
- grammatical form
- 疲れて いるなら、タクシーで 帰ったら どうですか。つかれて いるなら、タクシーで かえったら どうですか。If you're tired, why not go home by taxi?
- 田中さんに 電話して みたら どう？たなかさんに でんわして みたら どう？Why don't you try calling Mr Tanaka?
Registers
The same suggestion can be made more or less politely. いかが is the polite version of どう: you hear it in shops and with customers.
| Register | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| among friends | 〜たら？ / 〜たら どう？ | 休んだら？ |
| polite | 〜たら どうですか | 休んだら どうですか |
| very polite | 〜たら いかがですか | 休んだら いかがですか |
- もう 一つ 食べたら？もう ひとつ たべたら？Go on, have another one!
- こちらの 青い シャツを 着て みたら いかがですか。こちらの あおい シャツを きて みたら いかがですか。Would you like to try on this blue shirt?
Asking for advice: 〜ば いいですか
To ask someone what you should do, use the ば-form + いいですか: “if I do what, will it be good?”. The question word (どう, 何, どこ, いつ) goes before the verb.
どう すれば いいですか (“what should I do?”) is a phrase worth knowing by heart. You also hear 〜たら いいですか, with exactly the same meaning.
- どう すれば いいですか。どう すれば いいですか。What should I do?
- この 紙は どこに 出せば いいですか。この かみは どこに だせば いいですか。Where should I hand in this form?
- 何時までに 来れば いいですか。なんじまでに くれば いいですか。By what time should I come?
A suggestion, not an order
〜たら どうですか leaves the choice open. For stronger advice (“you'd better”), Japanese has 〜ほうが いい, which comes a little later.
Like any suggestion, it implies the other person hadn't thought of it. With a teacher or a superior, it can sound patronising: it's better to ask a question (〜は いかがでしょうか) or not suggest anything at all.
- Q：日本語が 上手に なりたいんです。 R：毎日 日本の ドラマを 見たら どうですか。Q：にほんごが じょうずに なりたいんです。 R：まいにち にほんの ドラマを みたら どうですか。Q: I'd like to get better at Japanese. A: Why don't you watch Japanese dramas every day?
Common mistakes
- Translating word for word “if you rested, how?”: in English, it's “why don't you rest?”.
- Using it with a superior: the suggestion can seem out of place, as if you were teaching them their job.
- Mixing up the two patterns: 〜たら どうですか suggests, but 〜ば いいですか asks for advice (“どう 行ったら どうですか” doesn't exist).
8 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N4 point is on the Chūō Line (Travelling) of the Osaka subway.