Speaking: Interactive Communication A2 - Lesson 5: Making Simple Suggestions ("Let's...")

Speaking: Interactive Communication A2 - Lesson 5

Function: Making Simple Suggestions (e.g., "Let's...")

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to make suggestions, and agree or disagree with other people's suggestions politely.

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Conversation Scenario: Making Plans

A big part of communication is deciding what to do together. Let's look at how two friends, Dara and Vanna, make a plan after class.

Dara: I'm bored. Class is finished, what should we do?

Vanna: I know. Let's do¹ something fun.

Dara: Okay. How about going³ to the cinema?

Vanna: I'm not sure.⁵ I saw a movie yesterday. Why don't we go² for a coffee instead?

Dara: Good idea!⁴ Let's go to the new café near the university.

Vanna: Sounds good.⁴

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Your Interaction Toolkit

Function: Making a Suggestion (ការ​ផ្ដល់​យោបល់)

1. Let's... (Phrase) | តោះ... | A common, friendly way to suggest an activity for "us". ↩
2. Why don't we...? (Question) | ហេតុអ្វីយើងមិន...? | A soft, polite way to make a suggestion in the form of a question. ↩
3. How about...? (Question) | ចុះ...វិញយ៉ាងម៉េចដែរ? | A flexible way to suggest an idea (e.g., "How about pizza?" or "How about going for a walk?"). ↩

Function: Agreeing to a Suggestion

4. Good idea! / Sounds good. (Phrase) | គំនិតល្អ! / ស្តាប់ទៅល្អ | Positive phrases to show you agree with a suggestion. ↩
5. Yes, let's. (Phrase) | A simple, direct way to agree with a "Let's..." suggestion.

Function: Disagreeing Politely

5. I'm not sure. (Phrase) | ខ្ញុំ​មិន​ប្រាកដ​ទេ | A soft and polite way to say you don't like an idea. ↩
6. Maybe another time. (Phrase) | ប្រហែលជាពេលផ្សេងទៀត | A polite way to say "no" without closing future possibilities.

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record_voice_over Intonation of Suggestions

The "music" of your suggestion can change its feeling.

• "Let's go to the market. ↘" - This usually has a falling intonation. It's a confident, friendly suggestion.
• "Why don't we go to the market? ↘" - This also has a falling intonation. It's a suggestion, not a real question asking for a reason.
• "How about going to the market? ↗" - This often has a rising intonation, as it's a more open question asking for your opinion.

lightbulb Three Ways to Build a Suggestion

You can use these three patterns to make suggestions in any situation.

Pattern 1: The "Let's" Suggestion
Let's + base verb
Example: "Let's get some lunch."

Pattern 2: The "Why don't we...?" Suggestion
Why don't we + base verb?
Example: "Why don't we watch a movie tonight?"

Pattern 3: The "How about...?" Suggestion
How about + verb-ing? OR How about + noun?
Example 1: "How about playing football?"
Example 2: "How about some noodle soup?"

sports_esports Practice Making Suggestions

Activity 1: Rephrase the Suggestion

Use the prompt to make a full suggestion sentence.

1. (Let's...) go to the market. -> "Let's go to the market."
2. (How about...) play football? -> "How about playing football?"
3. (Why don't we...) order pizza? -> "Why don't we order pizza?"

Activity 2: Agree or Disagree Politely

Work with a partner. Student A makes a suggestion from the list below. Student B must respond by either agreeing ("Sounds good!") or disagreeing politely and suggesting something else ("I'm not sure. How about... instead?"). Then switch roles.

Suggestions: Let's study English. / Let's go shopping in Siem Reap. / Let's eat spicy food.

task Your Communication Mission

This week in Siem Reap, your mission is to perform the function of "making a suggestion".

With your friends or family, when you are deciding what to do, be the person to make a suggestion. Use "Let's...", "Why don't we...?", or "How about...?". For example, "I'm hungry. Let's get some noodles."