modality N4 common casualpolite
たらどうですか — how about ~ing?
たらどうですか
Builds on たら
Meaning
- how about ~ing? / why don't you ~? — the polite-form version of たらどう, suggesting an action to the listener
たらどうですか is 〜たらどう with the polite ですか attached, so it suits acquaintances and semi-formal settings where bare たらどう would be too casual. It still proposes an action to the listener, which carries a mild directive tone — to a clear superior, a softer offer (〜ましょうか, 〜てはいかがですか) is safer.
Key sentence
少し休んだらどうですか。
How about resting a little?
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb た-form (たら conditional) + どうですか | Vたら + どうですか | 相談したらどうですか / 持って行ったらどうですか |
Examples
一度医者に診てもらったらどうですか。
Why don't you get it looked at by a doctor once?
今日は早く帰ったらどうですか。
How about going home early today?
本人に直接聞いたらどうですか。
Why not ask the person directly?
Easily confused with
Notes
- For a softer, more deferential offer to a superior, prefer 〜てはいかがですか — the polite-honorific equivalent of this suggestion.
See たらどうですか in real sentences
Jengo shows たらどうですか the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.