Suggestions and offers: let's and shall I

The idea

Add -elim or -alım to a verb stem to suggest something for us: yapalım (let's do it), gidelim (let's go). Add -eyim or -ayım to offer to do it yourself: açayım (let me open it). The particle mi, written apart, asks the listener to agree: Gidelim mi?, Açayım mı? The vowel follows the stem (e i ö ü give e, a ı o u give a), a stem ending in a vowel adds y (yürüyelim), and the negative is -meyelim: yemeyelim.

Examples

• Bu hafta sonu ne yapalım?What shall we do this weekend?With a question word the ending asks for a suggestion, and no mı follows.
• Çantanı taşıyayım mı?Shall I carry your bag?The ending for ben plus mı makes an offer: the listener decides whether to accept.
• Birlikte yemek yapalım.Let's cook together.
• Yarın erken kalkalım mı?Shall we get up early tomorrow?
• Bugün dışarıda yemek yemeyelim.Let's not eat out today.The negative -me comes first, and the buffer y joins it to the ending: yeme-y-elim.
• yürüyelimlet's walkyürü·yelim-eyim / -elim: let me, let’s (gideyim, gidelim)The stem yürü- ends in a vowel, so the buffer y comes before -elim.
• açayımlet me open itaç·ayım-eyim / -elim: let me, let’s (gideyim, gidelim)
• gidelimlet's gogid·elim-eyim / -elim: let me, let’s (gideyim, gidelim)The stem git- softens to gid- before a vowel.

Watch out

Do not propose with the plain present or future: Gidiyor muyuz? asks whether we are going now and Gidecek miyiz? whether we will, while only Gidelim mi? makes a proposal. Do not swap the persons either: Açalım mı? asks about opening it together, Açayım mı? offers to open it alone.

Try it yourself

1. Add the ending: Let's buy fish for dinner.

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   alalım

   alalım: the question is about a joint plan, so the ending for we is used; the last vowel a is back, so -alım.

2. Add the ending: Let's not look at the phone while studying.

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   bakmayalım

   bakmayalım: the negative -ma comes before the ending, and because it ends in a vowel a y is added: bak-ma-y-alım.

3. Add the ending: Shall I close the door?

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   kapatayım

   kapatayım: one person offers to do it, so the ending for I is used; after the back vowel a it is -ayım.

4. Add the ending: Shall we go to breakfast on Sunday?

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   gidelim

   gidelim: git- softens to gid- before a vowel, and the front vowel i gives -elim.

Use it today

Imagine a plan with a friend and write three lines: two suggestions with -elim and one offer with -eyim mi. Check each vowel.