let's

let's — idiom

1. used to start a friendly suggestion that involves both you and the person you ar

1.慣用語A2
釋義

used to start a friendly suggestion that involves both you and the person you are talking to — for example, proposing an activity, a plan, or a way to solve a problem together

例句

Mei-Lin said, 'Let's grab a coffee at the café around the corner before the meeting.'

let's + bare infinitive for suggesting an activity

Let's not argue about this — we can find a solution that works for both of us.

let's not + bare infinitive for negative suggestions

同義詞
  • shall we

    more formal; 'shall we begin?' sounds more polite and less casual than 'let's begin'

  • why don't we

    more conversational and slightly more tentative; 'why don't we try the new place?' invites discussion rather than assuming agreement

  • how about

    used with a gerund or noun phrase; 'how about grabbing dinner?' feels more open-ended than 'let's grab dinner'

文法句型

let's + bare infinitive

let's not + bare infinitive

let's + bare infinitive + (additional information)

用法筆記

Subject is always inclusive of the listener — 'let's' cannot be used when the speaker is suggesting something only for themselves. The negative form 'let's not' (e.g. 'let's not wait any longer') is standard; the alternative 'don't let's' is sometimes heard in British English but is less common.

常見錯誤

❌Let's we go to the park.
✅Let's go to the park.
💡'let's' already includes 'we'; do not add another subject after it.
❌Let's to eat dinner now.
✅Let's eat dinner now.
💡the verb after 'let's' must be the bare infinitive (no 'to').
❌Let's don't argue.
✅Let's not argue.
💡the standard negative form is 'let's not', not 'let's don't'.

let's — contraction