This summer, 大地の芸術祭 (daichi no geijutsu-sai, Echigo-Tsumari Art Field), also known as Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, runs July 13 to Nov. 10 in Niigata Prefecture, adding one more destination to Japan’s busy schedule of 夏祭り (natsu matsuri, summer festivals). Although it’s held in what may be an inconvenient location, seeing Yayoi Kusama’s favorite flower sculpture in a natural setting is worth the trip. 夏休みは家族や友達をお祭りに誘って、楽しい思い出を作りましょう (Natsuyasumi wa kazoku ya tomodachi o o-matsuri ni sasotte, tanoshii omoide o tsukurimashō, During the summer vacation, let’s invite family and friends to festivals and make delightful memories).

If you’re going to make some delightful summer memories with friends and family, you’ll first need to know how to invite them to do so, and that starts with the irregular verb する (suru, to do). Taking the “masu” stem — that’s します (shimasu, to do) without the “ます” (masu) — we can add a volitional “ō” ending and end up with the polite しましょう (shimashō) or more casual ～しよう (~shiyō), which are the most basic structures to use when proposing doing something.

In English, this form translates loosely as “let’s” (which is why you’ll see that word in a lot of Japanese-to-English translations). Adding the question particle か (ka) to ～しよう, the result can translate as “shall we” or “wanna”: パーティーしようか？ (Pātī shiyō ka?, Wanna [have a] party?)

Use the volitional form for 五段動詞 (godan dōshi), or so-called type 1 verbs, by changing the final kana of the verb into its “ō” form. So, 行く (iku, to go) becomes 行こう (ikō, let’s go) and 話す (hanasu, to talk) becomes 話そう (hanasō, let’s talk). With type 2 verbs, known as 一段動詞 (ichidan dōshi), the volitional is formed by changing the final kana of the verb to “yō.” So, 食べる (taberu, to eat) becomes 食べよう (tabeyō, let’s eat) and 見る (miru, to see) becomes 見よう (miyō, let’s watch).

One useful example to illustrate all this would be, そろそろ遅くなってきた。行こうか？ (Soro-soro osoku natte-kita. Ikō ka?, It’s gotten kind of late. Shall we go?)

If you want to suggest something new and eventful, however, subtler expressions such as ～しない？ (~shinai, why don’t [we]~?) and its politer version, ～しませんか (~shimasen ka, shall [we] not~?), are more appropriate.

Phrasing your invitation using these structures makes for a smoother invitation. For example, 今度映画でも行かない？ (Kondo eiga demo ikanai?) literally translates as “Next time movie or something don’t you want to go?” but is understood as “Why don’t we go and catch a movie?” Or, よかったらまた会いませんか (Yokattara mata aimasen ka), which literally translates as “If it is good again shall we not meet?” but means “If it’s alright with you, shall we meet up again?”

Japanese people tend to not be as responsive to sudden or vague invitations, so try to be specific with details when you ask someone to do something. For instance, 今日暇？ (Kyō hima?, Free today?) might not work as well as saying, 今日から上野で夏祭りが始まるんだけど行ってみない？ (Kyō kara Ueno de natsu matsuri ga hajimaru-n dakedo itte-minai?, There’s a summer festival in Ueno starting from today. Want to check it out?)

This example brings us to another useful construct, ～してみない？ (~shite-minai?, Why not try~?) By adding みる (miru) to the end of the “te” form of a verb, it conveys the idea of trying something to see what it is like. Some common examples of this structure include してみる (shite-miru, to try to do), 行ってみる (itte-miru, to try to go) and 食べてみる (tabete-miru, to try to eat). In response to the earlier question about the Ueno festival, you might say, 混んでるかもしれないけど行ってみる？ (Konderu kamo shirenai kedo itte-miru, [It] might be crowded, but shall we go and see?)

Sometimes, it’s not so much curiosity that is driving us to go see something but obligation. In those cases, you may want to ask a friend to accompany you somewhere even though you’re not that keen on going. In these cases, an invitation can be aided by the structure, ～してくれる？ (~shite kureru, would you~ [for me]?)

When you use ～してくれる without the rising intonation of a question, it conveys the idea of a favor: 彼はよく手伝ってくれる (Kare wa yoku tetsudatte kureru, He helps [me] often). Naturally, when you’re asking a friend to go somewhere and it’s a bit of an inconvenience, this structure works well: どうしても顔を出さなきゃいけないパーティがあるんだけど、一緒に行ってくれる？ (Dōshitemo kao o dasanakya ikenai pātī ga aru-n dakedo, issho ni itte kureru?, I really need to just show my face at this party, would you please come with me?) In addition to using the ～しなきゃいけない (~shinakya ikenai) verb ending that indicates you must do something, the sentence also includes the adverb どうしても (dōshitemo), which highlights being willing or not.

Words like 心配 (shinpai, worry) and 心細い (kokoro-bosoi, helpless/lonely) will help you add a layer of anxiety to your tone, too: 心配だからエミリーも来てくれる？ (Shinpai dakara Emirī mo kite kureru?, [I’m] worried, so would you come with me, Emily?) Even more specifically, you could say, 一人じゃ心細いから一緒に行ってくれない？ (Hitori ja kokoro-bosoi kara issho ni itte kurenai), which literally translates as “Alone, [I’m] lonely, together could we go for me?” but sounds more natural as “I’m nervous going all by myself, would you come with me?”)

If you’re on the receiving end of an invitation, your response won’t have to be as complicated if you’re speaking to someone close to you. Try a simple いいね (ii ne, sounds good) with 行こう/行きましょう. If you want to be more polite, add 誘ってくれてありがとう (Sasotte kurete arigatō, Thanks for inviting me).

予定が合わない時は、なるべく角が立たないように断りましょう (Yotei ga awanai toki wa, narubeku kado ga tatanai yōni kotowarimashō, When schedules don’t match, in order not to cause offense, decline as smoothly as possible). The kanji 角 (kaku, kado, tsuno) means “corner” as well as representing the “horn” or “antler” on an animal. In the previous sentence, the kanji is present in the idiom 角が立つ (kado ga tatsu, to cause offense).

角が立たなように (Kado ga tatanai yōni, In order not to cause offense), politely decline an invitation with stock phrases such as, その日は先約があるんだ (Sono hi wa senyaku ga aru-n da, I already have plans on that day) or どうしても都合が合わなくてごめんね (Dōshitemo tsugō ga awanakute gomen ne, In any case, the conditions don’t suit, sorry). Make sure to add, また誘ってね (Mata sasotte ne, Please ask me again) or また次の機会を楽しみにしてる (Mata tsugi no kikai o tanoshimi ni shiteru, I’m looking forward to the next opportunity) to convey you’re up for future invitations.