What Should I Do? Understanding Advice (～たらどうですか)

In Japanese, when you want to give advice or make a suggestion, a common and useful pattern is ～たらどうですか (～tara dou desu ka). This translates to "Why don't you...?", "How about...?", or "You should consider...". It's a polite, yet somewhat indirect, way to offer a recommendation or suggestion to someone. While useful, it’s important to understand its nuances to avoid causing offense.

How to Form ～たらどうですか

The core structure is relatively simple:

Take the past tense (ta-form) of a verb. Remember to conjugate the verb to its past tense form.
Add らどうですか (ra dou desu ka) to the end.

Pattern:

[Verb (ta-form)] + らどうですか (ra dou desu ka)

Let's break it down with examples:

Examples

Japanese	Romaji	English Translation	Notes
もっと勉強したらどうですか。	Motto benkyou shitara dou desu ka.	Why don't you study more?	Benkyou suru (勉強する) becomes benkyou shita (勉強した), then add ra dou desu ka.
先生に聞いたらどうですか。	Sensei ni kiitara dou desu ka.	Why don't you ask the teacher?	Kiku (聞く) becomes kiita (聞いた), then add ra dou desu ka.
早く寝たらどうですか。	Hayaku netara dou desu ka.	How about going to bed early?	Neru (寝る) becomes neta (寝た), then add ra dou desu ka.
ちょっと休憩(きゅうけい)したらどうですか。	Chotto kyuukei shitara dou desu ka.	Why don't you take a short break?	Kyuukei suru (休憩する) becomes kyuukei shita (休憩した), then add ra dou desu ka. Note how verbs ending in suru conjugate.
日本(にほん)に行(い)ったらどうですか。	Nihon ni ittara dou desu ka.	How about going to Japan?	Iku (行く) becomes itta (行った), then add ra dou desu ka. Remember that the tsu sound in itta can sometimes soften to a double t sound.
薬(くすり)を飲(の)んだらどうですか。	Kusuri o nondara dou desu ka.	Why don't you take some medicine?	Nomu (飲む) becomes nonda (飲んだ), then add ra dou desu ka.
彼(かれ)に電話(でんわ)したらどうですか。	Kare ni denwa shitara dou desu ka.	Why don't you call him?	Denwa suru (電話する) becomes denwa shita (電話した), then add ra dou desu ka. Remember to include the particle ni (に) to indicate "to him".
図書館(としょかん)に行(い)ってみたらどうですか。	Toshokan ni itte mitara dou desu ka.	How about trying to go to the library?	This example uses itte miru (行ってみる), meaning "to try going". Then, itte miru becomes itte mita (行ってみた), and finally add ra dou desu ka. It adds a sense of experimentation to the suggestion.

Nuances and Important Considerations

Politeness Level: While ～たらどうですか is generally considered polite, it's not the most formal. It's best used with friends, family, colleagues of the same rank, or people you know well. Using it with superiors or elders can sometimes sound presumptuous or even slightly condescending.
Implied Criticism: The phrase can sometimes carry an implication that the other person should have already considered the suggestion. Therefore, be mindful of the context and your relationship with the person you are speaking to.
Alternatives for Softer Advice: When giving advice to superiors or when you want to be extra careful, consider using the following alternatives:
- ～たほうがいいですよ (～ta hou ga ii desu yo): "It would be better if you..." or "You should..." This is a more direct, but still relatively polite, way of giving advice. Example:
  - 休(やす)んだほうがいいですよ。(Yasunda hou ga ii desu yo.) - You should take a rest.
- ～てみたらどうですか (～te mitara dou desu ka): "How about trying...?" This adds a sense of experimentation and is less direct than ～たらどうですか. We saw this in the last example in the table above, "Toshokan ni itte mitara dou desu ka."
- ～たらいいと思(おも)います (～tara ii to omoimasu): "I think it would be good if you..." This is a more humble and indirect way of offering advice. Example:
  - 医者(いしゃ)に行(い)ったらいいと思(おも)います。(Isha ni ittara ii to omoimasu.) - I think it would be good if you went to the doctor.
- Indirect Inquiry: Sometimes, the most polite way to offer advice is through an indirect question. For example:
  - 何(なに)かお手伝(てつだ)いできることはありますか。(Nanika otetsudai dekiru koto wa arimasu ka?) - Is there anything I can help you with?
  - 少(すこ)し休(やす)みたいですか。(Sukoshi yasumitai desu ka?) - Do you want to rest a little?
Using with Adjectives: You can also use ～たらどうですか with i-adjectives. To do this, you need to use the tara form of the adjective. This is done by dropping the i and adding kattara. For example:
- 暑(あつ)かったら、窓(まど)を開(あ)けたらどうですか。(Atsukattara, mado o aketara dou desu ka.) - If you are hot, why don't you open the window?
Using with na-adjectives and nouns: You need to add dattara after the na-adjective or noun. For example:
- 暇(ひま)だったら、映画(えいが)を見(み)に行(い)ったらどうですか。(Hima dattara, eiga o mi ni ittara dou desu ka.) - If you are free, why don't you go see a movie? (Hima is a na-adjective.)
- 学生(がくせい)だったら、学割(がくわり)を使(つか)ったらどうですか。(Gakusei dattara, gakuwari o tsukattara dou desu ka.) - If you are a student, why don't you use the student discount? (Gakusei is a noun.)

More Examples in Context

Let's look at some more scenarios and how to use ～たらどうですか effectively:

Scenario: Your friend is struggling with their Japanese homework.
- 日本語(にほんご)の宿題(しゅくだい)が難(むずか)しいなら、私(わたし)が手伝(てつだ)ったらどうですか。(Nihongo no shukudai ga muzukashii nara, watashi ga tetsudattara dou desu ka.) - If your Japanese homework is difficult, how about I help you?
- 図書館(としょかん)で一緒(いっしょ)に勉強(べんきょう)したらどうですか。(Toshokan de issho ni benkyou shitara dou desu ka.) - How about we study together at the library?
Scenario: Your colleague looks stressed and overworked.
- 少(すこ)し休(やす)んだらどうですか。(Sukoshi yasundara dou desu ka.) - Why don't you take a little rest?
- コーヒーでも飲(の)んだらどうですか。(Koohii demo nondara dou desu ka.) - How about drinking some coffee? (The demo adds a sense of "something like".)
Scenario: Someone is complaining about being bored.
- 新(あたら)しい趣味(しゅみ)を始(はじ)めたらどうですか。(Atarashii shumi o hajimetara dou desu ka.) - Why don't you start a new hobby?
- どこか旅行(りょこう)に行(い)ったらどうですか。(Dokoka ryokou ni ittara dou desu ka.) - How about going somewhere on a trip?

Practice Time!

Let's put what you've learned into practice. Try creating sentences using ～たらどうですか for the following situations. Remember to consider the context and choose the most appropriate level of politeness.

Your friend has a bad headache.
Someone is late for an appointment.
Your roommate is having trouble sleeping.
A coworker is complaining about being cold in the office.
Someone wants to improve their Japanese speaking skills.

Example Answers (expand to see)

頭(あたま)が痛(いた)いなら、薬(くすり)を飲(の)んだらどうですか。(Atama ga itai nara, kusuri o nondara dou desu ka.) - If you have a headache, why don't you take some medicine? (Or, if it's a superior: 頭(あたま)が痛(いた)いようでしたら、お薬(くすり)を飲(の)まれたほうがいいですよ。(Atama ga itai you deshitara, okusuri o nomareta hou ga ii desu yo.) - If you seem to have a headache, it would be better if you took some medicine.)
遅(おく)れているなら、タクシーに乗(の)ったらどうですか。(Okureteiru nara, takushii ni nottara dou desu ka.) - If you are late, why don't you take a taxi?
眠(ねむ)れないなら、温(あたた)かいミルクを飲(の)んだらどうですか。(Nemurenai nara, atatakai miruku o nondara dou desu ka.) - If you can't sleep, how about drinking some warm milk?
寒(さむ)いなら、上着(うわぎ)を着(き)たらどうですか。(Samui nara, uwagi o kitara dou desu ka.) - If you are cold, why don't you put on a jacket?
会話(かいわ)のスキルを上達(じょうたつ)させたかったら、日本人(にほんじん)と話(はな)してみたらどうですか。(Kaiwa no sukiru o joutatsu sasetakattara, nihonjin to hanashite mitara dou desu ka.) - If you want to improve your conversation skills, how about trying to talk to a Japanese person?

Advanced Usage: ～たらいいですか (～tara ii desu ka) - Asking for Advice

While this lesson focuses on giving advice, it's important to briefly touch on the related phrase ～たらいいですか (～tara ii desu ka), which means "What should I do?" or "What would be good to do?".

This is the question form of ～たらどうですか, and it's used when you are seeking advice.

Formation:

[Verb (ta-form)] + らいいですか (ra ii desu ka)

Examples:

Japanese	Romaji	English Translation
どうしたらいいですか。	Dou shitara ii desu ka.	What should I do?
何(なに)を勉強(べんきょう)したらいいですか。	Nani o benkyou shitara ii desu ka.	What should I study?
どこに行(い)ったらいいですか。	Doko ni ittara ii desu ka.	Where should I go?
彼(かれ)に何(なに)を言(い)ったらいいですか。	Kare ni nani o ittara ii desu ka.	What should I say to him?

Understanding both ～たらどうですか and ～たらいいですか will significantly improve your ability to navigate conversations and seek or offer assistance in Japanese. Good luck!