Japanese has many different ways to ask for another person’s preference, want, or opinion. The ‘―ませんか’ form we are learning now is a very basic, relatively polite, but unnuanced way to ask if someone would like to do something. As an early learner of Japanese, this will more than suffice, but it is important to note that there are both more deferential and more casual ways to ask for someone’s interest that we will learn in later chapters.
Using Dialogue 1 as a template, we have all the information we need to complete the conversation. Though contextually dependent words like ‘こんばん’ do not require the particle ‘に,’ we can mark them with the particle ‘は’ if we want to call attention to that part of the sentence. Once we have established the topic of conversation as ‘tonight’ with ‘は,’ we will then mark the direct object, in this case a ‘movie,’ with the particle ‘を.’ We finish the sentence with the verb, conjugated into the negative present tense to illustrate that we are asking for preference and capped with the question marker ‘か.’ We arrive at this sentence:
今晩は映画を見ませんか。
こんばんはえいがをみませんか。

Using Dialogue 1 as a template, we have all the information we need to complete the conversation. Though contextually dependent words like ‘こんばん’ do not require the particle ‘に,’ we can mark them with the particle ‘は’ if we want to call attention to that part of the sentence. Once we have established the topic of conversation as ‘tonight’ with ‘は,’ we will then mark the direct object, in this case a ‘movie,’ with the particle ‘を.’ We finish the sentence with the verb, conjugated into the negative present tense to illustrate that we are asking for preference and capped with the question marker ‘か.’ We arrive at this sentence:
今晩は映画を見ませんか。
こんばんはえいがをみませんか。

Using Dialogue 1 as a template, we have all the information we need to complete the conversation. Though contextually dependent words like ‘こんばん’ do not require the particle ‘に,’ we can mark them with the particle ‘は’ if we want to call attention to that part of the sentence. Normally we would omit the topic of conversation in a response, but since Takeshi is specifically trying to say that that tonight does work very well, we will reiterate the topic and mark it with ‘は.’ As we learned in the Expression Note on pg. 94 of Genki I, we can use ‘ちょっと’ as a general, polite, and vague way to refuse someone. (Note: in Japanese, it is actually more polite to be vague in a refusal than to be direct.) Combining these two points, we arrive at this sentence:
今晩はちょっと…
こんばんはちょっと…

The word ‘じゃあ’ is actually a contraction of the particle-phrase ‘では.’ Though their meanings are the same, ‘では’ is more polite but less common in daily speech. ‘じゃあ’ is appropriate for most situations you will encounter, but keep in mind that it is not the politest word to use.
Using Dialogue 1 as a template, we have all the information we need to complete the conversation. To introduce a new topic, it sounds natural to include some kind of pre-topic phrase or utterance that signals a change in the conversation. Here, we’ll use ‘じゃあ,’ a new word that we learned in Chapter 2. We will mark the new topic of ‘tomorrow’ with the particle ‘は,’ then finish the sentence with the question word ‘どう’ and the copula ‘です.’ (A copula is a linguistic term for a part of speech or writing that connects two words together.) Finally, we cap it with the question marker ‘か,’ and we arrive at this sentence:
じゃあ、明日はどうですか。
じゃあ、あしたはどうですか。

Using Dialogue 1 as a template, we have all the information we need to complete the conversation. To introduce a new topic, it sounds natural to include some kind of pre-topic phrase or utterance that signals a change in the conversation. Here, we’ll use ‘じゃあ,’ a new word that we learned in Chapter 2. We will mark the new topic of ‘tomorrow’ with the particle ‘は,’ then finish the sentence with the question word ‘どう’ and the copula ‘です.’ (A copula is a linguistic term for a part of speech or writing that connects two words together.) Finally, we cap it with the question marker ‘か,’ and we arrive at this sentence:
じゃあ、明日はどうですか。
じゃあ、あしたはどうですか。

As we learned in Chapter 2, the tag ‘ね’ can be added to the end of a sentence to ask for the listener’s confirmation. This is a good general description of what ‘ね’ means, but it does not capture all of its nuance. ‘ね’ can also be attached to the end of a sentence to make it sound less harsh, or it can be used as an interjection in the middle of speech. Colloquially, it can have connotations of youth or femininity, as it is often used by young Japanese women. In the sentence below, it probably has the meaning of checking in that the agreed upon time is truly okay, or perhaps it has more of a nuance of politely showing enthusiasm for the plans made. In truth, it does not have exactly one translation—just know that ‘いいですね’ is a not uncommon, reasonably polite way to affirm what has just been said.
Using Dialogue 1 as a template, we have all the information we need to complete the conversation. To show our enthusiasm, we respond simply by saying that the idea sounds or is ‘good.’ Since we’re on the same topic of conversation, we do not need to specify the topic with the particle ‘は.’ After adding ‘ね’ after ‘です,’ we arrive at this sentence:
いいですね。
See the explanation cell for a deeper analysis of the particle ‘ね.’

Using Dialogue 1 as a template, we have all the information we need to complete the conversation. To show our enthusiasm, we respond simply by saying that the idea sounds or is ‘good.’ Since we’re on the same topic of conversation, we do not need to specify the topic with the particle ‘は.’ After adding ‘ね’ after ‘です,’ we arrive at this sentence:
いいですね。
See the explanation cell for a deeper analysis of the particle ‘ね.’