How do you say "May I treat you?" in Japanese?

"May I treat you?" in Japanese is "おごってもいいですか". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘May I treat you?’ in Japanese

Q: What does "おごってもいいですか" mean in English?

"おごってもいいですか" means "May I treat you?" in English. Usage tip: [〜てもいいですか] is a very useful pattern for asking permission: "is it okay if I...?" You can reuse it with lots of verbs, like [座ってもいいですか] "May I sit?" or [聞いてもいいですか] "May I ask?"

おごってもいいですか

ogotsu te mo ii desu ka

[oh-goht teh moh ee dess kah]

💬 Usage Tip: [〜てもいいですか] is a very useful pattern for asking permission: "is it okay if I...?" You can reuse it with lots of verbs, like [座ってもいいですか] "May I sit?" or [聞いてもいいですか] "May I ask?"

🇯🇵 In Japan: [おごってもいいですか] is polite and low-pressure, which is better than sounding overly assertive with someone you just met. In Japan, asking first before ordering for someone is the safer move.

Phrase Breakdown

おごっ

ogotsu

[oh-goht]

treat; pay for

From おごる, meaning to pay for someone else's food or drink.

Example

今日は私がおごってもいいですか。

May I treat you today?

て

[teh]

and; te-form

The te-form connector, here linking the verb to もいいですか for permission.

Example

一杯おごってもいいですか。

May I buy you a drink?

も

[moh]

also; even

Here it is part of the pattern 〜てもいい, which means 'it is okay to...' or 'may I...?'

Example

ここに座ってもいいですか。

May I sit here?

いい

[ee]

good; okay

In 〜てもいい, it expresses that something is acceptable or permitted.

Example

写真を撮ってもいいですか。

May I take a photo?

です

desu

[dess]

is; polite copula

A polite element used in many standard question patterns.

Example

今、話してもいいですか。

May I talk now?

か

[kah]

question marker

A particle placed at the end to turn the sentence into a question.

Example

一緒に帰りますか。

Shall we go home together?

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