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I've heard that it is supposed to be "less demanding" (or something in that
regard) to ask a negative question when you're asking for a favor or anything
alike.

Let's say I want to turn this sentence into a negative one:

> スカイプで話しましょうか？

**How do I go about doing it?** I want to convey the following meaning:
"Should we talk over skype?"
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2014-09-08T14:55:04.443
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2014-09-11T16:12:53.113
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question
grammar word-choice
Asking a negative question
I think I would probably say スカイプで話しませんか？
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2014-09-08T15:27:15.587
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2014-09-08T15:27:15.587
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answer
By chance I just read something new (for me) on these expressions which
explains Choko's answer (〜ませんか？):

> 〜ましょうか？ is used when the speaker is in a position to make the relevant
> decision. When used as an invitation toward someone with who the speaker is
> not too close it can sound too familiar.

==>>

> 〜ませんか？ is used as a polite invitation. The meaning is similar to "Would you
> like to ~?" in English. (Don't confuse with 〜ないんですか？ which means "You're
> not...")

_Reference: "Japanese Grammar in Use" - E Manita & J Blagdon p188_
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2014-09-11T16:12:53.113
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2014-09-11T16:12:53.113
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answer