How do you use 咱们 zánmen

[piano0011]

From my understanding, zanmen must include the speaker as opposed to using women but can i say the following with zanmen?

 

zanmen zou le

 

or

 

zanmen zhu zai Beijing

[889]

咱们 includes the speaker and those the speaker is addressing.

 

我们 can also include those being addressed, but not necessarily. It can also mean just the speaker and those aassociated with the speaker, not those being addressed.

 

咱们 has a more colloquial, friendly feel.

 

[piano0011]

thanks guys... I just worked it out as well.... because by saying women zou le.... the listener does not have to follow you and thus, it is wrong..... I just noticed that it must include the listener, which is the important thing as well, not just the speaker...

[889]

If there are just two of us there getting ready to leave after a meal for example, you can say to me 那我们走吧! but 咱们 would be more 密切.

[Lu]

我们 wǒmen can mean two different groups: 'I, the speaker, and you, the person I'm speaking to' or 'I, the speaker, and someone else, but not including you, the person I'm speaking to'.

咱们 zánmen means only one thing: 'I, the speaker, and you, the person I'm speaking to'.

 

If you and the person you're speaking to are leaving, you can say 我们走吧 Wǒmen zǒu ba or 咱们走吧 Zánmen zǒu ba. Both are correct, they just have a slightly different feel. The version with 咱们 is a bit more intimate, you'd say it to a friend or sibling; if you're with a coworker or client, for example, you'd use 我们.

[piano0011]

thanks but according to my, it involves the listener when using zanmen..... I guess I will just remember it this way.....

[889]

Better to always just use 我们 if you're looking for the simplest rule.

[Publius]

咱们 always includes the listener.

我们 may or may not include the listener.

 

The use of 咱们 implies that the speaker and the listener belong to the same group. It is therefore sometimes used to "套近乎", in which case what it really replaces is not 我们 but rather 你们. For example,

大爷，跟您打听一下，咱们这儿有个叫某某某的吗？ 

This neighborhood is Daye's turf, so to speak. You, a passerby, can't say 我们这儿 like you own it. You don't want to say 你们这儿 either. That's just rude and arrogant. So you say 咱们这儿, acknowledging the listener's authority while trying to establish a closer relationship at the same time.

 

[piano0011]

thanks but i understand its basic meaning...