Making a suggestion in English

The most common way to make a suggestion in English is to use either "should" (if you think something is really a good idea) or "could" (if you are just talking about one possible suggestion). You could add the words "maybe" or "perhaps" (more formal) to your suggestion to make it softer. Here are some sample sentences:

You should study harder if you want to be successful. (A good idea!)
The city should add more public transportation as the population grows. (Another good idea!)
We could go to a restaurant to eat if you're too tired to cook. (Just an idea.)
Maybe you could find a tutor to help you study in the evenings. (Again, just an idea.)

Of course, you can also choose to be direct, if you wish. Just use basic English phrases such as these:

My idea is...
My suggestion is...

You can also use some polite English phrases, when making a suggestion. For example:

I would suggest that we...
If I may suggest an idea, perhaps we could...

 You can try one of these common English questions:

What if we...
How about if we...
What do you think of this idea...