Can someone explain when to use 咱 in stead of 我? Is there a difference?

咱们 includes the person or persons spoken to while 我们 doesn't.

I knew that 咱们 specifically meant "us" including the person being spoken to, but is it true to say that 我们 doesn't ever mean this? I'm sure I've also heard 我们 used this way before.

I live in Taiwan where 咱們 isn't really used but my understanding of it is when you are suggesting the group to do something. Such as 咱們走去那裡吃飯吧。As opposed to 我們三個人很聰明。

@ junglegirl

It is my understanding that even though sometimes Chinese people use 我们 as including the person being spoken to, it is technically incorrect. Perhaps a better way to think of it is 咱们 is all inclusive while 我们 is an us/them distinction.

If you were to speak your native tongue for quite a while, I guarantee a grammarian would find the occasional error in it. That is one of the reasons why you should be careful about choosing where you learn a foreign language. It doesn't matter if your school teaches technically correct speech patterns. You will learn some of the bad habits of the locals and you have to choose whose bad habits you are going to pick up. That applies to all languages.

咱们 is for everybody whereas 我们 doesn't include the person you are speaking to. That is for mainland China, though. I don't know how Taiwanese people would use it.

Thanks, this is very helpful.

The way I remember this is to think of my wife's language, Filipino. They also have inclusive and exclusive "we" pronouns, and use them when the situation warrants. They seem to be useful in many everyday situations when you want to be clear.

咱们 is inclusive we (tayo/natin in Filipino). Perhaps you are telling your parents where we will all have dinner together.

我们 is exclusive we (kami/namin in Filipino). Perhaps you are telling your parents that we are going away for a holiday without bringing the parents along.

As a teacher on the mainland, I might use 咱们 to tell the class what activity we will all be doing next. However, it seems that 我们 is becoming a catch-all "we" for younger people. Perhaps this is because they are used to doing everything together. I still notice 咱们 in television programs and movies.

a Chinese person laughed at me for using 咱们 because they don't say that.

Maybe its a bit like in English you are meant to say
"from whom" instead of "from who" but hardly anyone says that

tl;dnr I don't say 咱们 anymore

I say "from whom" when it is proper....

It's my understanding that 咱们 is used in the North, but I've only lived in Guangxi and Taiwan. I encounter it regularly in movies, books, etc., but only rarely in speech that I recall, and then only from Northerners.