How the most polite request begins. The most polite request in Russian. Interesting phrases-requests in English

When speaking English, you often need to resort to requests. They can be different: we ask for a serious favor, a trivial favor, most often the requests are small and we do not expect them to be refused (“Could you please turn the music down?”) Today we will look at how to ask permission in English, ask for help and even make an offer!

How to attract attention and call a person in English

Before you ask a stranger for something, you need to get his attention. The easiest way:

• Excuse me!- Sorry! – Suitable for any situation.
• Sir! (sir) - when addressing a stranger.
• Ma'am(ma'am, ma'am - short for madam) - when addressing an unfamiliar woman.
• Miss(miss) - when addressing an unfamiliar young woman.

Request-order

When we ask our interlocutor for something, we say it in the form of an incentive offer. Its main element (sometimes the only one) is. However, in itself, without politeness formulas, an incentive sentence sounds like an order, a command, and not a request:

Pass me some butter. - Pass me some butter.

Don't tell my parents about it. - Don't tell my parents about this.

Stand up. - Stand up.

Wake your cat up. - Wake up your cat.

A request in the form of a soft order

To turn an order into a request, however, not a very soft one, it is enough to add the word please(“please”) at the beginning or end of a sentence.

Please, pass me some butter. - Please pass me some oil.

Please, don't tell my parents. – Please don't tell my parents.

Stand up please. - Stand up please.

Wake your cat up please. – Wake up your cat, please.

This type of request cannot be called soft or delicate; in a certain context, it may sound like an order.

Polite requests in English with COULD YOU, WOULD YOU, CAN YOU and the difference between them

If you want to ask politely, add one of the politeness formulas to your sentence:

• Could you please?
• Would you+ incentive offer + please?
• Can you+ incentive offer + please?

The part that is designated as an “incentive sentence” begins with (without the particle to). Let me remind you that in the affirmative form such a verb looks the same as it is presented in the dictionary (initial form):

• help - to help
• tell - to speak

In negative form a particle is added not:

• not help - not to help
• not tell - not to speak

Note: in all versions, the word please can be placed after “you”, for example: “Could you help me, please?”

We’ll return to the differences between these three formulas a little later, first let’s look at examples with “could you”. Here could you translates as “could you…”, the word please may be omitted in Russian translation if it is not appropriate. The sentence becomes interrogative and is pronounced with a questioning intonation.

Could you please, pass me some butter? – Could you pass me some oil?

Could you don't tell my parents about it, please? – Could you please not tell my parents about this?

Could you stand up please. - Could you stand up, please?

Could you wake your cat up, please. – Could you wake up your cat?

Pay attention to the example with negation (about parents). Negation is expressed using not; no “don’t” needs to be added here:

• Right: Could you please don't do that?
• Wrong: Could you please don't do that?

Now let's go back to the difference between could you, would you, can you.

Instead of could you can be used would you or can you. For example:

Would will you pass me some butter, please?

Can do you stand up, please?

These options can be translated into Russian in the same way as those with could you:“Could you…” But there is a difference between them, albeit a small one. It can be explained simply, or it can be complicated.

Without going into details, then

• Could you, would you- the formula for a polite request, there is no difference in meaning or degree of politeness between them.
• Can you- the formula for a slightly less polite request. Roughly speaking, this is the same as in Russian you would say “Can you pass me the butter?” instead of “Could you pass me the butter?”

If you dig a little deeper, then:

• Saying “ Can you pass me some butter, please?”, we ask the interlocutor if he has physical ability pass the oil. It is clear that we are not asking just like that, but thereby expressing a request.
• Essence of the question " Could you pass me some butter, please?” the same, but the question itself is asked in a slightly softer, indirect form. Again, compare the analogues in Russian: “Can you pass the oil?” - “Could you pass the oil?”
• Question " Would you pass me some butter, please?” refers not to the possibility, but to the desire of the interlocutor to pass on the oil. Something like: “Would you pass me the butter, please?”

On practice these differences are not significant in small requests: serve the oil, open the window, that is, in cases where the request is a pure formality, it is guaranteed not to be refused. The degree of politeness/impoliteness will be much more affected by intonation.

The difference in questions with would you And could you is more noticeable when we are talking not about a small request, but about consent, desire do something. For example, if a guy wants to invite a girl to the cinema, he is more likely to say: “Would you go to cinema with me?” , and not “Could you go to the cinema with me?”, because in the first case he inquires about her desire (“Would you like to go to the cinema with me?”), consent, and in the second - about the possibility (“Do not could you go to the cinema with me?”).

By the way, when you need to ask for consent in a more confident, decisive form, it is better to use a question with rather than its would form. Classic example: “Will you marry me?” - "Will you marry me?"

Polite requests in English with “Do you mind”

Expression “Do (would) you mind + “ used as a polite request to do something.

Do you mind opening the window? - Could you open the window?

Would you mind not smoking? – Could you stop smoking?

Note: there is a similar phrase “Do (would) you mind if I...” - it is used not as a request to do something, but to obtain permission, we will return to it a little later.

Ask for a favor or help

You can ask for a favor, usually larger than giving a chair, or for help using the following expressions:

• Could you do me a favor?– Could you do me a favor?

You can ask this question to a friend, a colleague, or a stranger. Example:

- Excuse me, could you do me a favour?- Can you help me?

– Sure. - Certainly can.

– Can you watch my stuff for me for a few minutes? I'll be right back. -Can you look after my things? I'll be right back.

The core of the phrase is “do me a favour”, it can also be used in a slightly different form, not necessarily strictly as “Could you do me a favour?”. Examples:

Dear, do me a favor and turn the TV off, please. - Honey, do me a favor, turn off the TV, please.

Can you do me a favor and shut up, please? “Could you do me a favor and shut up, please?”

• Can you help me out (with something)?– Can you help me out?

Please help me with something, help me out. This is usually how they address friends and acquaintances.

Can you help me out tomorrow? I need to move my stuff but my car is too small for that. – Can you help me out tomorrow? I need to move my junk and my car is too small for that.

“Can you help me out WITH” will mean “to help out, to help with something”:

Can you help me out with my homework? – Can you help me with my homework?

• Can you give me a hand (with something)?- Can you help me?

Usually this means some kind of physical help right now.

Can you give me a hand? I can't lift this box. - Can you help me? I can't lift this box.

Or the same thing, but in other words:

Can you give me a hand with this box? – Can you help me with this box?

“help me out” can be used in the same meaning:

Can you help me out with this box?

• I'd like- I would like

Requests from "I'd like" usually addressed to service workers and maintenance personnel. For example, this expression is usually used to place an order.

Note: after “would like” it is used with the particle to.

Hi, I would like to order a pizza. - Hello, I would like to order pizza.

I'd like to have a taxi. – I would like to order a taxi.

I'd like(to have) a hamburger, please. - I would like (to order) a hamburger.

How to ask permission in English?

Requests include not only incentive offers, the essence of which is that we ask the interlocutor to do something, but also questions the purpose of which is to obtain permission. In other words, asking permission is also a request.

There are also several colloquial formulas for this case:

• Can I\May I– “Can I...” or “Can I...”

For example:

May I ask you a question? - Can I ask you a question?

Can I help you? - Can I help you?

Strictly speaking, in such a question it means physical possibility, and - permission, but in ordinary everyday speech these distinctions are so erased that there is absolutely no difference in how to ask for permission, “Can I go?” and “May I go?” they do not differ in meaning. However, the option with may more appropriate in a strict formal setting.

For example, the event host makes an announcement:

Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please? – Ladies and gentlemen, I ask for your attention (literally: “may I have your attention”).

• Can I have\May I have- "Can I…"

Particular attention should be paid to the following request: Can I have… (May I have). It is used when we want to receive something, we ask to give us something:

Can I have a candy, please? – Can I have some candy, please?

Excuse me may I have a cup of water? - Excuse me, can I have a cup of water?

May I have your name and address, please? – May I know your name and address, please?

• Is it ok if I...?- “It’s okay if I...”

The expressions “Is it ok if I...” or “Is it all right if I...” are an analogue of our “Nothing if I... (do something).” This is how we politely ask for permission. For example:

Is it ok if I take your bike? - Is it okay if I take your bike?

Is it all right if I come to the party with my friend? – Is it okay if I come to the party with a friend?

• Do (would) you mind if...?- “Do you mind if...”

“Do you mind if” is a polite way to ask permission. Literally: “Do you mind if,” but in Russian we say “Do you mind?” or “Do you mind?”

Do you mind if I open the window? – No, of course not! – Do you mind if I open the window? - No, of course I don’t mind.

Do you mind if I smoke? – No problem. – Do you mind if I smoke? - No problem.

Instead of do can be used would, you get a softer request:

Would you mind if I open the window? – Would you mind if I open the window?

A possible option: “Don’t you mind if,” that is, literally “You don’t mind if.” There is no difference between them, it’s just that the second one is a little more delicate, the speaker seems to admit that the interlocutor may well object. There is a little confusion with the answers with this option.

For example:

Don't you mind if I open the window? – Do you mind if I open the window?

In theory, if a person doesn’t mind, he will say: “Yes,” meaning “yes, I don’t mind” (yes, I don’t mind). But he can also say “no”, meaning “no, I don’t mind” - this is not entirely grammatically correct, but such an answer is possible. Although in practice people very rarely answer the question “Do you mind if I…” with a sharp “Yes, I am against it!” The answer will most likely be in a more polite form, for example: “Oh, sorry but I have a cold” (sorry, but I have a cold).

Friends! Now I’m not doing tutoring, but if you need a teacher, I recommend this wonderful site - there are native (and non-native) language teachers there👅 for all occasions and for every pocket :) I myself took more than 50 lessons with teachers I found there !

The British have earned the title of the most polite nation in the world. Wherever you are - in a store, public transport or just on the street, you will hear “Sorry”, “Please” and “Welcome” every now and then. But did you know that even using all these words, you can suddenly become known as an unceremonious rude person? The reason is ridiculously simple - polite phrases in English are constructed according to completely different rules than in Russian.

In order not to shock your interlocutors, it is important to use “magic words” in the correct construction and take into account purely English phraseological units that comply with the rules of good manners.

Polite requests in English

Let's consider a situation where you say to your interlocutor: “Prepare this for tomorrow” or “Call me back” (attention: this is wrong!). For a Russian person, these are simple requests that do not carry a negative connotation, but for a foreigner this is a signal that you are a very ill-mannered person who gives rude orders.

The first line of the hit parade of offensive phrases is represented by the phrase “Do it!” Use the polite “Let's do it!” to avoid the sharp edges of misunderstanding.

What do we know about the word “please”? "Please" means "please" and is used in requests.

- Could you tell me the time, please?

- Could you tell me the time, please?

- Thank you!

Since childhood, we have become accustomed to: if you want to get candy, don’t forget to add “please.” However, this is not enough in English. The use of “Please” in requests adds an unpleasant shade of familiarity to what is said.

For example, you ask a friend “Give me, please, a coat.” It will sound something like this: “Give me your coat.” If not “Please,” you say, then how to ask for a favor in English, so as not to inadvertently offend a person.

To make your request sound polite, use modal constructions:

Could / would - Could you

Could/would you..., please?

Could / would you be so kind as to ...

For example:

― Could you check your e-mail, please?

- Could you please check your email?

- Certainly!

― Jane, would you be so kind as to call him on Monday?

- Yes, of course!

- Jane, could you (be kind) call him on Monday?

- Yes, sure!

When shopping or in a restaurant, use the following constructions in colloquial speech:

Can / could + please – Could you + please
Can / Could I have…, please?

Can/could I please have...?

For example:

- Can I have some tomatoes and fresh green, please?

- Can I please have some tomatoes and fresh herbs?

― Could I please have a glass of water?

- Can I please have a glass of water??

Examples of a kind request in English

How to ask permission?

When we ask permission to take our own actions, we need the following scheme. It can also be used in a formal setting:

May I... ? May I...?

For example:

― May I use your laptop? I don't have an internet connection.

- Can I use your computer? I don't have an internet connection.

Another useful construct:

Do you mind if I + Ving? Do you mind if...

- Do you mind if I open the door?

- Do you mind if I open the door?

― Do you mind asking you a difficult question?

- Do you mind if I ask you a difficult question?

How to thank for a service provided in English

It is important to be able to express your gratitude. In informal communication, liberties are permissible; in other cases, one should not deviate from the norms of traditional courtesy.

The English weave much more polite phrases into their conversational speech than we do. Sometimes there is a feeling of devaluation of politeness - politeness loses its personal, targeted coloring and is perceived as a speech norm that has been memorized to the point of automatism. You just need to come to terms with this!

I hope this article will be useful to those who have not yet taken Yes Language Center courses. From now on, you will be more confident in using polite phrases in English, and at the right time you will not be denied a small favor.

Afanaskina Ekaterina Vladimirovna - expert of the educational and methodological department

Center for Foreign Languages ​​"YES".

If you stop the average Muscovite today and ask him how to get to N Street, he will say briefly: “Go straight, then left,” and sometimes he will point with his hand: “That way,” and then immediately leave. Try asking the same question in a similar situation in New York and you'll likely get an answer in at least a few sentences. After answering, the person usually pauses for a few moments in case you are still unclear. After such a response, any American pedestrian will certainly say: Thank you or Thank you very much.

In English, the “magic” words in requests and appeals are please orthank you. They are absolutely necessary for any request addressed to a close relative, friend, boss, colleague, subordinate or waiter.

These words are found in English speech much more often than in Russian, where there is a subjunctive mood with negation and other ways of expressing a polite request. But in English, these grammatical forms are much less common or not used at all, and so Americans and Russians unwittingly find themselves in a laughing room.

Americans, speaking Russian, often seem strange and prone to sarcasm to native speakers of this language: every now and then, inappropriately and inappropriately, they use “paazhaala-asta” instead of saying “be kind”, “be kind”, use a question with a negation “would you be able”, or limit yourself to rising intonation. In turn, Russians, when speaking English, neglect the word please, which is the most important reason why they are considered poorly behaved in America. The result is a paradoxical situation: when they switch to each other’s language, representatives of the two cultures cease to sympathize with each other due to differences in their politeness formulas. This phenomenon was recently noticed by psychiatrist L. Chorekchyan:

“The Russians who live here notice that newcomers are somehow not very kind, because for some reason they don’t say “thank you” and “please” so often... English please and thank you are empty words for you, because you You don’t speak or think in English and, naturally, you don’t feel anything in it.”

In America, if you ask for something, you must certainly insert a magic word into the request-question.please:

Please give me that pen;

I’ll have the chocolate ice cream, please;

Could you pass the salt, please?;

Could you please answer this letter?;

May I please speak to Mrs. Goodman?;

Please take off your coat; I'd like the check, please.

Even on stands and signs, prohibiting any actions, you will often come across this favorite American word: Please keep off the grass or Please don’t feed the animals.

As one British linguist noted: “English please firmly tied to the command.” This applies to a conversation between a boss and a subordinate, between colleagues, acquaintances, friends, close relatives and spouses:

Miss Jones, please mail this letter;

Mother, would you please relax for a few minutes;

Professor Havemeyer, please come in and sit down;

Dear, please pass me the salt.

When used in a polite phrase the word pleaseit is better to use designs with could than withwill. Phrases like Will you (please) bring me some coffee? or Will you (please) get the bread from the kitchen and put it on the table? They sound harsh. Modal form could softens this harshness, especially if there is also no word please. But, despite his absence, requests like Could you bring me some coffee / Could you get the bread from the kitchen it doesn't hurt the ear like Will you…

Polite forms of address such as I'd like it for example, in a sentence I'd like to have the vegetable soup, or more I think I'll have the vegetable soup, spoken with the correct intonation, may also sometimes not require a word please, however, designs with will - Will you please get the bread- they definitely demand it, otherwise the request will sound rude.

When translating from Russian into English, some requests, even including please, need lexico-syntactic restructuring, without which they sound impolite.

“Please tell me” is a common Russian phrase in cases where a person asks for directions, and in many other situations. Translated literally into English (Tell me please) she seems rude or mocking. Here are the appropriate English versions:

Could you please tell me (how to get to 34th street?)

or Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the zoo from here? / how much do these flowers cost? / where Mr. Jones's office is? / how to say"schedule" in English?

In other cases, the word order also changes:

Sit down please.

Please have a seat. / Please sit down.

Give me please…

Could you please give me…

Please bring me...

Please bring me / Could you please bring me…

Russian expressions of wishes and requests using negative or positive constructions, for example, “It would be good / would be nice (to do this or that)” are conveyed in English by positive constructions: It would be good / nice if you could please do such and such.

In Russian, answers to such questions or wishes often have a negative form: “I don’t mind / have nothing against / don’t mind”, in English - a positive form: That's fine with / by me.

Polite questions and addresses pose a great difficulty for Russians when speaking English. Although in Russian they are given in a negative form, in English the answers to them are given in positive constructions:

Can you tell me how to get to the metro station?

Wrong: Could you not tell me how to get to the subway?

The Russian “could you” question itself represents polite treatment, which the English modal construction of politeness does not carry. It is clear that literal translation to English turns a polite Russian question into rudeness.

For example, “Do you happen to have a pen?” - Russians often translate Do you have a pen?. It sounds impolite, so it's better to say: Excuse me, would you have a pen / Might you have a pen? or Would you (happen to) have a pen? But such “negative” questions are not really questions, but a polite request. The negative form of the request and the conditional “would” introduce the necessary shade of politeness into phrases where “please” and other polite words are simply not needed. When switching to English without rethinking, these phrases may sound unclear and impolite. In addition, in the English version, the negative particle is omitted and “words of politeness” are added:

Could you please give me / Could I please have some coffee? Could you please pass (me) the milk?

Polite Russian requests “could you?”, “is it difficult for you?”, “won’t it be difficult for you?”, “isn’t it difficult for you?”, “wouldn’t it be difficult for you?”, “isn’t it possible?” are well conveyed in English: Could you please / kindly, Could / May I bother / trouble you to (do whatever?).

Requests: “Could you tell?”, “Would you tell?”, “Won’t you tell?”, “Can’t you tell?”, “Would you be so kind?”, correspond to Could you please / kindly / Could you be so kind as to / May / Could I please ask you to… and so on.

If you want to ask, can / Is your interlocutor inclined to do something?, it's best to refer to it like this: Would you like to / Could you please do… / Would you be interested in doing / How would you feel about doing…

The question “Are you able to do...” is expressed: Are you up to going there / doing that etc., but in no case Are you in a state to do…, which can be understood as: Are you sober enough to do whatever!(“Aren’t you very drunk? Could you do this?”) We must not forget about other forms of address: There’s something I’d like to ask you to do / I was wondering if you might / It had occurred to me that you might like / be interested in doing X / that you’d be the perfect person to do X.

Ignorance of the polite forms accepted in America for expressing a request sometimes leads to a conflict between an American boss and a Russian subordinate, when the latter does not understand that the words addressed to him: I'd like to ask you to do this or I was wondering if you might take a look at (this report)? Could you possibly type this letter? do not actually mean a request, but an order. Responses to such requests-orders can be quite varied. The best match for the phrase “With great pleasure” is: I’ll be delighted / glad to do that / I’d love to. English equivalents of Russian “certainly”, “of course” - Yes, of course or Naturally. Common phrases You’ve got it / No problem / No sweat- are too colloquial and should be avoided.

Goals and objectives

— teach children polite requests and polite refusals.

Preliminary work

Dramatization of L. Kvitko’s poem “Anna-Vanna - Brigadier”.

Progress of the class hour

Teacher's opening speech

Teacher. Very often you are approached with various requests. Some requests you can fulfill with pleasure, but others you cannot fulfill. How can you correctly refuse and ask correctly if you need help? This is what we will learn in today's lesson.

Discussion of the poem by J. Brzechwa from the collection “Ant”

They said to the ox:

- Dear ox!

Please take me

- Well, here's another one,

There was a hunt!

Any

Issues for discussion:

- How did you ask the ox? (Politely)

“Did the ox politely refuse?”

- What can you say about the ox? (The ox is rude, uncultured, ignorant.)

Teacher. Imagine that you and I came to the pigsty to look at the piglets. But the owner of the piglets does not allow us to do this.

Dramatization of L. Kvitko’s poem “Anna-Vanna - Brigadier”

- Anna-Vanna, our squad

Wants to see piglets!

We will not offend them:

Let's take a look and go out.

- Leave the yard

Better not ask!

It's time to bathe the piglets

Come tomorrow.

- Anna-Vanna, our squad

Wants to see piglets

And touch the backs -

Are there a lot of bristles?

- Leave the yard

Better not ask!

It's time to feed the piglets

Come tomorrow.

- Anna-Vanna, our squad

Wants to see piglets.

Stigmas - with snouts?

Are the ponytails hooked?

- Leave the yard

Better not ask!

It's time for the piglets to sleep,

Then come back.

- Anna-Vanna, our squad

Wants to see piglets!

- Leave the yard

Wait until the morning

We have already lit the lanterns -

The piglets went to bed.

Teacher. Can we say that the guys politely asked the foreman, and the foreman answered politely?

Practical work “How to ask politely?”

Teacher. Let's work in pairs and remember all the words that can be used in polite requests.

1. Be kind!

2. Please, dear!

3. Please!

4. Be kind!

Why do we sometimes get rejected? (Children's answers.)

Reading and discussion of the story “Bad Candy” by V. Korzhits

One day, when Merike and dad were going to the store, a piece of candy fell out of his pocket. Merike bent down, picked up the candy and squeezed it in her fist. Nobody except dad noticed this. When they walked away from the store, Merike asked:

- Do you want me to give you half?

Dad said nothing. Then he said:

- Thank you, I don’t want to. I don't like this candy.

- Why? - Merike was wary.

“Well, it’s just not to my taste...” Dad shrugged.

- Because this candy is from that guy?

“Probably,” Dad agreed. Merike clutched the candy tighter in her hand and said:

- This guy probably has a whole bag of sweets.

“Maybe he was,” Dad agreed. - Or maybe it wasn’t.

After these daddy’s words, Merika no longer liked the candy.

“You know, dad,” she said. “I’d rather give this candy to Arthur.”

- Why Arthur? - Dad was surprised.

- Because Arthur is still small and doesn’t understand that no one likes this candy.

Dad didn't say anything. I just sighed.

Teacher. Why did the pope refuse Merike's proposal?

Training “Learning to refuse politely”

The training takes place in pairs. First, one member of the couple asks for something else, and the other must be able to politely refuse. Then the participants change roles.

Discussion of G. Glushnev’s poem “The Neighbor’s Puppy”

Tied a puppy on a chain,

Cold chain is short...

Within a year

Come to him -

It will tear it apart.

And now he

Cries quietly

Sad ponytail

He hides it under his paws.

It's worth it to me

Come closer -

Hastily licks my hand:

"Let me go,

Let go."

I avert my eyes:

You are not mine.

Understand,

Sad, I'm going home.

If I were a giant,

Then I would break all the chains! —

Issues for discussion:

— What feelings does the boy have for the puppy?

- Why can’t the boy fulfill the dog’s request?

— How can a boy help a puppy?

Summarizing

Conclusion. Sometimes you really want to fulfill a request, but you are unable to do it. But if you can fulfill the request and it doesn’t bother you, then be sure to help others. And then, when you turn to your comrades with a request, they will also help you.

Today we will talk not about what to say, but about how. It's no secret that there are many ways to express the same thought.

You can, for example, say “go away, please,” or “excuse me, can I come in?” or even “well, move away!” In both cases, and in the third case, we expressed a desire for someone to step aside and give us way, but our tone was different each time: in the first case, we were talking to someone familiar and equal to us in status, in the second - with a stranger on "you", and in the third we were rude.

Our article is devoted to the second case - communicating with strangers with whom we are on first name terms. We will learn how to be polite in English.

Let's look at a few broad situations in which we will need politeness.

1. How do you politely ask someone for something?

How to voice a request without it sounding like an order? First of all, you need to say “please”. But one magic word is not enough - to sound as polite as possible, use the following construction:

Could you...
Could you...

For example:

Could you open the window?
Could you please open the window?

Could you help me with my luggage, please?
Could you help me with my luggage please?

There are also more sophisticated phrases that can be used instead of " could you":

I would appreciate it if you could...
I would be grateful if you could...
(Literally: "I would appreciate it if you could...")

I would be grateful if you could...
I would be grateful if you could...

Would you be so kind as to...
Will you be so kind, ...

For example:

I would appreciate it if you could help me.
I will be grateful if you could help me.
(Literally: " I would appreciate it, if you could help me")

I would be grateful if you could tell me his phone number.
I would appreciate if you could tell me his phone number.

Would you be so kind as to show me the way?
Will you be so kind, show me the way.

Let's talk separately about the case when we request information that is not currently available, but may appear in the future. It happens that we ask a person to tell us something when an opportunity arises, or information, or something happens, etc. In such cases, instead of a simple “tell”, the following phrase is better suited:

Let's me know...
Let me know...

For example:

There is another type of request: often in everyday life we ​​have to squeeze through a crowd. How do we make a person understand so that he will let us pass? Let's use the magic word:

Excuse me.
Sorry.

! In our country, there is a custom of asking the person in front in transport: “Are you getting off?” Never do this to foreigners :). Instead, just say " Excuse me"for him to move away.

Finally, it happens that something irritates us in the behavior of a foreigner. How can you politely ask him to keep his voice down or not ask you awkward questions?

Would you mind...
Could you...
(Literally: "Do you mind...")

This expression requires an ending from the action - ing!

Would you mind turning off the radio, please?
You could not would turn off the radio please?
(Literally: " Do you mind turn off the radio, please?")

Would you mind closing the door before leaving?
You Not could would close the door before leaving?
(Literally: " Do you mind close the door before leaving?")

Attention: Do you want to overcome the language barrier and speak English? Find out in Moscow how our students begin to speak in 1 month!

2. How to politely say “I want”?

"Want" is a good word, but a little harsh: it sounds like a demand. In order to soften it, you can use the following designs:

I would like...
I would like...

I would prefer...
I would prefer...

For example:

I would like a cup of coffee, please.
I would like a cup of coffee please.

I would like to book two tickets.
I would like book two tickets.

I would prefer to meet tomorrow, if that"s comfortable for you.
I would prefer Meet tomorrow if it's convenient for you.

I would prefer not to talk about it.
I would prefer don't talk about it.

When you order at a restaurant, you can also use the following phrases:

I"ll have...
I will...
(Literally: "I have...")

Can I have... ?
Can I take...
(Literally: "Can I have...?")

Eg:

I"ll have tea and some tuna salad, please.
I will tea and some tuna salad, please.

Can I have some red wine and a steak?
Can I take red wine and steak?

3. How to politely express disagreement?

In an extended conversation, sometimes you can come to disagreements. How to let a foreigner understand that he is mistaken and not get involved in an argument?

If you are talking about disagreement about facts that may or may not be correct, use the phrase:

I think you might be mistaken.
I think you may be wrong.

If it’s more a matter of opinion, then:

I'm afraid I disagree...
I'm afraid I disagree...

I see what you mean, but...
I see what you mean, but...

! Try to avoid words with a negative assessment: “bad”, “wrong”, etc. Instead, it is better to use "positive" words with negation:

I don't think that...
I do not think that...

I'm not sure that...
I'm not sure what...

Compare:

I think your plan won't work.
I don't think your plan will work.

I don't think your plan will work.
I don't think that your plan will work.

I'm sure it's a bad idea.
I'm sure this is a bad idea.

I'm not sure it's a good idea.
I'm not sure n that's a good idea.

In this way, you shift the focus from the assessment (“bad”, “good”) to your own uncertainty (“I don’t think”, “I’m not sure”), letting the interlocutor understand that this is only your subjective opinion, and not the truth in the end authorities. By doing so, you will soften disagreement and make it clear that you too may be wrong.

4. How to politely ask permission?

To politely ask permission to do something, you will need the following expressions.

Use may when talking about "official" permission: say, can you park here? Or is it possible to smoke in the hotel? That is, when it comes to rules.

May I...
May I...

For example:

If there are no rules and you are simply asking, for example, if your neighbor on the minibus would mind if you open the window, then the following phrases are at your service:

Could I...
Can I...

Do you mind if I...
Do you mind if I...

I was wondering if I could...
I was wondering if I could...

For example:

Could I ask you a question?
May I ask you a question?

Do you mind if I join you tonight?
Do not you mind, if I join you tonight?

I was wondering if I could invite you for a dinner.
I wanted to ask, can I invite you to dinner.

5. How to politely ask again?

If you did not hear or did not understand what the interlocutor said, you can, of course, say: “What?” (What?), but that would be kind of rude. To politely indicate that you do not understand, use one of the following phrases:

Sorry?
Sorry?

Pardon (me)?
Excuse me)?

I beg your pardon?
I'm sorry?

Excuse me?
Sorry?

Of course, you can also politely ask the other person to repeat using the constructions from point No. 1:

Sorry, could you repeat it, please?
Sorry, Not could would You repeat please?

Would you mind saying that again, please?
You could not would say it again please?
(Literally: " Do you mind say it again, please?")

6. How to politely apologize?

If you did something not very good (pushed a person, stepped on a foot, etc.) - make amends by saying:

Sorry.
Sorry.

I apologize.
I'm sorry.

If you want to get someone's attention to ask a question, for example, then use:

Excuse me.
Sorry.

7. How to politely thank?

Finally, how else can you express your gratitude other than thank you you?

So we looked at seven situations for using polite English. With them you will definitely not get lost when communicating with strangers :). In addition to these phrases, remember the simple rules of good manners: listen to your interlocutor, do not directly say “no” to him, soften your phrase if possible (“I think”, “I believe”, etc.), do not forget to say “thank you” and "Please" :). Good luck!