Polite requests in English

Cecily G.

Dear students,

How can you make a request politely in English?

Here are some ways:
  • "Could you please...?"
  • "Would you mind (doing)...?"
  • "Would it be possible to...?"
There are more phrases you can use to make a polite request. Can you think of any? 

Example requests:

"Would you mind speaking more slowly?"

"Would it be possible to change the day of my appointment?" 

"Could you please close the window?" 

Depending on whom you are speaking to, it can be very important to use phrases like these when making a request. Each one has a certain flavor and also depends on tone of voice. Learn about that more and practice in a lesson with me!

Thanks for reading, 

Cecily
This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

Comments (0)

Login to Comment Log in »
Premium ribbon

from:

in:

Categorie insegnate

Language Fluency

Inglese   Madrelingua
Francese   Sufficiente
Giapponese   Insufficiente
Italiano   Insufficiente
Tedesco   Insufficiente
Cinese   Insufficiente

Le rubriche di Cecily G. più lette

  • Inglese

    A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush

    I have been thinking recently about the proverb: "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". It...

    Cecily G.

    Cecily G.

    0
    5138
    Aug 17, 2015
  • Inglese

    idiom: "to cost an arm and a leg"

    English idioms sound strange sometimes! There is an idiom "to cost an arm and a leg". It means some...

    Cecily G.

    Cecily G.

    0
    4779
    Aug 25, 2015
  • Inglese

    Social Distancing

    Hello English learners,Today I wanted to introduce the term social distancing. Have you heard it?It...

    Cecily G.

    Cecily G.

    0
    4533
    Mar 30, 2020
  • Inglese

    Essential Workers

    On a previous blog post, I introduced the term social distancing. Today I will introduce essential ...

    Cecily G.

    Cecily G.

    0
    4389
    Sep 8, 2020
« Tutte le rubriche

Got a question? Click to Chat