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Lesson 8 of 10 · School, college and adult beginners

Polite English for everyday requests

Ask for help, borrow something or ask someone to repeat a sentence. Use short, respectful language without worrying about a perfect accent.

Created by AI Study Guru · Updated · Original practice exercises

The simple idea

Start with this

Can you…? and Could you…? can introduce requests. Could you…? often sounds more polite. Follow can or could with the base verb.

See it in everyday English

Hindi and Gujarati lines explain the meaning; they are not word-for-word pronunciation guides.

  • Could you help me, please?क्या आप मेरी मदद कर सकते हैं?શું તમે મને મદદ કરી શકો?
  • Please say that again.कृपया वह फिर से कहिए।કૃપા કરીને તે ફરીથી કહો.
  • May I ask a question?क्या मैं एक सवाल पूछ सकता/सकती हूँ?શું હું એક પ્રશ્ન પૂછી શકું?

Say what you need

A clear request names the action: Could you explain this word, please? For permission, try May I sit here? or Can I borrow your pen?

Keep the conversation going

If someone helps, say Thank you. If you did not hear, say Could you repeat that, please? A calm voice and respectful timing also help; please alone does not make every command polite.

A common mistake, gently fixed

Needs a change: Could you helps me?

Try this: Could you help me?

Use the base form help after could.

Say it aloud

Excuse me. Could you explain this word, please? Thank you for your help.

Optional device voice. Availability and pronunciation depend on your browser; no microphone is used.

Your turn: Role-play asking a classmate to repeat an instruction. Then swap roles and respond.

Try three questions

Choose one answer for each question, then check the explanations. You can change an answer and check again.

1. Ask someone to speak more slowly.
2. Could you ___ the window?
3. Ask permission to sit.
See answers and explanations
  1. Could you speak more slowly, please? — This is a clear, polite request.
  2. open — Use the base form after could.
  3. May I sit here? — May I is a polite way to ask permission.

Take it to your notebook

Eight different questions, a short writing task and an answer key for this topic.

Open the printable worksheetNext: Read short words: cat, pen, sit, hop, sun

Read more about the rule

British Council: requests, offers and invitations. The examples and exercises here are original; the reference provider does not endorse this website.

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