If you are too direct when you speak, you can come off as pushy, which could put

people off. Knowing how to be polite in

English will help you in many ways! You will avoid offending people unintentionally and you will connect with others more
easily. Also, learning polite language could help you win friends in your personal life and build stronger relationships at
work.

The expressions that you can use to be more polite can be the following:

use "could" when making commands in English, this softens the command and makes it sound less like a command.

So, instead of saying:

"Send me the report." or "Close the door."

You could say:

"Could you send me the report?" or "Could you close the door, please?"

Another expression we normally use to ask someone politely for help. "I was wondering if…"

I was wondering if you had time to help me.

Sarah was wondering if you could pick her up from the airport.

We also use this expression to ask someone politely if they would like to do something. For example:

I was wondering if you wanted to join me for dinner tonight.

"By any chance…"

"By any chance" means "possibly," and it’s used as a polite emphasis in questions or requests to ask for information

We can use "by any chance" at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the sentence.

By any chance, do you know where the train station is?

Do you, by any chance, know where the train station is?

Do you know where the train station is by any chance?

"Do you mind if…?"

is a great way to ask for permission

Do you mind if I use your phone?

Do you mind if we park here?

"What if…?"

We often use this expression when we want to suggest something indirectly. Generally speaking, when someone proposes
an option and you'd like to suggest an alternative

What if we went out to eat instead?

What if we tried a different design?

"What if I…?" can also be used as an informal way of suggesting something that you can do to help someone:

What if I helped you with your essay?

"Pardon me?"
is a polite expression often used to ask someone to repeat what they said. Because responding with "What?" can sound
rude and too direct in some cases, replying with "Pardon me?" or just "Pardon?" is a great alternative when asking for
clarification.

Pardon me? I didn't hear what you said.

"Sorry to bother you…"

can be used as a polite way of interrupting someone when you’d like their attention. For example, if you have to interrupt
someone because you need their help, you can say:

Sorry to bother you, but I really need your help.

Sorry to bother you, but do you know what time it is?

Sorry to bother you, but do you know if this bus goes to the mall?

"I would like…"

Because "I want" can be direct and impolite in some situations, a more polite option is "I would like…"

instead of saying:

I want another coffee.

You could say:

I would like another coffee.

I would like to have another coffee.

"I would love to, but…"

This is a polite way to say "no" in English. For instance, if someone invites you to do something and you want to decline
their invitation nicely, you can say:

I'd love to, but I can't. I have to get up early tomorrow morning.

We'd love to join you, but we're going away this weekend.

"I'd love to hear more, but…"

We often use this expression when we're in a hurry and we need to end a conversation politely.

Here are a few examples:

I'm so sorry. I'd love to hear more, but I'm late for work!

I'd love to hear more, but I have to run to an appointment.

These are few expressions but using them will allow conversations to flow better and we will not offend anyone.