How to make polite requests in English

A request is when we ask someone for something. Since we are asking someone for help, it is
important to be polite.
We must avoid being too direct.

Here are examples of being too direct:

“I want help.”
“Pass me the salt.”
“Can you carry my bag?”

These questions are all correct English but they are too direct. These are not polite requests. They
are in fact quite rude. People will be offended because they will think that you are giving them
orders.

In this lesson, you will learn several methods to make a polite request. The first few examples
are to be used in spoken English. The last example is for written English.

Polite requests in spoken English

Could you .. ?

Form:  Could you  +  base form of verb ….. ?

Examples:
Could you carry my bags?
Could you give me some advice?
Could you carry these boxes?

We can add “possibly” to be even more polite. We put “possibly” in between “Could you” and
the verb.

Example:
Could you possibly hold my drink?
Would you mind .. ?

Form: Would you mind  +  ing form of verb … ?

Examples:
Would you mind carrying my bags?
Would you mind giving me some advice?
Would you mind helping me?
Would you mind taking my photograph?

I wonder if you could .. ?

Form:  I wonder if you could + base form of verb … ?

Examples:
I wonder if you could mind my bag?
I wonder if you could give me some advice?
I wonder if you could help me?

We can add “possibly” to be even more polite:

I wonder if you could possibly take me to the airport?

Negative statements with question tags

Form:  You couldn’t + base form of verb … + could you?

Example:
You couldn’t help me, could you?

Form: You wouldn’t + base form of verb … + would you?

Example:
You wouldn’t take me to the airport, would you?

Form: I don’t suppose you could + base form of verb … + could you?

Example:
I don’t suppose you could clean the bathroom, could you?
Polite requests in written English

Here is a good expression for formal emails and letters:

Form:
I would be grateful if you could + base form of verb …

Example:
I would be grateful if you could send me your price list.

We can add “most” to be even more polite:

Example:
I would be most grateful if you could send me the reports.
 Learn 10 ways of politely making requests in English.
Enjoy this Advanced English lesson!
Welcome to Advanced English where we come together to improve your fluency, confidence,
and clarity in English! Mary Daphne here and today we’re covering ten different ways of making
polite requests and a non-pushy, non-aggressive way of asking someone to do something. 

Let’s get into it!

To start let me use three different seemingly polite ways of asking someone to do something.
Ready? 

You are required to…

You are required to send out the newsletter at noon.

It is requested that you…

It is requested that you prepare the meeting notes a day before the meeting.

You are requested to…

You are requested to send me your PowerPoint deck ahead of the presentation. 

It is required that you…

It is required that you eat your lunch in the office. 

Ok, any guesses as to why these are actually not very polite requests? And no, using the passive
voice doesn’t make it any more polite.

Phrasing it like this is a demand. A requirement, a necessity. A “do this or else”… It’s pushy and
demanding and will not be received in a good way, because people don’t like to be told what to
do. They’d prefer to have the option. 

So, while the above are mandates an official order to do something, they are not requests.

Let’s look at 10 polite requests with some examples.

***

Could you please… 

Could you please close the window, it’s freezing in here.

Could you please send John the first draft of the manuscript by the end of the week?

Would you mind… / Do you mind…

Do you mind calling the restaurant to see if they do take out?

Would you mind giving me some feedback on this lesson, I’d really appreciate it!

Little side note here, the affirmative response to a “would you mind” or “do you mind” is no.
Because it’s no, I wouldn’t mind which means yes, I can do that. Yes I can call the restaurant and
no I don’t mind. No I don’t mind giving you feedback in fact I’d love to give you feedback! 

When you get a chance, can you…

When you get a chance, can you help me prepare for my upcoming interview?

When you get a chance, can you make that banana bread you’ve been telling me about?

If you’re available in the next 5 min, could you kindly…

If you’re available in the next 5 min, could you kindly take a look at this project proposal? I need
a second pair of eyes on it.

Side note: “to have a second pair of eyes / to have another pair of eyes” on something means
you’d be happy if someone could look at your work to check that it’s good and to ensure that you
didn’t overlook anything. No spelling mistakes, typos or something bigger. This could be for an
email, another written document, or a graphic design piece. Think of it like asking for a second
opinion.

If you’re available in the next 5 min, could you kindly call Grandmother. She’s been hoping to
speak with you.

Do you think you could help me with ….

Do you think you could help me with this math equation? It’s a total mind-bender!

Do you think you could help me with cooking dinner tonight? I’ve got a lot on my plate.

Side note, “to have a lot on one’s plate” means to have a lot to do and are thus feeling a bit
overwhelmed. Imagine filling your plate so fully that it’s hard to carry let alone to eat!

Would you be able to help me with ….

Would you be able to help me with packing? I don’t know what to bring on Safari!
Would you be able to help me with the groceries? I’m hosting a dinner party this weekend and I
don’t 

Can you …

Can you have a look at this graphic I created? I’d love your opinion.

Can you do the laundry this weekend? That’d be a huge help.

Would it be possible to ….

Would it be possible to order take out this weekend, I have a lot of work emails to get through
before Monday and no time to cook!

Would it be possible to use your phone? I left mine at home.

If you have a spare moment, could you … 

If you have a spare moment, could you walk the dog? I’m in conference calls all day.

If you have a spare moment, could you tidy up the coffee spill? 

Would you be open to …

Would you be open to a camping adventure in the Adirondacks?

Would you be open to throwing a party to celebrate our engagement?

50 Examples of Polite Requests in English
May 30, 2023 by A H M Ohidujjaman

We interact with a lot of people every day, and we usually happen to make polite requests to
them. Making a polite request means asking someone to do something politely.

For example:

 Can you please tell me the time?

 Could you write down the name and address of the contact person?
 I was wondering if you could possibly meet my assistant for detailed feedback.
In this article, I’ve listed 50 common examples of polite requests based on different situations,
like when you’re at home, school, work, a restaurant, or a public place. I’ve listed 10 examples
for each of these situations. Some of them are appropriate for formal situations, while others are
for informal and semi-formal situations. Looking at these 50 examples of polite requests is
essentially a helpful technique for learning how to make polite requests in English.

10 Examples of Polite Requests at Home

When we’re at home, we do a lot of interactions with our family members such as parents,
children, siblings, roommates, or even babysitters and servants. Although “At home” is an
informal environment, we probably want to be polite to them when we ask them to do something
for us.

The following examples of polite requests as part of daily conversations are commonly used
at home.

 Mom, can you close the door, please?

 Honey, can you please eat with your mouth closed?
 Can you shut the window? The room is already too cold.
 Anna, can you bring me the newspaper, please?
 Bob, will you stop bothering mom? She’s working.
 Hey, can you please receive the parcel? I’m going to take a shower.
 Could you get me a cup of coffee?
 Will you stop making noise? I can’t concentrate on my study.
 Could you feed something to the baby?
 Could you turn off the lights, please? I can’t sleep.
10 Examples of Polite Requests at School

When you’re at school, make sure to be polite to your teachers, students, classmates, or other
people at school. You should be polite enough while talking to a teacher because this is a formal
relationship. On the other hand, while talking to your friends, you don’t have to be as formal as
with a teacher, but make sure to be nice.

Look at the following examples of polite requests that are commonly used at school.

 Teacher, would you mind giving me detailed feedback on my homework?

 Can you pass me that book?
 Could you please help me with my homework?
 I was wondering if you could write a recommendation letter for me.
 I was wondering if it would be possible for you to send me the feedback tomorrow.
 Could you please keep quiet?
 Can you please change your seat?
 Could you show me the way to the library?
 Can you please hold this book for me?
 Will you pass me the ball?
10 Examples of Polite Requests at Work

At work, we usually interact with our coworkers, managers, and other staff every day. As this is
a formal environment, we’re supposed to be extremely polite if we need to ask someone to do
something for us. We need to use the appropriate phrases, expressions, and body language to get
things done.

The following examples can be useful for making polite requests in English at work.

 Could you give me some time after lunch?

 I was wondering if you could reschedule the meeting for next week.
 Could you please send me the project files in zip format?
 Do you mind passing me the stapler?
 I was wondering if it would be possible for you to write a short description of the project
for our website.
 Would you please take your seat?
 Would you please hand me the mic?
 John, would you mind helping Sarah in preparing the draft budget? Thanks in advance!
 Could you possibly meet me next week at the office?
 Could you telephone me in the afternoon?
10 Examples of Polite Requests at the Restaurant

When at restaurants, we interact with waiters, managers, friends and family, and strangers.
Whether it’s a semiformal or formal situation, make sure to consider being polite enough when
you make a request to someone.

Look at the examples below that can usually be relatable at restaurants.

 Can you add some extra cheese?

 Could you please make it a double?
 Excuse me! Would you mind leaving this seat for this old lady?
 Do you mind passing me the salt?
 Can you play some soft music?
 Could you please arrange one more table for us?
 I was wondering if you could cancel my order. My guests aren’t coming.
 Could you please change this food? I can see a fly on the rice.
 Would you please turn on some more lights?
 Can you give us some forks?
10 Examples of Polite Requests at the Public Place

We often interact with strangers when we’re at a public place like a station, a supermarket, a
restaurant, a walkway, or a train. No matter what place you meet strangers, make sure to be
polite enough if you have to make a request to them.

The following can be good examples of making polite requests in a public place.

 Would you mind moving aside?

 Could you please press level 5?
 Could you tell me how to get to the supermarket?
 Do you mind giving me a hand with my luggage?
 Would you mind holding the baby for me?
 I wonder if you could help me hire a taxi. I’m pretty new here.
 Could you please keep an eye on my dog? I’ll be right back.
 Could you change the destination on my ticket? I’d like to go to NoHo instead of
Bowery.
 Could you please open the door for that old lady?
 I wonder if you could drive a little faster.
In Conclusion

It’s really important to be polite while asking someone to do something because it takes effort for
people to do even little things for us. If we don’t use appropriate words or expressions, we might
sound rude. And, of course, we don’t want to be rude to people. According to a survey conducted
in 2016, 74% of adult Americans believe that people are nowadays ruder than they were 20 or 30
years ago.

If you don’t want to sound rude to people, there are other ways:

1. When necessary, ask for permission politely.

2. Make sure to use proper body language to be even more polite.
3. Before talking to someone, ask if they are free to talk.