Making Polite Requests
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Sous-titres (150 segments)
DownloadExpand your vocabulary with our core
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free English ebook before it's gone. Do
you know how to make polite requests in
English? Hi, my name is Daphne and this
is three-step English by
Englishclass10101.com.
In this lesson, you'll learn how to make
polite requests through a quick
conversation.
Let's look at the dialogue.
One more thing before we end the
meeting. I haven't been able to find the
invoices from January. Frank, did you
send them to me? I believe so, but I'll
take a look.
It would be great if you sent those to
me as soon as possible.
No problem. What about the outstanding
invoices from last month?
I would appreciate it if you forwarded
those to me as well.
Got it. How's the search for your
personal assistant going? Got any good
candidates?
Yes, I'm interviewing one next week
because it would be great if you hired
one soon.
Let's go over the dialogue again more
slowly this time.
One more thing before we end the
meeting. I haven't been able to find the
invoices from January. Frank, did you
send them to me?
I believe so, but I'll take a look.
Pay attention to the next sentence. It
follows the key speaking pattern you'll
learn later in this lesson.
It would be great if you sent those to
me as soon as possible.
No problem.
What about the outstanding invoices from
last month?
I would appreciate it if you forwarded
those to me as well.
Got it. How's the search for your
personal assistant going? Got any good
candidates?
Yes, I'm interviewing one next week
because it would be great if you hired
one soon.
Let's look at the sentence pattern.
This pattern is the structure that all
of our examples will follow.
subject plus would
plus bare infinitive phrase plus if plus
past tense clause.
This sentence pattern is used to make
polite requests. It allows the speaker
to ask for something in a way that feels
respectful and non-demanding.
The structure softens a message and
makes it more acceptable in both casual
and professional situations.
Let's go part by part. The subject is
the person or the thing the sentence is
about.
Would is a modal verb that adds
politeness and shows that the sentence
is hypothetical. It's not demanding
something, just suggesting it.
The bare infinitive phrase follows would
and describes what would be good,
helpful, or appreciated.
Then comes the if clause using the past
tense. This part expresses the condition
what the speaker hopes the other person
might do. Now let's look at the example
sentence.
It would be great if you sent those to
me as soon as possible.
Here the subject is it.
Would is the modal verb that adds
politeness.
be great is the bare infinitive phrase
showing that the speaker thinks the
action would be helpful or appreciated.
If you sent those to me as soon as
possible is the past tense clause
expressing the request. Even though it's
in the past tense, it's really about
something the speaker wants. Now, this
tense makes the request more polite.
So the full sentence follows the pattern
subject it plus would plus bare
infinitive phrase be great plus if plus
past tense clause you sent those to me
as soon as possible. This structure
helps the speaker make a polite request
while sounding thoughtful and
respectful.
This pattern can also be inverted while
retaining the same meaning. This
alternative pattern is if plus past
tense clause plus subject plus would
plus bare infinitive phrase.
Now let's look at some speaking
examples.
If you could get me a black coffee, that
would be wonderful.
Can you see how the pattern applies
here? This sentence starts with the if
clause, if you could get me a black
coffee. It uses the past tense could get
to sound polite. Then comes the main
clause that would be wonderful. This
follows the structure where the speaker
politely expresses a request using would
to soften the tone.
Next,
if I could take Monday off, that would
be great. Here, the if clause is, if I
could take Monday off. Again, using a
past tense form for polite distancing.
The main clause, that would be great,
reflects the speaker's wish or request
in a soft and indirect way.
Let's try one more.
I would be grateful if you gave me this
job. In this example, the main clause
comes first. I would be grateful,
followed by the if clause, if you gave
me this job. The verb gave is in the
past tense, which helps the request
sound more polite and formal.
Another one, it would be helpful if you
told me where the copy paper is kept.
This one uses it would be helpful to
politely introduce a suggestion. The if
clause if you told me again uses the
past tense to maintain the polite tone
even though the speaker is referring to
the present.
Thank you for watching. Now you know how
to make polite requests in English and
now you can move on to the practice.
Key Vocabulary (50)
toward
"Go to school."
also
"You and me."
inside
"In the house."
specific
"That book."
A third-person singular pronoun used to refer to an object, animal, or situation that has already been mentioned or is clear from context. It is also frequently used as a dummy subject to talk about time, weather, or distance.
Used to show who is intended to have or use something, or to explain the purpose or reason for an action. It is also frequently used to indicate a specific duration of time.
A conjunction used to compare two things that are equal in some way. It is most commonly used in the pattern 'as + adjective/adverb + as' to show similarity.
Used to refer to the person or people that the speaker is addressing. It is the second-person pronoun used for both singular and plural subjects and objects.
A preposition used to indicate a specific point, location, or position in space. It is also used to specify a particular point in time or a certain state or activity.
Used to identify a specific person, thing, or idea that is physically close to the speaker or has just been mentioned. It can also refer to the present time or a situation that is currently happening.
Used to indicate the starting point, source, or origin of something. It can describe a physical location, a point in time, or the person who sent or gave an item.
1
"One dog."
A modal verb used to talk about imagined situations or to express things that are not certain. It is also commonly used to make polite requests, offers, or to describe habits in the past.
A pronoun used to ask for information about something or to identify a specific thing or action. It functions as an interrogative word in questions or a relative pronoun to refer to the thing mentioned.
A conjunction used to introduce a condition or a situation that might happen. It expresses that one action depends on the occurrence of another event.
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