Can i polite

It turns the question away from "do you want to do this for me" to "are you in a position to do this for me at all? Can you please change my email address? Could you please change my email address? The second one sounds as if the request is more urgent, to me. So I would take the first. But I heard the "could", "should", etc.

What's the underlying reason and is this true at all? The underlying reason for the differing levels of politeness in modal use is how they developed historically. Hundreds of years ago, modal verbs had tense. There were present tense forms and there were past tense forms. Such is no longer the case.

In modern English, modal verbs are tenseless. This allows them to operate in all time situations, past, present and future. This does not mean that each and every modal verb can do each and every modal function. They are still somewhat constrained by their historical roots and the meanings they hold today. It's vitally important to remember that this use is only a use of the past tense FORM, it is NOT a true past tense, in the sense of time, use!!

In your examples, there is no difference in meaning between 'can' and 'could'. In this sense both hold the meaning of "Is it possible for you to change my email address? If the circumstances are not explicit, the implication is "right now". Using "could" seems more polite than "can". This also seems polite. In the strictest sense, the above three examples are not requests to do something, but questions about ability and willingness to do something.

For even more politeness, add "Will you" before please. Up the politeness even more by using "would" instead of "will", thus:. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Also, do you have a friend or a colleague who would like to know how to be more polite in English conversations? If so, please share this post with them.

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View the Terms or Privacy Policy. I can travel in July because my exams will definitely be finished at the beginning of that month. I could travel in July because my exams will probably be finished at the beginning of that month.

We use can instead:. Not everyone can afford to buy organic food. We use could , not can , to express future possibility. Can expresses that we are certain of something:. Working in London next summer could be a great experience. The speaker thinks this is possible, in particular circumstances. Outsets and onsets! Can , could or may? It can be dangerous to cycle in the city.

See also: Could May. Can I ask you a question? Yes, you may. Yes, you could. See also: Might. See also: Requests Politeness.

Can , could or may : typical errors. Popular searches 01 Collocation 02 Adjectives 03 Comparison: adjectives bigger , biggest , more interesting 04 Future: will and shall 05 Say or tell? Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes. Image credits. Word of the Day sweetheart.

Blog Outsets and onsets! Read More. November 08, To top. Adjectives and adverbs Adjectives and adverbs Easily confused words Nouns, pronouns and determiners Prepositions and particles Using English Verbs Words, sentences and clauses Adjectives and adverbs Easily confused words Nouns, pronouns and determiners Easily confused words Nouns, pronouns and determiners Prepositions and particles Using English Verbs Words, sentences and clauses Prepositions and particles Using English Verbs Words, sentences and clauses.

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Comparison: adjectives bigger , biggest , more interesting Comparison: clauses bigger than we had imagined Comparison: comparisons of equality as tall as his father As … as. Adverbs Adverb phrases Adverbs and adverb phrases: position Adverbs and adverb phrases: typical errors Adverbs: forms Adverbs: functions Adverbs: types Comparison: adverbs worse, more easily Fairly Intensifiers very, at all Largely Much , a lot , lots , a good deal : adverbs Pretty Quite Rather Really Scarcely Very.

Above or over? Across , over or through? Advice or advise? Affect or effect? All or every? All or whole?

Allow , permit or let? Almost or nearly? Alone , lonely , or lonesome? Along or alongside? Already , still or yet? Also , as well or too? Alternate ly , alternative ly Although or though? Altogether or all together? Amount of , number of or quantity of?

Any more or anymore? Anyone , anybody or anything? Apart from or except for? Arise or rise? Around or round? Arouse or rouse? As or like? As , because or since? As , when or while? Been or gone? Begin or start? Beside or besides?