Speaker 1: Would you mind checking out this English lesson? Maybe you
could try using some of the phrases here in your
own conversations this week. Do you think you could even
tell a friend about this podcast? That would be great.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode eight seven four
American politeness Indirect Ways to say things. Thanks for tuning
in and welcome back to the Happy English Podcast. Let
me start with this. Imagine you're in the office and
you say to your coworker, close the window. Yeah, it's clear,
it's correct, but it sounds a little bossy, doesn't it.
So then you could include the magic word, right, and
know the magic word is not abracadabra, it's please. When
I was a kid, I asked my mom like can
I have a cookie? And she would reply with what's
the magic word? And then I would ask can I
have a cookie? Please? Wow, that was a blast from
the past. So, getting back to the closed the window scene,
you could ask your coworker like this, close the window
please using please make your request polite, but it's still
too direct. Now. Of course Americans can be direct, but
in everyday conversation we often like to soften our requests.
We make them indirect. It feels more polite, more friendly,
and honestly, it just sounds more natural. So today I
want to show you some of these indirect phrases that
we use all the time. Trust me, when you start
using these, people are going to think, Wow, your English
sounds really natural, no magic needed. The first one is
would you mind? This one is super common, so like
instead of saying turn off the TV, you can say
would you mind turning off the TV? It's polite, it's casual,
and it works everywhere at home, at work, even in
a restaurant, like would you mind bringing us some extra napkins?
Or at the office you can ask like would you
mind looking over this meeting agenda I put together? Just
remember that the structure is would you mind, followed by
a gerrand would you mind helping me? Would you mind
closing the window? Like that? Now, a lot of English
learners get stuck when it comes to answering a would
you mind question. The tricky part is that If you
just answer with yes or no, it's not even really
clear what you mean. Like if I said would you
mind turning off the TV and you just said no,
does that mean no, I won't do it? Or no
I don't mind. That's even confusing for native speakers. So
the best way to answer would you mind is to
not use just one word explain yourself, So instead say
something like sure, I can do that, or of course
or no problem. And if you can't do it, you
can soften your not by saying sorry, I can't right now,
or I'd love to, but I'm in the middle of something.
That way, your answer is always clear and always polite.
Next up is do you think you could Let's say
your friend has a car but you don't. You could
say can you pick me up at the station? Please?
But even with can and please, it's too direct, so
this works better. Do you think you could pick me
up at the station? Now? It sounds like a friendly
request instead of an order. And if you happen to
have a roommate who is way too into Metallica, you
can try asking them, Hey, do you think you could
turn the music down a bit? I'm trying to study
for my exam. How about you. Do you think you
can try that and let me know how it goes.
Next up is I was wondering if this one's a
little softer, and I like to use it in emails too,
like I was wondering if you had a few minutes
to talk tomorrow, or I was wondering if you could
join us for dinner on Saturday. It's a nice way
to ask because it doesn't pressure the other person. I
was wondering if is really indirect, and it has kind
of a humble nuance. So the next time you're at
a restaurant, you can try asking the server. I was
wondering if you could bring us the dessert menu. It's
a very natural and indirect way to ask. And you'll
notice that in all of these phrases we use could
instead of can and would, would and could are used
in conditional sentences to talk about hypothetical or unreal situations.
If I had a million dollars, I could buy a yacht. Well,
that's why we use would and could to make these
polite and indirect requests. It's like you're framing your request
in an imaginary way, like I was wondering if you
could help me with my homework. That if part of
that is implied, I was wondering if you could help
me with my homework if you have some free time.
That's where this kind of language comes from. The last
part for today is how to indirectly make a suggestion
We use maybe you could and perhaps you could, Like
if your coworker is having technology issues, you can say,
maybe you could try restarting your computer. Or if a
friend is having relationship trouble, you can suggest like this,
perhaps you could call her instead of texting her. See
it's not too pushy. It just leaves space for the
other person. So why do we do this well? In
American culture, being too direct can sometimes sound a little
rude or unfriendly. These soft phrases show respect. They make
your English sound warm and polite. And here's your challenge.
Think about something you need to ask someone this week.
Instead of being direct, try using one of these indirect
phrases like would you mind? Do you think you could?
I was wondering if I was wondering if you could
give it a try and see how people respond. And
there you have it. A few ways to sound more
polite and more natural when you speak English. Just by
speaking indirectly. Try using one or two of these today.
Your friends and coworkers will definitely notice the difference, and
you'll feel better about how you communicate in English. And Hey,
if you want to practice these with me and a
group of other awesome learners, come check out my podcast
Learner's Study Group. We meet once a week and practice
the language from these podcast lessons together. It's a great
way to build confidence and improve your speaking. Just click
the link below where you're listening to this podcast, or
visit Myhappy English dot com and choose podcast episode eight
seventy four for more info. And remember, learning another language
is not easy, but it's not impossible, and I'm here
to help you on your journey.
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