Question

damedane

15 January

Japanese

English (US)
English (UK)

Closed question

Question about English (US)

I learned that when asking someone to do something, "could you~?" is more politer than "can you~?".

Is it true to when you order at restaurants or cafe?🤔
"Can I get a cheeseburger?"
↓
"Could I get a cheeseburger?"

See a translation

Answers

midnight_star

15 January

Featured answer

English (US)

Our teachers always told us to use ‘may.’ It’s seemingly politer than the both of them, although I’d say any one of them could be polite if you add ‘please.’

Examples with ‘may’:
“May I get a cheeseburger?”/“May I have a cheeseburger?”

Examples with ‘please’:
“May I please get a cheeseburger?”/“May I please have a cheeseburger?”

“Could I please get a cheeseburger?”/“Could I please have a cheeseburger?”

“Can I please get a cheeseburger?”/“Can I please have a cheeseburger?”

(Also the reason I have also put ‘have’ is it seems more polite to me that ‘get,’ or at least it seems more natural to me, I’m not really sure. ‘Get’ seems more informal to me, although I don’t think it matters too much.)

Share this question

Copy URL

InfernoHues

15 January

English (US)

Yes, that's correct.

See a translation

1 like

layanlaya

15 January

Arabic
English (US)

Yes!
If you want to use can in a polite way, it is better to add “please”

Or use “could” alone :)

See a translation

1 like

RahulV2002

15 January

English (US)

@damedane to be honest, it really does not make a difference. people use could or can interchangeably in these cases. you could also just say "can I please get a cheeseburger", or "could I get a cheeseburger please?" or other variations

See a translation

1 like

midnight_star

15 January

English (US)

Our teachers always told us to use ‘may.’ It’s seemingly politer than the both of them, although I’d say any one of them could be polite if you add ‘please.’

Examples with ‘may’:
“May I get a cheeseburger?”/“May I have a cheeseburger?”

Examples with ‘please’:
“May I please get a cheeseburger?”/“May I please have a cheeseburger?”

“Could I please get a cheeseburger?”/“Could I please have a cheeseburger?”

“Can I please get a cheeseburger?”/“Can I please have a cheeseburger?”

(Also the reason I have also put ‘have’ is it seems more polite to me that ‘get,’ or at least it seems more natural to me, I’m not really sure. ‘Get’ seems more informal to me, although I don’t think it matters too much.)

1 like

damedane

15 January

Japanese

Thank you very much!

Recently, someone told me that "Could you~?" Is not natural, so I was a little confused😅

See a translation

[News] Hey you! The one learning a language!

Do you know how to improve the way you study a language❓ All you need to do is write a diary in the language you are learning!
With HiNative, you can have a native speaker correct your diary every day✍️✨

Share this question

Copy URL

I learned that when asking someone to do something, "could you~?" is more politer than "can you~?".Is it true to when you order at restaurants or cafe?🤔"Can I get a cheeseburger?"↓"Could I get a cheeseburger?" See a translation

Yes, that's correct.

Yes! If you want to use can in a polite way, it is better to add “please”Or use “could” alone :)

@damedane to be honest, it really does not make a difference. people use could or can interchangeably in these cases. you could also just say "can I please get a cheeseburger", or "could I get a cheeseburger please?" or other variations

I learned that when asking someone to do something, "could you~?" is more politer than "can you~?".

Is it true to when you order at restaurants or cafe?🤔
"Can I get a cheeseburger?"
↓
"Could I get a cheeseburger?"

See a translation

Yes!
If you want to use can in a polite way, it is better to add “please”

Or use “could” alone :)