Can I / Can You…? Requests
Hook
“Can I have a map, please?” “Can you help me, please?” The word can is not only for ability. It is also the easiest way to ask for things and ask people to do things, politely.
Notice
- Can I have a coffee, please? — Sure. / Of course.
- Can I pay by card? — Yes, you can. / Sorry, only cash.
- Can you help me, please? — Yes, of course.
- Can you show me the way? — Sorry, I’m not from here.
- Could you say that again, please? (a little more polite)
When do we use Can I…? and when do we use Can you…?
Rule
| Pattern | Use it to… | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Can I + verb…? | ask for something / ask for permission | Can I sit here? · Can I have the bill? |
| Can you + verb…? | ask someone to do something | Can you open the door, please? |
| Could I / Could you…? | the same, more polite | Could you help me, please? |
- After can/could use the base verb: Can I have (not Can I to have, not Can I has).
- Add please: at the end, or after you: Can you please…?
- Yes: Sure. · Of course. · No problem. · Here you are. No: Sorry, I can’t. · I’m afraid not.
Watch Out
- ✗ Can I to have a water? → ✓ Can I have some water, please?
- ✗ Give me the menu. → ✓ Can I have the menu, please? (more polite)
- ✗ Can you to help me? → ✓ Can you help me?
- ✗ Can I have a coffee? — Yes, you have. → ✓ Sure. / Here you are.
Practice
- ___ I have a glass of water, please?
- ___ you help me find the station, please?
- Make it polite: “Give me the bill.”
- Make it polite: “Close the window.”
- Correct it: “Can I to pay by card?”
- Say yes to “Can I sit here?”
- Say no politely.
- Which is more polite: can or could?
Show the answers
- Can / Could
- Can / Could
- Can I have the bill, please?
- Can you close the window, please?
- Can I pay by card?
- Sure. / Of course.
- Sorry, I’m afraid not.
- could
Your Turn
Write five requests you might make while travelling: at a hotel, a café, a station and in the street. Use Can I…? twice and Can you…? / Could you…? three times.
Connect
Fix mistakes like “Can I to have…” in our Error Correction tool.
Build polite requests word by word in our Sentence Builder.
CEFR A1 — Spoken Interaction: I can ask people for things and give people things; I can make simple requests.
Founder and CEO at English Finders
Azizul Hakim is the founder & CEO at English Finders. He is a passionate writer, English instructor, and content creator. He holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. With more than a decade of experience, he aims to make English learning simple, engaging, and accessible for everyone.
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