Modul 5: Language functions: IV. ASKING FOR PERMISSION
What do you say in these situations?
Video 01
Leirathoz kattints ide!
When you want to do something, you can ask another person for their permission – for their ‘yes’.
For example, if you want to light cigarette, you may ask, “Can I smoke a cigarette here?”
By saying, ‘Can I smoke’, you ask for permission. You would like the other person to say ‘yes’.
Here are some useful expressions:
Can I …? or May I …?
May I smoke here?
Please, could I …? ‘Could I’ is more careful than ‘Can I’. We can say it’s less direct, so in some situations it sounds more polite or more formal.
Please, could I close the window? It’s a bit too droughty in here. (You know, the air is moving a bit too strongly through the room and it irritates me. Droughty.)
Is it OK if I …?
Is it OK if I call you at the weekend?
Am I OK to …?
Am I OK to send you an email tomorrow?
Let me …
Let me hold your cappuccino until you pay.
Do you mind if I …? ‘Do you mind’ is a nice way to ask for permission. When something doesn’t mind you, it means that you don’t feel upset, angry or worried.
So, when you ask someone for permisson by saying, ‘Do you mind …’, you basically ask if your request (asking) would make the other person upset or angry.
Do you mind if I put my cuppa (cup of tea) on your desk?
Would you object if …? / Would you object to me doing sth? This is very similar to ‘Do you mind’ as “to object” means to disagree, to say “no” or “that’s not right”.
Would you object if I parked my car in front of your driveway?
Would you object to me parking my car in front of your driveway?
Cool. Now go on to the next video and see more examples.
Video 02
What do you say in these situations?
1. You are in a taxi. You want to open the window.
Do you mind if I open the window? Of course. I’m quite hot too.
Is it OK if I open the window a bit? If you want to, yes.
2. You are buying a shirt in a shop. You want to try it on.
Can I try it on? Of course.
Let me try it on first if that’s ok? Ok. The changing rooms are over there.
3. You want to go to the cinema tonight. Ask your mother.
Please, could I go to the cinema tonight? Only if you finish your homework.
Can I go to the cinema tonight with a friend? No. We are having dinner with Nan.
4. Your teacher is explaining something in class. You want to leave the classroom because you don’t feel very well.
May I leave? I don’t feel well at all. Wait until the end of class.
Is it OK if I go? I feel sick. Ok. Go and see the school nurse.
5. You want to order a pizza on the phone. Ask the restaurant if you can pay by cash when it is delivered.
Am I OK to pay with cash? Yes. The delivery driver will take the cash.
Let me pay with cash, please. We don’t accept cash. Can you pay by card now?
6. Ask your friend if you can join her on her way to the gym.
Let me walk with you. I’m going past your gym. Sure!
Do you mind if I walk with you? I need to run an errand first, sorry.
7. Ask your roommate if your brother can stay with you over the weekend.
Would you object if my brother came to stay here over the weekend? No, that’s fine.
Do you mind if I have my brother over this weekend? Ok. My sister is over this weekend too.
8. Ask your neighbour if you can throw a big party on Saturday night.
Would you object to me having a party on Saturday? Of course not. Have fun!
Do you mind if I throw a party on Saturday? I don’t, but please don’t be too loud.
9. You are in a lecture. Ask the presenter if you can record her lecture with your mobile phone.
May I record this lecture on my phone? Yes, as long as it isn’t a distraction.
Is it OK if I record your lecture on my mobile? I don’t see why that should be a problem.
10. Your car has broken down. Call your old friend who has a car that she probably isn’t using.
Do you mind if I borrow your car for a couple of weeks? Mine has broken down!
Yes, I’m not using it.
Would you object if I used your car for a while mine is being fixed?
I am going away next week and I need the car to travel.
11. There isn’t a parking place in front of your house. Ask the neighbour if you can use his front drive.
Do you mind if I park on your drive until a space becomes available? No problem.
Am I OK to use your drive until I can park my car on the road? My mum is coming over and needs it, sorry.
12. You are in an important meeting. You want to find out if your business partners can extend the deadlines for delivery dates.
Would you object if we were to extend the delivery dates? We potentially could.
May I suggest that we push back the delivery dates? That won’t be possible.
13. At the theatre, your friend has a pair of binoculars, but you want to borrow them for a moment.
Can I use them for a second? Of course, here you go.
Is it OK if I take a look through the binoculars for a moment? Yes, but I can’t see much without them.
14. On a coach tour abroad, you decide to leave the group and explore the city on your own. Talk to the tourist guide about this.
Please, could I have a look around the city alone for a while? Yes, but stay close.
Am I OK to leave the group and explore alone? We would rather you didn’t.
15. You are a receptionist. Because of a group of unexpected tourists, you need to rearrange the rooms. Ask a hotel guest if he is willing to move to a different room for the rest of his stay.
Would you object if we moved you to another room for the rest of your stay?
I’d rather not if it’s not necessary.
Can I relocate you to the room down the hall? Yes. As long as it’s got the same amenities.
Asking for Permission:
Can I …?
May I …?
Please, could I …?
Is it OK if I …?
Am I OK to …?
Let me …
Do you mind if I …?
Would you object if …?
Would you object to me doing sth?
What do you say in these situations?
1. You are in a taxi. You want to open the window.
2. You are buying a shirt in a shop. You want to try it on.
3. You want to go to the cinema tonight. Ask your mother.
4. Your teacher is explaining something in class. You want to leave the classroom because you don’t feel very well.
5. You want to order a pizza on the phone. Ask the restaurant if you can pay by cash when it is delivered.
6. Ask your friend if you can join her on her way to the gym.
7. Ask your roommate if your brother can stay with you over the weekend.
8. Ask your neighbour if you can throw a big party on Saturday night.. You are in a lecture. Ask the presenter if you can record her lecture with your mobile phone.
9. You are in a lecture. Ask the presenter if you can record her lecture with your mobile phone.
10. Your car has broken down. Call your old friend who has a car that she probably isn’t using.
11. There isn’t a parking place in front of your house. Ask the neighbour if you can use his front drive.
12. You are in an important meeting. You want to find out if your business partners can extend the deadlines for delivery dates.
13. At the theatre, your friend has a pair of binoculars, but you want to borrow them for a moment.
14. On a coach tour abroad, you decide to leave the group and explore the city on your own. Talk to the tourist guide about this.
15. You are a receptionist. Because of a group of unexpected tourists, you need to rearrange the rooms. Ask a hotel guest if he is willing to move to a different room for the rest of his stay.