Opportunities to travel abroad are increasing, and although everyone knows some English to varying degrees, it’s still not as comfortable as speaking Chinese. Meeting someone who can speak Chinese overseas is truly a delightful experience. However, when asking someone if they can speak Chinese, you cannot say “Can you speak Chinese?” This way of speaking is actually impolite. Let’s learn together!
Why Is “Can you speak Chinese” Impolite?
The phrase “Can you speak Chinese” carries an implication of questioning someone’s ability to speak Chinese, which sounds quite like: “Can you speak Chinese? (Are you capable?)” This may make foreigners feel uncomfortable. In English, when asking someone if they can speak a language, the word “do” is more commonly used, which lacks the accusatory tone and is much softer in tone. “Do you speak Chinese?” Additionally, if you know the person can speak Chinese and communicating in English is not convenient, a more polite way to suggest they speak Chinese would be:
Example Sentences:
Would you speak Chinese, please?
Could you speak Chinese?
Could you please speak Chinese?
Please Sit ≠ Please Sit Down
Firstly, placing “Please” at the beginning of a sentence carries a commanding tone; additionally, the phrase “Please sit down” is something foreigners would only likely say when training their dogs. If you want to express the meaning of “please sit” in Chinese, you could say: Take a seat / Have a seat. Of course, if you insist on adding “Please,” it should be at the end of the sentence.
Example Sentences:
Take a seat, please.
Have a seat, please.
Please sit down.
“Please” Is Not Always a Polite Request!
We often think that adding “Please” makes a request polite. However, it actually depends on the position of “Please”! If it’s at the beginning, it generally carries a commanding tone!
“Please” at the beginning (very impolite)
“Please” in the middle (relatively polite)
“Please” at the end (most polite)
Example Sentences:
Please could you do that again? (Not polite, carries a commanding tone)
Could you please do that again? (Fairly polite)
Could you do that again, please? (Most polite)
Could you do that again?
“Can you help me?” Is Also Impolite
According to the understanding above, polite expressions should often use the words would and could which are frequently used for inquiries and requests:
Politely Requesting Help
Example Sentences:
Would you do me a favor?
Could you help me with this?
Could you give me a hand?
“Do you understand?” Is Not the Only Way
You got it? Did I make myself clear enough? Am I making sense? We often hear the expression “Do you understand?” which means “Do you understand?” But “Do you understand?” sounds a bit stiff, and we can use more polite expressions to ask if the other person understands what you mean.
Example Sentences:
Are you following me? I see.
Thanks. (The simplest)
Thank you. (The most common)
Thanks a lot. (More formal)
Thank you very much. (More heartfelt)
Many thanks. (Very grateful, more colloquial)
I don’t know how to express my thanks to you. (More formal)
No words can express my thanks to you. (More formal)
Example Sentences:
1. Thank you so much.
2. Thank you. Where are you going?
3. Thank you for coming.
4. Thanks for letting me stay here!
5. Thanks for bringing me back.
That’s all for today’s lesson! The content is brief, so it’s easy to remember!