please can/could you VS could you please
English translation: degrees of politeness - see Q./answers
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| 21:39 Apr 9, 2006 |
| English language (monolingual) [PRO] General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters | |||||||
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|  Selected response from: Rachel Fell United Kingdom Local time: 14:29 | ||||||
Grading comment
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| SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED | ||||
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| 4 +10 | degrees of politeness |
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| 4 +3 | "may" and "would" seem to have been forgotten |
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| 4 +1 | could is more polite |
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| 4 | "Could" implies one is able to, |
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| 2 | No difference (not in UK anyway) |
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| Discussion entries: 5 | |
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Answers
4 mins confidence: 
| please can/could you vs could you please No difference (not in UK anyway) Explanation: Low confidence because you specifically ask about the USA and I am not sure about that. |
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10 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1| please can/could you vs could you please could is more polite Explanation: "Please could you" is more polite than "please can you" Michael Swan, Practical English Usage: Can and could - interpersonal uses (permission, requests) We 'can' ask for and give permission: "Can I ask you for something"? We also use 'could' to ask permission; it is more polite or formal than 'can'. Changing the word order to "could you please" is no more or less polite - it's a matter of style. whether requests starting with "Please can/could you..." render the same degree of politeness as those that start with "Could you please...". If no, which one is more polite and/or more common these days in the US? Does the question mark provide any added value in terms of either politeness or usage? |
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10 hrs confidence:
"Could" implies one is able to, Explanation: "Can" questions this. One supplicates (Could) the other questions ability (Can). If you could, would you? If you can, will you? You can get away with asking "Could I come over later?" (Of course, or I'm busy) but not: "Can I come over later?" (I don't know, can you?) I don't "Can" belongs here at all. |
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10 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): +3
peer agreement (net): +3| please can/could you vs could you please "may" and "would" seem to have been forgotten Explanation: Your question begs other issues: first of all there is the difference between "may" and "can" Can I have a piece of cake please? (Is it within the realms of possibility) May I have a piece of cake please? (Am I allowed to) People make the distinction less and less these days but grammatically you should say "May I ask you for something?" The classic tale was the child that asked its father: Can I go out? and the father that replied: you can but you may not..... (nuance) - in the sense that the child was physically capable of going out but the father would not allow. Also when asking for something, it is even more polite to say: Would you please (do this or that) So don't forget these aspects, will you? |
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