第二十五课：如何有礼貌地对别人提出意见和要求

“公主”号：MT英语（ID:mtkouyu)

文本编辑：Jade

文本校对：Dawn & Doris

文本翻译：Kate

重点词汇：Kate

Hi! This is Joe on MT English. Today we’re gonna be looking at polite requests and giving advice. As I’ve mentioned before, model auxiliary verbs（情态助动词和情态助词） are very important when we want to be polite. So specifically, “could, would, may and might”, all suggest an element of possibility, and therefore seem politer because it gives the person we're talking to an option（选择）of whether to do something or not. 

大家好！这里是来自MT英语的Joe. 今天我们将学习如何有礼貌地对别人提出意见和要求。我之前提过，当我们想要表现得有礼貌的时候，情态助动词和情态助词就显得非常的重要，特别是“could, would, may and might”，它们都是暗示可能性的一个重要元素，因为它给对话的人提供了一种是否要做某事的选择，所以会显得比较礼貌。

So for example we might say, “can you please turn the light off?” But more polite would be, “could you please turn the light off?” Because “can” implies（表示） ability, of course I can turn it off but I don’t want to. “Could” suggests a possibility. So, “if it's possible, could you please turn the light off ?” It’s more polite. If you want to (be) really polite, we might even use some kind of introductory（开场的） sentence or phrase, such as, “I'm sorry to bother you, but blablabla”, or “if it's possible, blablabla”. So following these kind of phrases, “I'm sorry to bother you” or “if it's possible”. We might use many types of questions using “could” or “would”. So “could I possibly have a cup of tea?” So in this sentence, we got “could”, we suggest possibility but also possibly, so it's being very polite.

比如我们会说，“can you please turn the light off” 而更加礼貌的说法会是：“could you please turn the light off?” 因为“can”表示的是一种能力（会或者不会），我确实会关灯，但是我不愿意呢？而“could”暗示的是一种可能性，所以“if it' s possible, could you please turn the light off？”，会更加礼貌。如果你想要更加礼貌一点，我们可以加上一些开场白的句子或短语，比如说“I'm sorry to bother you, but……”。下面是一些开场白，“I'm sorry to bother you” 或者 “if it's possible”。在许多类型的提问中，我们会用到“could” 或者 “would”，比如“could I possibly have a cup of tea?” 在这个句子里有一个“could”，我们暗示了可能性，所以就显得很有礼貌。

We use “would” to suggest possibility as well, so “Would I be able to see those photos?” “Would it be okay if I switch on the light?” “Would you be willing to write an introduction for me?” So what does saying is “Are you willing to do it”, but “Are you willing” is very direct, so “Would you” is a bit more indirect cause it suggests possibility, you have the choice to say yes or no.

我们也用“would”来暗示可能发生的事情，比如“Would I be able to see those photos?” “Would it be okay if I switch on the light?” “Would you be willing to write an introduction for me?” 所以这些都是表示“Are you willing to do it”，但是“Are you willing”非常的直接，“Would you”会显得委婉一点，因为它暗示着可能发生的事情，你可以选择接受或拒绝。

Fairly old fashion but maybe also useful phrase is “I wonder if”, so “I wonder if I might leave early today”, “I wonder if I could borrow your computer for a day”. So again suggestive language, it suggests a possibility of, you know, I’m just thinking about it, don't worry, I'm not telling you I need to do this. Likewise，you might say, “I was hoping you could lend me your computer for the day”, this one is a little bit more direct, but it still suggest possibility, just a hope. 

一个非常老派但是很实用的词组就是“I wonder if”，比如“I wonder if I might leave early today”，“I wonder if I could borrow your computer for a day”，同样地也是暗示性的表达，暗示一种可能发生的事情：我只是想这么做，别担心，我不是告诉你我一定要做它。同样地你也可以说，“I was hoping you could lend me your computer for the day”，这一个会比较直接，但仍然暗示着可能性，只是一个期望。

Also very common way of asking this question, “Do you think you might be able to do something for me?” “Do you think you might be able to cook dinner for my son tonight？” “May” and “might” also can be used for requests, “May I copy you work？” “Might I see those interesting pictures?” So “may” and “might” also suggestive and they have some element of possibility, so it doesn’t force the person you speaking to do what you want him to do, so very polite. 

一种常见的问法：“Do you think you might be able to do something for me?”, “Do you think you might be able to cook dinner for my son tonight?” “May” 和 “might”都可以用来表示需要，“May I copy you work？” “Might I see those interesting pictures？” 所以“may”和“might”都是暗示性的表达，它们都是表达可能性的要素，它们并不要求你对话的人去做你想做的事情，所以它们非常的礼貌。

So let’s move on some advice, some different phases that we might use for advice. Generally， when we advise someone, we would say “you should”, and “you should” is very similar to “you ought to do something”. But we can also be suggestive and suggest possibilities with “you could”. So if someone has a cold, you might say, “Ah! You should drink more ginger（姜） water”, “You should drink more hot water with ginger and honey”. “You ought to take more rest, don’t go to work”, “You could ask for leave.”

让我们来看看一些建议，一些可以用作建议的不同词组。一般地，当我们建议某人的时候，我们会说“you should”, “you should”与“you ought to do something”类似。但我们也可以用“you could”暗示性地表示一些可能发生的事情。比如某人感冒了，你可以说“Ah! You should drink more ginger water”, “You should drink more hot water with ginger and honey”. “You ought to take more rest, don’t go to work”, “You could ask for leave.”

When we use advice, we generally use quite soft language, not too direct. So something like, “Why don't you take a rest?” So that's arhetorical question（反问）, we don't expect an answer from the person we’re speaking to, but it does suggest you should take a rest, but it’s very indirect because it's a rhetorical question.

当我们提出建议的时候，我们一般用一些比较委婉的、不太直接的表达，比如“Why don't you take a rest?” 这是一个反问句，当我们说（反问句）的时候，并不是期待从对话的人中得到回答，而是建议你应该休息。但是这会比较委婉，因为它是一个反问句。

Again, another one, “Have you thought about”, “Have you thought about taking medicine, I know you don't like to, but it could help”, “Have you thought about taking medicine”. We often use the verbs to suggest and to recommend for advice, and it' s always followed by a gerund（动名词） or a noun. So “I suggest this medicine” or “I suggest taking this medicine”, that’s the gerund, the verb-ing form. So “I suggest going to talk to him directly”, “I recommend buying this stereo system（立体音响）”. So remember after suggest and recommend, we must use the verb-ing form, we cannot use “to verb”, “I suggest to go to the market”, no. 

再来一个表示建议的表达，“Have you thought about”, “Have you thought about taking medicine, I know you don't like to, but it could help”, “Have you thought about taking medicine”. 我们通常会用动词suggest 和recommend来表示建议，它们后面通常都跟动名词或者名词。比如“I suggest going to talk to him directly”, “I recommend buying this stereo system”. 所以记得在suggest 和recommend后面，我们必须用动词的现在进行时形式，我们不能用不定式，“I suggest to go to the market”就不对。

So there are many useful phrases that you might use for polite requests or giving other people advice. Hope that’s useful. My name is Joe, this is MT English, see you next time.

所以这些都是一些可以用做礼貌提问和给予他人建议的、非常实用的短语。希望它能帮到你。我是Joe，这里是MT英语，下次再见。

重点词汇：

1、 option [ˈɒpʃn]

n.选项;选择权;选择（的自由）;

e.g. There are various options open to you.

你有多种选择。

2、imply [ɪmˈplaɪ]

v. 暗示;意味;隐含;说明;

e.g. Are you implying (that) I am wrong?

你的意思是不是说我错了？

3、 introductory[ˌɪntrəˈdʌktəri]

adj. 引导的,导言的; 开端的；

e.g. The chairman made a few introductory remarks.

会议主席说了几句开场白。

4、ginger[ˈdʒɪndʒə(r)]  

n. 姜;精力，活力；姜黄色;

e.g. Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.

生姜吃到嘴里是辣的。

5、stereo system [ˈstiəriəu ˈsistəm]

n. 立体音响系统

e.g. They stole the stereo system and the television set.

他们偷走了立体音响设备和电视机。