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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > difference of could I, can i, may i
difference of could I, can i, may i
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mahlove
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difference of could I, can i, may i
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Hi everybody,
can you please explain the difference of could I, can I, may I? I know they are all the same asking permission or request. Thank you. |
24 Jun 2014
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nasreddine Sarsar
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They all serve the same purpose when it comes to asking for permission. The only difference between them is the degree of formality. |
24 Jun 2014
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korova-daisy
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To ask for a permission the most proper variant (the original one) is "May I ...?". But lately "Can I ... ?" (which originally meant physical and mental ability to do smth) began to be used with the same meaning. But it sounds a bit rude. To make it more polite, you should use "Could I ...?"
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24 Jun 2014
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ELOJOLIE274
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at dinner:
a child to his mother: "can I have some bread?" totally correct, polite
a teenager to his mother:"mum, could I go out saturday night?" more polite, the underlying meaning is "i probably won �t be allowed to go out but if i ask very nicely maybe..."
with "may I" you �re even more formal, even more formal, you can use it when talking to your boss "Sir, if you don �t need me anymore, may I have the rest of the afternoon off / may I leave early tonight etc...?" or at dinner "may I leave the table please?"
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24 Jun 2014
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GIOVANNI
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I would agree with Nasreddine, it is all a question of formality. When I �m speaking to a friend I would say "can I go with you" and not "may I go with you".
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24 Jun 2014
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redcamarocruiser
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I agree with Giovanni. Can is the norm in many families (when being informal). For example, "Can you pass the potatoes?" sounds normal to me, and not rude. |
24 Jun 2014
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FrauSue
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Children in the UK are often taught to say "may I" instead of "can I" to ask for permission because "can I" is seen by some people to be rude. |
25 Jun 2014
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mahlove
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thank you so much guys... till next time. cheers! |
25 Jun 2014
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