Can could/help

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Can could/help
Message from harmy47 posted on 21-05-2012 at 01:05:49 (D | E | F)
Hello,

Please someone tell me when,how where to use.... will/would,shall/should, can/should.
1)Will you please bring me a cup of coffee?/would you please bring me a cup coffee?
2)Shall I come back? / should I come back?
3)Can I have an apple? / could I have an apple?

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Edited by lucile83 on 21-05-2012 08:10

Re: Can could/help from irish21, posted on 21-05-2012 at 07:25:56 (D | E)
Hello,

here are some links:
Link

Link

Regards.

Re: Can could/help from gerondif, posted on 21-05-2012 at 09:16:12 (D | E)
Hello,

1)Will you please bring me a cup of coffee?/ is a polite request, "will" means: do you want to..., would you like to...
It can be considered as a disguised order, if you stress "will", it can even be a rather strict order, as said below.

Would you please bring me a cup coffee? is a polite request even more polite, it means would you accept to, would you like to...., would you be kind enough to.....

2)Shall I come back? / Use "shall" when you ask for somebody else's opinion, he decides, not you: it means: Do you want me to come back ?

Should I come back? is the same in the conditional, so even more polite. It means: Do you think I should come back ?

3)Can I have an apple? / is a polite question, you ask for permission to have an apple, it is more polite than "Give me an apple!"
(As it is said below: "May I have an apple?" shows that you are asking for permission to have an apple. It is rather formal, but very correct.
Could I have an apple? is the same in the conditional, so even more polite.(I think it is the conditional here, not the preterite)

Re: Can could/help from bluestar, posted on 21-05-2012 at 12:54:28 (D | E)
Hello,

I wonder if the old distinction between "may" and "can" is dead now?. It was drummed into me as a child. If I asked "Can I go out now?", I'd be told, "Perhaps you can, but you may not",
that is, "You are capable of going out, but you are not permitted to"..

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Edited by bluestar on 21-05-2012 12:55

Re: Can could/help from lauriane05, posted on 21-05-2012 at 13:30:59 (D | E)
hi,

1)"will you please bring me a cup of tea? " is more authoritative than "would you bring me a cup of tea?". indeed, would is polite request (you can also use "would you like to" instead of "would")

2)"shall/should I come back?"
you use "shall" and "should" to ask an advice in a question or to give one in an affirmative setence ("you should come back")
"should" is the past of 'shall" and is more often used than "shall"

3)"Can I have an apple?" / "could I have an apple?"
"could is the past of "can"
you use "can" when you want to ask a permission for something : "can I have an apple?". if you want to ask your question in a more polite way, you can use "may I have an apple?"
"could" is the past of "can", you can use it in a text/sentence situated in the past.

kind regards

Re: Can could/help from harmy47, posted on 21-05-2012 at 22:14:20 (D | E)
Thank you all.

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