Could You Please ...?
请问你可以……？
When you visit a foreign country, it is important to know how to ask for help politely.
当你去国外参观的时候，懂得如何有礼貌地寻求帮助是很重要的。
For example, you may ask "Where are the restrooms?" or "Could you please tell me where the restrooms are?"
例如“洗手间在哪里？”或“请问，你能告诉我洗手间在哪里吗？”。
These are similar requests for directions. Both are correct, but the first one sounds less polite. That is because it is a very direct question.
以上同样是询问方位的需求。两种说法都正确，但是第一个听起来没那么礼貌。那是因为它的问法非常直接。
It is not enough to just ask a question correctly. We also need to learn how to be polite when we ask for help.
仅仅正确地问问题是不够的。当我们寻求帮助的时候，还要学会如何变得礼貌些。
Good speaker change the way they speak in different situations.
会说话的人可以在不同场合使用不同的说话方式。
The expressions they use might depend on whom they are speaking to or how well they know each other.
他们采用哪种表达方式取决于他们说话的对象或与对方熟识的程度。
It is all right to ask direct questions to your classmates because you know them well.
比如和你的同学说话时，采用直接问法是没问题的，因为你很了解他们。
However, if you say to your teacher, "When is the school trip ?", this might sound impolite.
然而，如果你和你的老师说：“学校旅行是什么时候？“这听上去可能就不太礼貌。
But if you say, "Excuse me, Mr. West. Do you know when the school trip is?', this will sound much more polite.
但是如果你说”打扰一下，韦斯特老师。你知道学校旅行是什么时候吗？“ 这就听起来礼貌了很多。
Usually polite questions are longer. They include expressions such as "Could you please ...?" or "May I ask ...?"
通常，礼貌的问句比较长。它们包含像“请问你可以……？”或者“我可以问一下……？”这样的用语。
It sounds more polite to say, "Peter, could you please tell me your e-mail address ?" than "Peter, tell me your e-mail address."
“彼得，请问你能告诉我你的电子邮件地址吗？”这句话比“彼得，告诉我你的电子邮件地址。”听起来更有礼貌。
Sometimes we even need to spend time leading in to a request.
有时候，我们甚至需要花些时间来引入一个需求。
For example, we might first say to a stranger, "Excuse me, I wonder if you can help me" or "I'm sorry to trouble you, but ..." before asking for help.
例如，在寻求帮助之前，我们可能先要和一个陌生人说“打扰一下，我想知道你能否帮助我”或者“很抱歉麻烦你，但是……”
It might seem more difficult to speak politely than directly. However, it is important to learn how to use the right language in different situations.
看起来说得客气要比说得直白更难一点儿。然而，学会在不同的环境下如何使用正确的语言是重要的。
This will help you communicate better with other people.
这也能帮助你更好地与其他人沟通。
