Asking for approval
Sometimes we are not sure if it's a good idea to do something.
So we need useful expressions for asking if other people agree with an idea or intended action. Here are ten phrases.
Ten ways to ask if something is OK
casual · neutral · formal
- Do you think it's all right to do it?casualDo you think it's all right to leave the office at four today?
- What do you think about (me doing that)?neutralWhat do you think about me taking the car to Galle?
- Do you think / reckon I ought to (do it)?casualDo you reckon I ought to apply for that job?
- What would you say if I (did it)?neutralWhat would you say if I took a week off in April?
- Would you approve of (doing something)?formalWould you approve of moving the meeting to Monday?
- What is your attitude to the idea of...formalWhat is your attitude to the idea of working from home on Fridays?
- Are you in favour of (me doing something)?neutralAre you in favour of me joining the cricket club?
- You are in favour of ... aren't you?neutralYou are in favour of the trip to Ella, aren't you?
- Do you think anyone would mind if I...neutralDo you think anyone would mind if I opened the window?
- Would it be really awful if I...casualWould it be really awful if I skipped the wedding?
How to use them
- are quite informal ways of asking if another person agrees with an action that you are planning to do.
- are hypothetical and so sound a bit more polite. suggest that speaker probably will do it. 4 and 5 suggest that the speaker won't do it if another person doesn't agree.
- is asking another person for their feelings about an imagined action. The speaker doesn't actually say that she is thinking of doing it so is making the action more remote. This phrase is quite formal.
- In , the action being described will seem more remote if the speaker leaves out the word "me", in a similar way to .
- In , it is important that the intonation is falling on the first
areand is rising on the negative verb in the question tagaren't. - is quite informal and is asking the listener's opinion about other people's reactions. You follow this phrase with a past tense verb that describes the action that you want to do. E.g. "Do you think anyone would mind if I left early today?"
- In , the speaker thinks that the other person will be angry if the speaker does what they want to do. It is also followed by a past tense verb. e.g. "Would it be really awful if I took the rest of the day off?"
Quick check
Tap an answer. Nothing is saved.
You want to ask your manager formally about a new plan. Which phrase fits?
Which question already expects the answer "yes"?
You want to open a window on a full train. What do you ask?
See also: Asking for help
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