Asking for help
We all need help sometimes.
In English, it is not polite to ask directly. So there are many phrases that we can say before a request to 'soften' it. Here are ten such phrases.
Ten ways to ask for help
casual · neutral · formal
- Can you give me a hand with this?casualCan you give me a hand with these bags?
- Could you help me for a second?neutralCould you help me for a second? The printer is stuck.
- Can I ask a favour?neutralCan I ask a favour? Could you pick up my son from school?
- I wonder if you could help me with this?formalI wonder if you could help me with this form?
- I could do with some help, please.neutralI could do with some help, please. This box is heavy.
- I can't manage. Can you help?casualI can't manage. Can you help? The lid won't open.
- Give me a hand with this, will you?casualGive me a hand with this table, will you?
- Lend me a hand with this, will you?casualLend me a hand with the shopping, will you?
- Could you spare a moment?formalCould you spare a moment? I have a question about my bill.
- I need some help, please.neutralI need some help, please. I'm lost.
How to use them
- is quite a direct question to use with friends and people who you know quite well.
- is more polite. We include the words 'for a second' to show that we don't need a lot of help and that it will not be difficult.
- is a general way of introducing a request for help.
- is polite and can be used with people you don't know very well, or with your boss.
- is quite direct, and the focus is that you really need help. It's quite strong.
- shows you have a big problem. You are desperate for help. you often hear this phrase when somebody has too much work to do.
- are similar and are direct requests for help. 'Lend a hand' is a little more polite and old-fashioned than 'give me a hand.'
- We use to show that we respect that the other person is really quite busy and to say that they will only need to help you for a short time.
- is a direct question and the asker does not expect the listener to say no. This is often used by people in authority e.g
Quick check
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You need to ask a bank officer you don't know for a few minutes of their time. Which phrase fits?
"Give me a hand" means:
Which phrase is the most informal?
See also: Asking for information · Asking for approval
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