Politely asking for something (intermediate)
Wrap a big request in a long sentence to ask politely, give room for refusal, and politely reconfirm in the first line of the email.
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Could you send me the report?
'Would you mind + -ing?' is a very polite request. However, be careful as the acceptance response is the opposite (No=OK).
I was wondering if you could take a look.
'I was wondering if you could...' is one of the most polite request structures that gives the other person room to decline by being indirect.
I'm sorry to bother you, but do you have a moment?
I would really appreciate it if you could send it today.
It's okay if you can't.
Adding this at the end of a request shows consideration that 'it's okay to decline', which greatly reduces the burden. It's often used to conclude emails.
I'm following up regarding the last email.
This is a polite expression used instead of urging when there is no response. It's perfect for the first line of an email.
- 1
The bigger the request, the longer the sentence should be.
- 2
Wrapping it in a past continuous + conditional like 'I was wondering if you could...
- 3
' gives the other person room to decline, making it much more polite.
- report — report
- take a look — to take a look, to examine
- appreciate — to thank, to express gratitude
- follow up — to follow up
- bother — to bother, to disturb