DON'T (over)USE PLEASE | Upgrade your vocabulary to sound like a native

Hi there, this is Harry and welcome back to advanced English lessons with Harry, where

I try to help you to get a better understanding of the English language.

Helping you to improve your business.

English.

conversational skills.

Or indeed that all-important preparation for some proficiency exams, whether it's CAE or

the IELTS, whatever it is you're doing, we're here to help you.

I just like to apologise in advance if I sound a little bit croaky during this particular

lesson, because I've been suffering from a bad virus recently.

But as they say, in all theatre, the show must go on.

So a show is going on.

And we're going to start our lesson or advanced English lesson and the lesson today, we're

going to look at 14 other ways in which to say please 14 ways, other ways in which you

can say "please" Now, a lot of these particular expressions that I'm going to give you, they

can be prefixed with the word please.

So you can put pleas in front of them, or you can just use them on your own and try

to identify those as we go through the list.

Okay, so as I said, we've got 14 of these, I'll go through them one by one and give you

a situation where you might be able to use them.

Okay, let's start number one, after you.

So if you're walking towards the entrance of a hotel, or a restaurant, or indeed even

in your own office, and there's a lady coming behind you or close to you, and you want to

be the gentleman, the perfect gentleman, so you might open the door and say, After you.

Or you could even say, Please, after you, okay.

So just after you means allow the lady to walk through the door first, and then you

follow behind, okay.

And you see it all the time and airports, in train stations, restaurants, offices, hotels,

wherever it may be, if do you, Oh, please, after you.

Number two, help yourself, okay.

Now, this might be used when you're perhaps entertaining some guests in your home, okay,

and you've put some finger food or some drinks or something on the coffee table, and your

guests sitting there to help yourself or please help yourself and in which case, you're inviting

them to stand up or just to grab something to eat while they can.

Okay, so help yourself.

Now, you can also use this help yourself in a situation if somebody comes into your office,

and they ask you, could I borrow a pen?

Or could I take your laptop?

Or could I take your camera, whatever it is something you've got stored in the office

and use it of course, yeah, help yourself.

Or again, please help yourself.

So can I use your phone for a few minutes?

Mine's run out of battery.

Yeah, help yourself.

Do you mind if I take this chair?

Yeah, help yourself.

So you're sitting in a restaurant, you're at a table for four people, you're on your

own.

Somebody comes along with a group of people, they're looking for an extra chair, they will

then equitably ask you is there anybody sitting here.

Can I take this chair?

Yeah, help yourself.

Okay.

So it's a kind way a gesture to let the person know you have no objections.

Don't wait for me.

Again, entertaining somebody in your home, you're busy.

In the kitchen, you come out to the kitchen, you bring in some food, you disappear into

the kitchen, you bring out some glasses and some wine or refreshments and people are standing

and chatting.

Okay, look, don't wait for me.

I'm busy.

So you help yourselves there.

Don't wait for me.

I'd be with you in two minutes.

Okay, so don't wait for me means please proceed without me.

I'll catch up when I come in.

Number four, allow me.

Okay.

So this might be the situation where you're in a business meeting.

Somebody brings in a tray of coffee and refreshments before the meeting or during the meeting.

And you pick up the coffee pot, you pour some coffee and you indicate to your colleagues

or the other guests at the meeting.

Would you like some coffee?

And they say yeah, yeah, you say, Well, allow me.

So you do the honours, as we say and you pour the coffee into the cups for those who have

indicated that they want coffee, or they want tea.

Okay, so allow me allow me means please allow me to pour it for you.

There's no trouble.

Okay?

And again, it's another phrase expression we can use.

When we are helping somebody perhaps somebody's rushing towards the door with the hands full

carrying two bags or boxes.

And then you open the door for them because you know they're going to have a difficulty

getting through the door as it allow me and it could be for a woman or a man it doesn't

matter which where somebody is struggling with bags, boxes, children, whatever it is

they have, then you open the door or hold the elevator door so that they can get in

without having any difficulty.

Allow me.

Number five, let me help you there.

Okay.

So again, just a simple expression, where you want to let the person know that you are

willing and prepared or indeed have started to help them.

So somebody is trying to get the door open to get in or out of the apartment block, they're

trying to press the button for the elevator, when their hands are full, they dropped something

on the floor.

So you say, Oh, look, let me help you there.

So you, you're there holding the door to help the person who is in some way struggling to

get through it, because they are occupied in some other way, or they got their hands

full.

Okay, so it's, let me help you there.

Number six, if that's all right with you.

So you know, so you might be asking your boss, if you could have some additional time off,

if you could come in a little later tomorrow morning, if you could leave a little earlier

in the evening to get to that dental appointment.

And he would say, please, if it's alright with you, I'd like to leave the office a little

earlier this evening.

If it's all right with you, if I could come in a little late of the next few mornings,

I've got to drop the kids to school.

If it's all right with you, could I take this home and work on it at the weekend.

So any sort of requests like that, where you want to get some work done, and you're being

quite polite about it, perhaps you're only new in the office, or your boss is a little

bit of a stickler for the rules.

And you might say please, if that's all right with you, I'd like to take this and look at

it over the weekend.

Okay?

Simply just let me give you a hand.

So this is again, a little less formal than let me help you or allow me just let me give

you a hand.

So your colleague is having trouble finishing some project, he or she is complaining that

it's going to take a long time and say, Well, let me give you hands, I'd be happy to stay

behind a little bit.

I don't have to be home so early this evening, wife and the kids are away.

So let me give you a hand and we can we can get this finished in no time.

Or again, somebody struggling in the supermarket to carry their bags to their car, or perhaps

they're struggling in the airport to carry their their luggage.

I'm always surprised when people are struggling with really heavy bags, I wonder why did they

pack bags, so be and then how did they struggle out of their home onto the bus or into the

taxi, whatever it was, and then they get to the airport.

And they really can't manage this bag at all.

But however, that's what they want.

That's what they do.

And I had a situation a couple of years ago, I was in London.

And there was a man that he was a little older than me not so much older than me.

But he had a big bag and he was trying to get from the platform of the tube station

up to the next level to check in and he really couldn't manage it.

So I grabbed the bag and lifted it up the top of the stairs and plugged it on the top.

And he was very grateful.

So we can just say something, let me give you a hand there make it easier.

To... two hands are better than one or two pairs of hands are better than one.

So let me give you a hand.

Now, if you're in a bar, a busy bar or a busy restaurant, and you're trying to get the attention

of the waiter in the restaurant, or the waitress or the bar, person behind the bar, and they're

up and down, and you would really like to order your drink or to get a menu, you might

just say yeah, when you're ready, please.

Or please when you're ready, or when you get a chance.

Or please when you get a chance.

So nice ways to sort of say look, I'm here, don't rush, but you know, I would like to

have the menu or I would like to order a drink.

So typical expressions to use in those situations.

A busy bar, busy restaurant.

When you're ready, please, when you get a chance, please Okay, so other ways in which

you can use please.

And as always, if you like this particular lesson, then please like the video and if

you can, please please subscribe to the channel because it really really helps.

Again, somebody asks you to, if they can take the seat at the table that you're occupying,

if they can borrow your mobile phone and deed or they can take the salt and pepper on your

table in the restaurant.

Very easy way to agree.

It's just to say yeah, be my guest.

Be my guest means you're very very welcome.

I don't own them anyway sol just be my guest.

Oh please be my guest.

Whenever you're free or you need something, just grab it and take it.

Yeah, be my guest.

Okay, that's number nine.

Now, number 10.

Number 10.

Kindly.

This is a little bit more formal.

And when you want somebody to do something, and you want to say, Please, could you redo

that report?

I think there are some parts missing.

Oh, please, could you get that report finished by five, the seeming?

You can instead of using the word please, you can use the word kindly.

Yeah.

Could you kindly do that report again?

Could you kindly complete it by that five o'clock deadline?

Could you kindly ask your team to go to the meeting room, and we'll start the meeting

in 10 minutes.

So another way in which you can say please politely.

Yeah, kindly.

Yeah.

Or kindly observe the no smoking sign.

Yes.

Okay.

Or kindly Be quiet when you're in the library.

Don't make too much noise or kindly close the door quietly behind you, because there's

an exam taking place in the next room.

So these are signs that you might see in libraries, in schools, in hospitals, or there's something

somebody might say to you at reception.

Yeah.

So could you kindly return that to the reception when you're finished with it?

It's a very common expression in a hotel, you get a spare key, or you borrow perhaps

the, the iron or something that you need.

And they will say, Could you kindly return it to the reception area, when you're finished?

Kindly.

Now, one that we can often use with a sort of a little bit of a irony or a sense of humour

about it is, don't let me stop you.

So you can say it in a witty way or a funny way, half joking, okay.

Or indeed, you could see, say it in a serious way, when somebody asks if they can borrow

something, and you just simply say, yeah, don't let me stop you.

Fire away, do whatever you wish.

So you could be in the canteen, and the and the offers in the little cafe that you have

in the office, and somebody says, there's only a couple of biscuits left on the plate

here.

Do you mind if I have them?

Don't let me stop you.

I don't eat them or try not to eat them.

So don't let me stop you.

Or perhaps you're in the middle of a meeting, and your colleagues phone buzzes and he has

to make an urgent call.

So he wants to step outside the office.

So he said, Do you mind if I take this call?

It's rather urgent.

Yep.

Don't let me stop you, catch up with us when you're finished.

Okay, so don't let me stop you.

Number 12.

Now, this one is very definitely more business appropriate than just ordinary conversational

English.

So if there's a different instructions that you you might give, or might be given, if

you're in an office situation.

So for example, if you could run that report, when you get a chance, I'd be very grateful.

If you could run that report, when you get a chance, that would be great.

If you could get a customer on the line, that would be great.

If you could get that customer on the line.

That would be great.

Meaning could you call him and I'll talk to him.

Now.

If you could postpone that meeting, or push it back by a couple of hours, that would be

great.

If you could set the meeting up for next week, that would be great.

So all simple instructions, polite instructions that you're either want to give to somebody

or somebody is going to give to you.

So they could simply say, please have that report ready by five o'clock, please get that

customer on the line, please push the meeting back by a couple of hours, please arrange

for the meeting of the sales meeting to be held next week, as usual.

So you can use please in all of those situations.

But if you want to vary it a bit, then well, if you could get the customer on the line,

if you could push the meeting back by a couple of hours, if you could get that report finished.

Yeah, that would be great.

Okay, so much more business orientated.

A very simple way is just to say, Well, if you don't mind, so instead of saying please,

if you don't mind, yeah, we'll cancel the meeting.

If you don't mind, then I will call you back later.

If you don't mind, we'll meet maybe in the morning at 10 o'clock, rather than 9 o'clock.

So you want to change something, you want to make the arrangements different, then you

simply prefix it by saying, if you don't mind, if you don't mind, could we start the meeting

a little later?

If you don't mind, could we postpone it until next week?

If you don't mind, could I just slip out for a coffee before we start?

Yeah, so just simple ways to say please.

And then finally, again, a little bit more formal, I'd appreciate it if you could.

So very, very formal, I would appreciate it if you could please leave your rubbish in

the bin on the way out.

I'd appreciate it if you could clear the desk before you leave, because we have a clean

desk policy here.

I'd appreciate it if you could kindly keep me posted as to any developments that might

take place.

So quite formal, but different ways in which you can say, please.

Okay, so we've covered 14 different ways in which you can say please, as I said, many

of them can be prefixed by the word please.

Anyway, so you're either just dropping it and using the phrase on its own, or you could

use the two of them together.

For example, please, after you.

Or please allow me.

Or please be my guest.

Or, please, if you don't mind.

Yeah, so there's lots of ways in which you can prefix it using the word please, or just

drop it completely.

Okay, so I'm going to give you the fiurteen very quickly, once more.

After you help yourself.

Don't wait for me.

Allow me.

Let me help you there.

If that's alright with you.

Let me give you a hand.

When in a bar or a busy restaurant, when you're ready, when you get a chance.

Be my guest.

Kindly.

Kindly do this, kindly do that.

Don't let me stop you.

If you could finish it, that would be great.

If you don't mind, and then finally, I'd appreciate it if you could.

So best thing as always, you know the drill by now is to try and practice these.

Practice them on your friends, practice them on your colleagues, practice writing them

to get a good understanding, but you don't have to remember them all but there are different

ways and that's so difficult, different ways that you can use, please.

Okay, as always, I really appreciate you watching and listening.

And if you need any more help, you can contact me on www.englishlessonviaskype.com Always

happy to take on board your suggestions.

So remember, join me for the next lesson.