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Study in the app →English · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 37
Could you help me? ¿Podrías ayudarme?
Orientarse en la ciudad y pedir con cortesía. Vocabulario: city centre, street, corner, traffic lights, crossing, ticket, platform, queue, menu, excuse me. Gramática clave: peticiones corteses. Una orden pelada ("Give me a coffee") o "I want…" puede sonar grosera con un desconocido en inglés. El inglés cortés usa formas de pregunta con "can / could / would" más "please": "Could you help me?", "Can I have a ticket, please?", "Could I have the menu?". "I'd like…" (a coffee) e "I'd like to…" (order) son la forma cortés de decir "I want". El coreano y muchas lenguas permiten un estilo más directo, así que los estudiantes suenan bruscos: "I want two tickets" ✗ → "Could I have two tickets, please?" ✓. Rincón cultural: moverse por una ciudad anglófona — hacer cola, "excuse me", y "please" y "thank you". Rincón de pronunciación: el sonido enlazado de "Could you" /ˈkʊdʒə/.
Dialogue
I want two tickets or Could I have two tickets? — ¿I want two tickets o Could I have two tickets?
- Emma Here's the ticket office. Do you know what to say? Aquí está la taquilla. ¿Sabes qué decir?
- Minsu Yes. I want two tickets. Give me two tickets to the city centre. Sí. Quiero dos billetes. Deme dos billetes al centro. (desliz: con un desconocido suena muy brusco — "Could I have two tickets to the city centre, please?")
- Emma That's too direct for a stranger. Make it a question with "could" and add "please": "Could I have two tickets, please?" Es demasiado directo para un desconocido. Hazlo pregunta con "could" y añade "please": "Could I have two tickets, please?"
- Minsu Could I have two tickets to the city centre, please? ¿Me da dos billetes al centro, por favor?
- Emma Perfect! It sounds much friendlier. And don't forget "thank you" at the end. ¡Perfecto! Suena mucho más amable. Y no olvides "thank you" al final.
- Minsu Could I have two tickets, please? … Thank you very much! ¿Me da dos billetes, por favor? … ¡Muchas gracias!
Dialogue
Asking the way — Preguntar el camino
- Jack Excuse me, could you help me? I'm looking for the station. Disculpe, ¿podría ayudarme? Busco la estación.
- Emma Of course. Go straight down this street and turn left at the traffic lights. Claro. Siga recto por esta calle y gire a la izquierda en el semáforo.
- Jack Left at the traffic lights. Is it far? A la izquierda en el semáforo. ¿Está lejos?
- Emma No, it's near — about five minutes. The station is on the corner, next to a café. No, está cerca — unos cinco minutos. La estación está en la esquina, al lado de un café.
- Jack Thank you so much! You're very kind. ¡Muchísimas gracias! Es usted muy amable.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| city centre | n. | centro de la ciudad | |
| street | n. | calle | |
| corner | n. | esquina | |
| traffic lights | n. | semáforo | |
| crossing | n. | paso de peatones | |
| ticket | n. | billete | |
| platform | n. | andén | |
| queue | n. | cola, fila | |
| menu | n. | menú, carta | |
| excuse me | phr. | disculpe |
Grammar
Polite requests: "Could you…?" and "I'd like…" Peticiones corteses: "Could you…?" e "I'd like…"
In English, a bare command like "Give me a coffee" or a blunt "I want a coffee" is fine with close friends but sounds rude to a stranger, a waiter, or a shop assistant. To be polite, turn the request into a QUESTION with a modal verb and add "please": "Could you help me?", "Can you tell me the way?", "Could I have a ticket, please?", "Can I have the menu, please?". "Could" is a little more polite than "can". For things you want, use "I'd like" (= I would like): "I'd like a coffee", "I'd like two tickets, please", and "I'd like to" + verb: "I'd like to order". These are the polite version of "I want". "Would you like…?" offers something to someone else: "Would you like some tea?". Korean and many languages can sound direct with a plain statement, so learners forget the softeners: "I want two tickets" ✗, "Tell me the way" ✗ → "Could I have two tickets, please?", "Could you tell me the way?" ✓.
En inglés, una orden pelada como "Give me a coffee" o un brusco "I want a coffee" está bien con amigos íntimos, pero suena grosera con un desconocido, un camarero o un dependiente. Para ser cortés, convierte la petición en una PREGUNTA con un verbo modal y añade "please": "Could you help me?", "Can you tell me the way?", "Could I have a ticket, please?", "Can I have the menu, please?". "Could" es un poco más cortés que "can". Para lo que quieres, usa "I'd like" (= I would like): "I'd like a coffee", "I'd like two tickets, please", y "I'd like to" + verbo: "I'd like to order". Es la versión cortés de "I want". "Would you like…?" ofrece algo a otra persona: "Would you like some tea?". El coreano y muchas lenguas pueden sonar directos con una simple afirmación, así que los estudiantes olvidan los suavizadores: "I want two tickets" ✗, "Tell me the way" ✗ → "Could I have two tickets, please?", "Could you tell me the way?" ✓.
- Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the city centre? Disculpe, ¿podría decirme cómo llegar al centro?
- Can I have two tickets, please? ¿Me da dos billetes, por favor?
- I'd like a coffee, please. And I'd like to see the menu. Quería un café, por favor. Y me gustaría ver la carta.
- Would you like some tea? — Yes, please. Thank you. ¿Quieres un té? — Sí, por favor. Gracias.
Culture
Getting around an English-speaking city Moverse por una ciudad anglófona
En ciudades como Londres, Nueva York o Sídney, unos pocos hábitos pequeños hacen que la vida diaria fluya. La gente espera su turno en una cola, suaviza las peticiones con "please" y "could you", y dice "excuse me", "sorry" y "thank you" muchas veces al día. Estas palabritas no están vacías: son el aceite que mantiene cortés una ciudad ajetreada y llena.
La cola: espera tu turno
In Britain especially, the queue is almost sacred. At a bus stop, a shop, a ticket office or a coffee bar, people form a neat line and everyone is served in order. Pushing in — going to the front instead of the back — is one of the rudest things you can do. If you are not sure where the line ends, just ask "Are you in the queue?" or "Is this the end of the line?". Then wait. When it is your turn, make your polite request: "Could I have…, please?".
Las palabras mágicas
"Please", "thank you", "excuse me" and "sorry" appear constantly. Use "excuse me" to get someone's attention or to pass by, and "sorry" if you bump into someone — even lightly. Add "please" to every request and "thank you" to every answer, even a small one. Speakers of more direct languages sometimes sound cold in English simply because they leave these words out. Say them a little more than feels natural, and you will sound warm and polite.
En el autobús y el tren
Public transport has its own quiet rules. Let people off before you get on. Keep a little space around others, and keep your voice low — long, loud phone calls are frowned upon. Offer your seat to someone who needs it more. In London you will hear "Mind the gap" between the train and the platform. A card like an Oyster or a contactless tap pays for most journeys. And if you need to reach the door, a simple "Excuse me, this is my stop" is all it takes.
En resumen: en una ciudad anglófona, ponte en la cola, baja la voz y envuelve cada petición en "could you", "please" y "thank you". La gramática de este capítulo — las preguntas corteses — es en realidad la gramática de llevarse bien con desconocidos. Di las palabras mágicas, y toda una ciudad se vuelve más amable.
pronunciation
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