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Study in the app →English · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 37
Could you help me? 手伝ってもらえますか？
街で道を探すことと丁寧にお願いすること。語彙：city centre, street, corner, traffic lights, crossing, ticket, platform, queue, menu, excuse me。重要文法：丁寧な依頼。見知らぬ人にむき出しの命令（「Give me a coffee」）や「I want…」は英語では失礼に聞こえることがある。丁寧な英語は「can / could / would」の疑問形に「please」を添える:「Could you help me?」「Can I have a ticket, please?」「Could I have the menu?」。「I'd like…」（a coffee）と「I'd like to…」（order）は「I want」を丁寧に言う方法。韓国語や多くの言語はもっと直接的な言い方を許すので学習者はぶっきらぼうに聞こえる:「I want two tickets」✗ →「Could I have two tickets, please?」✓。文化コーナー：英語圏の街での移動 — 列に並ぶこと、「excuse me」、そして「please」と「thank you」。発音コーナー:「Could you」の連結音 /ˈkʊdʒə/。
Dialogue
I want two tickets or Could I have two tickets? — I want two tickets それとも Could I have two tickets？
- Emma Here's the ticket office. Do you know what to say? ここが切符売り場です。何と言うか分かりますか？
- Minsu Yes. I want two tickets. Give me two tickets to the city centre. はい。切符が二枚欲しいです。市の中心まで二枚ください。（間違い: 見知らぬ人にはぶっきらぼうすぎる —「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?" 見知らぬ人には直接的すぎます。「could」で疑問文にして「please」を加えて:「Could I have two tickets, please?」
- Minsu Could I have two tickets to the city centre, please? 市の中心まで切符を二枚もらえますか？
- Emma Perfect! It sounds much friendlier. And don't forget "thank you" at the end. 完璧！ずっと感じよく聞こえます。最後に「thank you」を忘れずに。
- Minsu Could I have two tickets, please? … Thank you very much! 切符を二枚もらえますか？……どうもありがとう！
Dialogue
Asking the way — 道を尋ねる
- Jack Excuse me, could you help me? I'm looking for the station. すみません、手伝ってもらえますか？駅を探しています。
- Emma Of course. Go straight down this street and turn left at the traffic lights. もちろん。この通りをまっすぐ行って、信号で左に曲がってください。
- Jack Left at the traffic lights. Is it far? 信号で左ですね。遠いですか？
- Emma No, it's near — about five minutes. The station is on the corner, next to a café. いいえ、近いです — 五分ほど。駅は角にあって、カフェの隣です。
- Jack Thank you so much! You're very kind. 本当にありがとう！とても親切ですね。
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| city centre | n. | 市の中心、中心街 | |
| street | n. | 通り、street | |
| corner | n. | 角、コーナー | |
| traffic lights | n. | 信号 | |
| crossing | n. | 横断歩道 | |
| ticket | n. | 切符、チケット | |
| platform | n. | ホーム、プラットホーム | |
| queue | n. | 列、行列 | |
| menu | n. | メニュー | |
| excuse me | phr. | すみません |
Grammar
Polite requests: "Could you…?" and "I'd like…" 丁寧な依頼:「Could you…?」と「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?" ✓.
英語では「Give me a coffee」のようなむき出しの命令や、ぶっきらぼうな「I want a coffee」は親しい友達には問題ないが、見知らぬ人・店員・給仕には失礼に聞こえる。丁寧にするには依頼を助動詞つきの疑問文にして「please」を添える:「Could you help me?」「Can you tell me the way?」「Could I have a ticket, please?」「Can I have the menu, please?」。「Could」は「can」より少し丁寧。欲しいものには「I'd like」（= I would like）を使う:「I'd like a coffee」「I'd like two tickets, please」、そして「I'd like to」+ 動詞:「I'd like to order」。これが「I want」の丁寧版。「Would you like…?」は相手に何かを勧める言い方:「Would you like some tea?」。韓国語や多くの言語は平叙文でも直接的に聞こえるので学習者は緩和表現を忘れる:「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? すみません、市の中心への行き方を教えてもらえますか？
- Can I have two tickets, please? 切符を二枚もらえますか？
- I'd like a coffee, please. And I'd like to see the menu. コーヒーを一杯お願いします。そしてメニューを見たいです。
- Would you like some tea? — Yes, please. Thank you. お茶はいかがですか？ — はい、お願いします。ありがとう。
Culture
Getting around an English-speaking city 英語圏の街での移動
ロンドン、ニューヨーク、シドニーのような街では、いくつかの小さな習慣が日常を円滑にします。人々は列に並んで順番を待ち、「please」や「could you」で依頼をやわらげ、一日に何度も「excuse me」「sorry」「thank you」と言います。これらの小さな言葉は空虚ではありません — 忙しく混み合う街を礼儀正しく保つ潤滑油です。
列：順番を待つ
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?".
魔法の言葉
"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.
バスと電車で
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.
まとめ：英語圏の街では、列に並び、声を落とし、すべての依頼を「could you」「please」「thank you」で包みましょう。この章の文法 — 丁寧な疑問文 — は、実は見知らぬ人とうまくやる文法です。魔法の言葉を言えば、街全体がもっと親しみやすくなります。
pronunciation
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