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Study in the app →English · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 37
Could you help me? 좀 도와주시겠어요?
도시에서 길 찾기와 정중히 부탁하기. 어휘: city centre, street, corner, traffic lights, crossing, ticket, platform, queue, menu, excuse me. 핵심 문법: 정중한 부탁. 낯선 사람에게 맨 명령("Give me a coffee")이나 "I want…"는 영어에서 무례하게 들릴 수 있어요. 정중한 영어는 "can / could / would" 의문형에 "please"를 더해요: "Could you help me?", "Can I have a ticket, please?", "Could I have the menu?". "I'd like…"(a coffee)와 "I'd like to…"(order)는 "I want"를 정중히 말하는 방법이에요. 한국어와 많은 언어는 더 직접적인 방식을 허용해서 학습자는 퉁명스럽게 들려요: "I want two tickets" ✗ → "Could I have two tickets, please?" ✓. 문화 코너: 영어권 도시에서 다니기 — 줄 서기, "excuse me", 그리고 "please"와 "thank you". 발음 코너: "Could you"의 연음 /ˈkʊdʒə/.
Dialogue
I want two tickets or Could I have two tickets? — I want two tickets 아니면 Could I have two tickets?
- Emma Here's the ticket office. Do you know what to say? 여기 매표소예요. 뭐라고 말할지 알아요?
- Minsu Yes. I want two tickets. Give me two tickets to the city centre. 네. 표 두 장 원해요. 도심행 표 두 장 주세요. (실수: 낯선 사람에겐 너무 퉁명스러워요 — "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?" 낯선 사람에겐 너무 직접적이에요. "could"로 의문문을 만들고 "please"를 더하세요: "Could I have two tickets, please?"
- Minsu Could I have two tickets to the city centre, please? 도심행 표 두 장 주시겠어요?
- Emma Perfect! It sounds much friendlier. And don't forget "thank you" at the end. 완벽해요! 훨씬 친근하게 들려요. 그리고 끝에 "thank you" 잊지 마세요.
- Minsu Could I have two tickets, please? … Thank you very much! 표 두 장 주시겠어요? … 정말 감사합니다!
Dialogue
Asking the way — 길 묻기
- Jack Excuse me, could you help me? I'm looking for the station. 실례합니다, 좀 도와주시겠어요? 역을 찾고 있어요.
- Emma Of course. Go straight down this street and turn left at the traffic lights. 물론이죠. 이 거리를 쭉 가서 신호등에서 왼쪽으로 도세요.
- Jack Left at the traffic lights. Is it far? 신호등에서 왼쪽으로. 멀어요?
- Emma No, it's near — about five minutes. The station is on the corner, next to a café. 아니요, 가까워요 — 5분 정도. 역은 모퉁이에 있어요, 카페 옆에요.
- Jack Thank you so much! You're very kind. 정말 감사합니다! 참 친절하시네요.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| city centre | n. | 도심, 시내 | |
| street | n. | 거리, 길 | |
| corner | n. | 모퉁이 | |
| traffic lights | n. | 신호등 | |
| crossing | n. | 건널목, 횡단보도 | |
| ticket | n. | 표, 티켓 | |
| platform | n. | 승강장, 플랫폼 | |
| queue | n. | 줄, 대기줄 | |
| menu | n. | 메뉴 | |
| excuse me | phr. | 실례합니다 |
Grammar
Polite requests: "Could you…?" and "I'd like…" 정중한 부탁: "Could you…?"와 "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?" ✓.
영어에서 "Give me a coffee" 같은 맨 명령이나 퉁명스러운 "I want a coffee"는 친한 친구에겐 괜찮지만, 낯선 사람·종업원·점원에겐 무례하게 들려요. 정중하려면 부탁을 조동사가 든 의문문으로 바꾸고 "please"를 더해요: "Could you help me?", "Can you tell me the way?", "Could I have a ticket, please?", "Can I have the menu, please?". "Could"는 "can"보다 조금 더 정중해요. 원하는 것엔 "I'd like"(= I would like)를 써요: "I'd like a coffee", "I'd like two tickets, please", 그리고 "I'd like to" + 동사: "I'd like to order". 이게 "I want"의 정중한 버전이에요. "Would you like…?"는 남에게 무언가를 권하는 말: "Would you like some tea?". 한국어와 많은 언어는 평서문으로도 직접적으로 들릴 수 있어서 학습자는 완충 표현을 잊어요: "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? 실례합니다, 도심으로 가는 길 좀 알려 주시겠어요?
- Can I have two tickets, please? 표 두 장 주시겠어요?
- I'd like a coffee, please. And I'd like to see the menu. 커피 한 잔 주세요. 그리고 메뉴도 보고 싶어요.
- Would you like some tea? — Yes, please. Thank you. 차 좀 드시겠어요? — 네, 감사합니다.
Culture
Getting around an English-speaking city 영어권 도시에서 다니기
런던, 뉴욕, 시드니 같은 도시에서는 작은 습관 몇 가지가 일상을 매끄럽게 만들어요. 사람들은 줄을 서서 차례를 기다리고, "please"와 "could you"로 부탁을 부드럽게 하고, 하루에도 여러 번 "excuse me", "sorry", "thank you"를 말해요. 이 작은 말들은 빈말이 아니에요 — 바쁘고 붐비는 도시를 예의 바르게 유지하는 윤활유예요.
줄: 차례를 기다리기
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?".
마법의 말
"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.
버스와 기차에서
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.
정리하면: 영어권 도시에서는 줄을 서고, 목소리를 낮추고, 모든 부탁을 "could you", "please", "thank you"로 감싸세요. 이 과의 문법 — 정중한 의문문 — 은 사실 낯선 사람과 어울리는 문법이에요. 마법의 말을 하면 도시 전체가 더 친근해져요.
pronunciation
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