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English · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 37

Could you help me? 你能帮我吗？

在城市里问路和礼貌地请求。词汇：city centre、street、corner、traffic lights、crossing、ticket、platform、queue、menu、excuse me。核心语法：礼貌请求。对陌生人用光秃秃的命令（"Give me a coffee"）或 "I want…" 在英语里可能显得无礼。礼貌英语用 "can / could / would" 的疑问形式加 "please"："Could you help me?"、"Can I have a ticket, please?"、"Could I have the menu?"。"I'd like…"（a coffee）和 "I'd like to…"（order）是礼貌地说 "I want"。韩语和许多语言允许更直接的风格，学习者会显得生硬："I want two tickets" ✗ → "Could I have two tickets, please?" ✓。文化角：在英语城市中出行——排队、"excuse me"、"please" 和 "thank you"。

Dialogue

I want two tickets or Could I have two tickets? — I want two tickets 还是 Could I have two tickets？

Emma Here's the ticket office. Do you know what to say? 售票处到了。你知道该怎么说吗？
Minsu Yes. I want two tickets. Give me two tickets to the city centre. 知道。我要两张票。给我两张到市中心的票。（口误：对陌生人这样太生硬——"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?" 对陌生人太直接了。用 "could" 变成问句并加 "please"："Could I have two tickets, please?"
Minsu Could I have two tickets to the city centre, please? 请给我两张到市中心的票，好吗？
Emma Perfect! It sounds much friendlier. And don't forget "thank you" at the end. 完美！听起来友好多了。别忘了最后说 "thank you"。
Minsu Could I have two tickets, please? … Thank you very much! 请给我两张票，好吗？……非常感谢！

Dialogue

Asking the way — 问路

Jack Excuse me, could you help me? I'm looking for the station. 打扰一下，能帮我个忙吗？我在找车站。
Emma Of course. Go straight down this street and turn left at the traffic lights. 当然。沿这条街直走，在红绿灯左转。
Jack Left at the traffic lights. Is it far? 在红绿灯左转。远吗？
Emma No, it's near — about five minutes. The station is on the corner, next to a café. 不，很近——大约五分钟。车站在拐角，咖啡馆旁边。
Jack Thank you so much! You're very kind. 太感谢了！你人真好。

Vocabulary

city centre: noun 市中心
street: noun 街道
corner: noun 拐角、街角
traffic lights: noun 红绿灯
crossing: noun 人行横道
ticket: noun 票
platform: noun 站台
queue: noun 队伍、排队
menu: noun 菜单
excuse me: phr. 打扰一下、不好意思

Grammar

礼貌请求："Could you…?" 和 "I'd like…"

Explanation

在英语里，光秃秃的命令如 "Give me a coffee" 或生硬的 "I want a coffee"，对好朋友没问题，但对陌生人、服务员或店员会显得无礼。要礼貌，就把请求变成带情态动词的疑问句并加 "please"："Could you help me?"、"Can you tell me the way?"、"Could I have a ticket, please?"、"Can I have the menu, please?"。"Could" 比 "can" 更礼貌一点。想要东西时用 "I'd like"（= I would like）："I'd like a coffee"、"I'd like two tickets, please"，以及 "I'd like to" + 动词："I'd like to order"。这些是 "I want" 的礼貌版。"Would you like…?" 是给别人提供东西："Would you like some tea?"。韩语和许多语言用平叙句就可能显得直接，学习者会忘掉这些缓和语："I want two tickets" ✗、"Tell me the way" ✗ → "Could I have two tickets, please?"、"Could you tell me the way?" ✓。

Examples

Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the city centre? 打扰一下，你能告诉我去市中心怎么走吗？
Can I have two tickets, please? 请给我两张票，好吗？
I'd like a coffee, please. And I'd like to see the menu. 请给我一杯咖啡。我还想看看菜单。
Would you like some tea? — Yes, please. Thank you. 你想喝点茶吗？——好的，谢谢。

Culture

Getting around an English-speaking city 在英语城市里出行

在伦敦、纽约或悉尼这样的城市，一些小习惯让日常生活顺畅。人们排队等候，用 "please" 和 "could you" 让请求变柔和，一天里多次说 "excuse me"、"sorry" 和 "thank you"。这些小词并不空洞——它们是让繁忙拥挤的城市保持礼貌的润滑剂。

排队：等到你

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?".

神奇的词

"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.

在公交和火车上

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.

总之：在英语城市里，去排队，压低声音，把每个请求都用 "could you"、"please" 和 "thank you" 包起来。本章的语法——礼貌疑问句——其实就是与陌生人相处的语法。说出这些神奇的词，整座城市都会变得更友好。

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