Shadowing Practice: Conversational English - How to make polite requests - Learn English Speaking with Video
Kies een oefenmodus
Elke modus opent een volledig scherm oefenruimte.
14 zinnen
Als zinnen te kort of te lang zijn, klik op Bewerken om ze aan te passen.
1
Hi. We all want people to be polite to us, yet sometimes we forget how to behave politely towards others. My name is Rebecca, and in today's lesson, I'm going to show you how to be polite to others and how to make requests politely so that people are more likely to do what you ask them to do. Okay? Let's look at the board. I've written a number of expressions that you can use for these purposes. Okay, so here are some of the many expressions that you can use. The first, of course, is with the word "please". By itself, you could say, "Please do something." All right? Next expression, "Could you please?" This is actually my favorite because you could use this in any context, and it always works. "Could you please?" And we're going to see exactly what you could add after that. You could also say, "Would you?" And you could also say, "Can you?" But in my opinion, "Can you?" is not as polite as "Could you?" All right? "Can you?" is very casual, and "Could you?" you could use in a business situation or in a formal situation. Okay?
2
Now, one last one is the expression, "Would you mind?" Now, "Would you mind?" is special because when you ask somebody, "Would you mind opening the window?" The question is really there, "Do you have any problem with opening the window?" Or, "Do you have any objection to opening the window?" Right? So if you don't have any objection, then what you should say is, "No." So, "Would you mind opening the window?" "No, no problem. I'll open the window." So in fact, here, when you say, "No," you're saying, "Yes." To all the other ones, "Could you please open the window?" "Yes, I'll open the window." So to all of these, you can just say, "Yes" as the answer, and to this one, the positive answer is, "No." All right? If it confuses you, just forget about it. All right? There are many good expressions that you can use, but you should also understand when other people are speaking to you what you should say.
3
So let's try with this one, and let's see what happens when we look at different contexts when people don't use a little something to make a polite request. Let's say you're at the bank, and someone says to you, "Fill in this form." "Oh, how's that going to make you feel? Not very nice." So it would be much nicer if they said, "Could you please fill out this form?" or, "Would you fill in this form?" Right? If you're in a restaurant, and you say to the waiter, "Bring us some water." Okay? Of course, the waiter will bring you the water, but it's not a very nice way to treat other human beings. So it's much nicer to say, "Would you bring us some water, please?" "Could you please bring us some water?" or, "Please bring us some water." Okay?
4
Next one. Let's suppose you work in a call center, and you have to ask people for information.
5
Now, of course, you want to use all the diplomacy you can, and you want to be as polite as you can, because sometimes your job is hard enough. So you don't want to say something like, "Give me your name." "Give me your address." "Give me your phone number." No. Much nicer to say, "Could you please give me your phone number?" "Would you give me your phone number, please?" etc. Okay?
6
Next, in an office situation, if you say to someone, "Send them an email." Okay? Of course, it sounds like you're angry, and you don't want to sound angry around people you work with all the time, so much nicer to say, "Could you please send them an email?" "Would you send them an email, please?" All right? Or, "Would you mind sending them an email?" Another thing that happens when we use "would you mind" is that this verb has to change. "Would you mind filling in this form?" "Would you mind bringing us some water?" "Would you mind giving me your name?" "Would you mind sending them an email?" Okay? So remember that little change if you're using the last one, but only for the last one.
7
Next one, if you're in a hotel, and you're asking them to send you some... You need some more towels in your room. So it wouldn't be very nice to say, "Send me some towels." It would be much nicer to say, "Could you please have someone send us some towels?" Or, "Could you please send me some towels?" Okay? Or, "Could you please send some towels to my room?" Any of those, as long as you're saying "could you please", it's going to be much nicer and you're going to get the desired effect. Okay?
8
Next, on the phone. Instead of saying to someone, "Speak a little louder." Say, "Could you please speak a little louder? I'm afraid I can't hear you." Okay? These little words and expressions that we add on make life a lot kinder.
9
Okay, next, at home. Also, it's really important to be kind to the people that we live with and that we say we love, so we don't want to give them orders all the time. We don't want to say, "Pass the salt." "Turn off the TV." "Close the door." We should say, "Could you please turn off the TV?" Or, I should say to the motorcyclist going by on this nice summer's day, "Could you please pass as quickly as possible?" All right?
10
So, at home, "Could you please turn off the TV?" "Could you please close the door?" "Could you please pass the potatoes?" All right? Lots of ways to be polite at home, too.
11
And let's say you're in public and you need to tell someone something. Also, use one of these expressions. "Would you switch off your cell phone, please?" "Could you switch off your cell phone, please?" Okay? So, remember next time when you're making a request, do so politely. The world on a personal level, your world will be probably a kinder place.
12
And on a global level, we'll make our existence here on the planet a much better, more pleasant experience. Okay?
13
So if you'd like to do a quiz on this subject, please go to our website, www.engvid.com.
14
Good luck with your English.
App downloaden
Alles wat je nodig hebt om vloeiend te spreken
AI UitspraakScoor elke zin
IPA OefeningBeheers elk geluid
WoordenschatBouw je woordenschat op
WoordenspelLeren terwijl je speelt
📺 Zelfde Kanaal
B1How to turn a conversation into a connection
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2Learn English Tenses: PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B12
How to discuss a topic in a group
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B1Learn English Tenses: PRESENT SIMPLE
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B1The Secret to Asking English Questions
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B1Learn English Tenses: Present Simple or Present Continuous?
Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
✨ Aanbevolen Video
B16
152 zinnen
Conversation Lesson | How To Be Polite & Show Respect in English
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A23
48 zinnen
How to make suggestions in English
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
A21
234 zinnen
English Learning Podcast Conversation Episode 1 | Elementary | Easy English Podcast For Beginners
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B15
160 zinnen
English Speaking Lesson (Making Requests In English!)
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A22
295 zinnen
EASY ENGLISH CONVERSATION: You’re Invited to Dinner!
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
A26
174 zinnen
zNpmtVZFXS0
British AccentBusiness EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
A27
232 zinnen
Episode 21 – Making Complaints Politely in English | Refund, Exchange & Customer Service
TOEIC PrepBusiness EnglishTeens
A23
219 zinnen
Easy English Conversation Practice for Beginners | Using English at Work 🏢
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B13
62 zinnen
Polite English Phrases for Daily Life: Ask Someone to Move
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A23
81 zinnen
Learn English - Greetings in English, how to Answer the Question "How are you?"
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B17
146 zinnen
15 Smart and Polite Ways to Say 'I DON'T LIKE' - Do NOT be RUDE in English!
British AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A21
7 zinnen
Asking for Help in English | Hold the Door Phrases #learnenglish #shorts
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze spreekles op niveau A2 is gebaseerd op de video “Conversational English - How to make polite requests”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: send, expression, window, nicer, polite. Deze video bevat 14 zinnen en 1086 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 7:12. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 151 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. 93% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden, dus de woordenschat is goed te volgen. 23 van de 14 zinnen zijn vragen, dus het is goede oefening voor vraagintonatie en korte antwoorden.
Belangrijke woorden in deze video
14 woorden uit de video die het leren waard zijn, met uitspraak en betekenis:
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| polite bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /pəˈlaɪt/ | beleefd |
| towel zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈtaʊ̯əl/ | handdoek |
| objection zelfstandig naamwoord | /əbˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/ | tegenspraak |
| waiter zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈweɪ̯təː/ | ober, kelner |
| lesson zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | les |
| formal bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ˈfɔɹməl/ | formeel |
| pleasant bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ˈplɛz.ənt/ | aangenaam, behaaglijk |
| potato zelfstandig naamwoord | /pəˈteɪ.təʊ/ | aardappel, pieper |
| behave werkwoord | /bɪˈheɪv/ | zich gedragen |
| quiz zelfstandig naamwoord | /kwɪz/ | kwis, quiz |
| verb zelfstandig naamwoord | /vɝb/ | werkwoord |
| diplomacy zelfstandig naamwoord | /dɪˈpləʊməsi/ | diplomatie |
| confuse werkwoord | /kənˈfjuːz/ | verwarren, in de war brengen |
| motorcyclist zelfstandig naamwoord | motorrijder, motorrijdster |
Phrasal verbs die je zult horen
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| turn off werkwoord | uitzetten, uitschakelen | |
| switch off werkwoord | uitzetten, uitschakelen | |
| fill out werkwoord | /fɪl ˈaʊt/ | invullen |
Grammatica in deze video
De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:
| Structuur | In de video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt | I've written |
| Advies met “should” should + werkwoord — zeggen wat een goed idee is | should say |
| Werkwoord + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — werkwoorden die door de -ing-vorm worden gevolgd | mind opening · mind sending |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — iets dat nu of in deze periode gebeurt | you're saying · you're using · you're asking |
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 27 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals you're, don't, I'll. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- De klanken “sh” en “zh”: objection /əbˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/, casual /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/
Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:
- Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: behave /bɪˈheɪv/, quiz /kwɪz/, verb /vɝb/, confuse /kənˈfjuːz/
- /w/ — met ronde lippen: waiter /ˈweɪ̯təː/, quiz /kwɪz/
Zo oefen je met deze video
- Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
- Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
- Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als polite, towel, objection.
Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?
Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.