Salt is a binder, a texturizer, and a fermentation control agent. Other useful applications include de-icing highways, oil well drilling, and fertilizing! We are to be the salt of the earth. As you can see, we have a tough act to follow! But we need to be the salt that the world so desperately needs! (1) (a) Pass me the salt. (b) Could you please pass me the salt? (c) Would you be so kind as to pass me the salt? (Locher 2008) Depending on the context these sentences are uttered and also the relationship between interactants, any of these sentences can be considered appropriate or inappropriate. How to say "Will you pass me the salt please?" in Other Languages. English. French. Spanish. Chinese. German. Italian. Japanese. could you pass me the salt, please translation in English - English Reverso dictionary, see also 'could've',couldn't',could do with sth',couldn't care less, could care less', examples, definition, conjugation Synonym for Will you please pass me the salt? You're are fine with both really. No one will think you are rude. :)|I feel the second is more polite..?|First is slightly more polite Fast Money. I think there are two questions there - "which is more common?" and "what is the difference?" In terms of "which is the more common?", that will depend very much on what circles you move in. I am sure if you eavesdropped in many restaurants and cafés around the country you will find a wide variety not just of those two, but many other forms as well. What is the difference? There is a general acceptance that in the absence of the subject, it is implied as one of the speaker me; the place of the speaker here; the time of the speaker now. It depends on the context as to which one of those is applicable. Japanese textbooks do like to make up rules for politeness that don't really exist. If you can reach the salt without interrupting another person's eating, it's not rude if your hand is in front of other people. This isn't some kind of special rule that needs to be explained to Japanese people. It is no more rude for English people in England than it is for Japanese people in Japan. This is like a rule that "you must not steal food from other people's plates", not a rule like "you must not leave the chopsticks sticking out the rice". People won't ask you to "pass the salt" if they believe they can reach it themselves. The only reason someone would ask you to "pass the salt" is because that person believes it is much easier for you to reach it. If it really isn't - for example if there is a salt cellar right in front of them, you can just point this out to them John Could you pass the salt? Taro There's some just in front of you. If there is salt that is easy for you to reach then just pass them the salt! If there is no salt that you can reach, but there is some that a third person could reach, you can pass on the request. John Could you pass the salt? Taro Sure, ah, Mary, could you hand me the salt please? Mary Here you are. Taro Thanks, John, here you are. Can, according to Cambridge Dictionary, is actually used to make requests obviously, among other things used to request something Their example sentences If you see Brett, can you tell him I'm in town next weekend? Can you make a little less noise, please? I'm trying to work. In answer to your question making a request using the verb can is not ungrammatical nor uncommon. As JonMark pointed out, responding to such a request with yes or no can come across as pedantic or annoying. On the one hand, I agree that might be the case , for example when you answer that on a test when expected to solve some equations or give an explanation. On the other hand, in the example sentences by Cambridge Dictionary, yes is an appropriate response to indicate you will tell Brett or will be more quiet, respectively. Therefore, as with many things, context is key. Respond when and how you think is appropriate in the situation you find yourself in. Obviously, in your example your interlocutor is requesting the salt. Yes is an appropriate response provided you give it to them. Similarly, no, I can't right now, I have my hands full is also appropriate when you aren't able to hand it to them. Attribution Definition of “can” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press BlackSmithWould you say "Pass me the salt, please." or "Please pass me the salt."? any differences? Thank you! Answers 2They mean the same, but the second one is more commonly used as the "please" coming first in the sentence is considered more polite. Starting off with "Pass me the salt" sounds a little like an orderBoth of these sound like commands to me. Either 'Please pass the salt' or 'Pass the salt, please' sound cold and unnatural. I can't imagine friends or family saying this around the dinner table. I'd say 'Can you pass the salt, please?' or 'Could you pass the salt, please?Still haven’t found your answers? Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you! Could you please pass me the salt? Options Previous Topic Next Topic Koh Elaine Posted Saturday, December 2, 2017 82309 AM Rank Advanced Member Joined 7/4/2012Posts 8,454Neurons 38,114 Could you please pass me the salt?Could you pass me the salt?I was told by a friend that the second sentence without "please" is wrong. Is he correct?Thanks. Back to top thar Posted Saturday, December 2, 2017 84749 AM Rank Advanced Member Joined 7/8/2010Posts 28,361Neurons 116,384 Well, in social terms, yes. It is very rude to ask without saying 'please' even if it is a 'could you?', not an orderA 'please' is an integral part of the it would go at the beginning or the end, but nothing wrong the middle, so long as it is might get away without a 'please' to your mates, but in any other situation it just sounds impolite. Back to top Koh Elaine Posted Saturday, December 2, 2017 92930 AM Rank Advanced Member Joined 7/4/2012Posts 8,454Neurons 38,114 Thanks, thar. Back to top hedy mmm Posted Saturday, December 2, 2017 14147 PM Rank Advanced Member Joined 7/29/2014Posts 1,466Neurons 704,940Location Borough of Bronx, New York, United States Actually, it should read "Would you please pass me the salt" ...obviously they COULD pass the salt...the question is WOULD they pass it! I think thar, who is alway correct and precise in his suggestions, might've overlooked that word, in concern for the 'integral' part, which is the word 'please', which definetly is most important!As a kid I went to summer camp and when when we ate meals or played games, we'd have fun when someone would say, "Could you please pass..." And the response would be "Yes, I can" ...and not pass it because 'could' means 'can you 'or 'are you capable of'...and then there'd be a peal of laughter until the correct question would follow...'WOULD YOU PLEASE PASS ME THE SALT'...of course, only the one who was desperate for it was utterly frustrated!Hope my input is okay by you thar, I meant no disrespect...just brought back fond memories. Don't get me started on how we learned to pass around the seconds, or in what direction! Eeek! Have a great weekend, hedy Back to top Romany Posted Saturday, December 2, 2017 25356 PM Rank Advanced Member Joined 6/14/2009Posts 18,351Neurons 59,731Location Brighton, England, United Kingdom We've had quite a few discussions recently on the fact that many AE speakers look at this usage in the same was as Hedy you can access one of those you'll find it interesting, Koh. And you'll find why we say "Could" in neither is more "right" than the other. Just different cultural constructs. Back to top palapaguy Posted Sunday, December 3, 2017 123511 AM Rank Advanced Member Joined 10/28/2013Posts 1,910Neurons 14,578Location Calabasas, California, United States Koh Elaine wroteCould you please pass me the salt?Could you pass me the salt?I was told by a friend that the second sentence without "please" is wrong. Is he correct? is certainly not wrong. "Could you pass me the salt?" is quite common and acceptable in AE. Adding "please" makes it more polite, but that's unnecessary in most casual settings. Back to top Koh Elaine Posted Sunday, December 3, 2017 124414 AM Rank Advanced Member Joined 7/4/2012Posts 8,454Neurons 38,114 Thanks to all of you. Back to top thar Posted Sunday, December 3, 2017 83425 AM Rank Advanced Member Joined 7/8/2010Posts 28,361Neurons 116,384 Hedy - nothing wrong with disagreeing with me - it has been known to happen! I too know the 'can you' ability vs 'will you' willingness correction - but for whatever reason, I would say 'could'. To me 'would' makes it sound like too much of an order. You ask if they could do something - and let it be assumed there is a reason behind it. Until some smart alec answers 'yes'. As Rom says, I think that is a AE /BE difference in phrasing. Also the levels of 'please, thankyou' and 'sorry' that are expected in well-mannered English people. You say sorry if someone bumps into you. You say please for everything, and thanks for anything. The difference in culture can be noticeable. Brits in America can sometimes appear too polite, or not assertive enough - and Americans in Britain can come across as brash and rude. It is just the cultural difference of using a few words, or not using them. I think there are similar jokes about Americans vs Canadians. My advice to learners would be to learn to always say please, until it is instinctive. Appearing too polite can be quaint, but does no harm. Appearing rude can damage a business relationship before it even starts!Sometimes it is tough, but the British fight on to keep their culture, despite the world trying to dismiss it. Back to top Koh Elaine Posted Sunday, December 3, 2017 102411 AM Rank Advanced Member Joined 7/4/2012Posts 8,454Neurons 38,114 Thanks, thar. Back to top Users browsing this topic Guest

could you pass me the salt please