메뉴판 좀 주실 수 있나요?

#. 메뉴판 좀 주실 수 있나요?

 

Could I get a menu, please?

 

Oh, excuse me, could I get a glass of water, please?

> Absolutely, just a moment.

Excuse me, could I get a menu, please?

> Oh, I'm sorry - I totally forgot to give you one. I'll be right back with a menu.

 

In all those short examples we heard a customer asking a server for something at a restaurant. In each example the customer used the question structure "could I get a something, please?" And this structure is a very natural and polite way to make a request at a restaurant. This question structure doesn't use the word 'can' it uses 'could'. "Can I get a menu?" "Could I get a menu?" They have the same meaning. 'Could' just sounds politer.

 

Excuse me, cold I get the bill, please?

> Of course.

 

The final thing that we should talk about is how to use this expression and where. In what situation, in what context can we use this question structure? You can use it at a restaurant, but you could also use it at a store, say, if you're shopping and you need a different size? "Could I get a larger size?" What about when travelling? If you're checking onto an airplane, you might ask the person at the check-in booth, "could i get a window seat?" On the bus or on the subway and someone is blocking your way, you could ask that person to move by saying, "could I get by you, please?"