Speaking: Functional Language A2 - Lesson 4: Making Simple Offers & Requests

Speaking: Functional Language A2

Making Simple Offers & Requests

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to perform the functions of politely offering help and making simple requests.

Conversation Scenarios 🤝

Offering and asking for help are key social functions. Using polite language makes these interactions friendly.

Scenario 1: Offering Help

You see a friend carrying many heavy books.

You: Wow, those books look heavy. Would you like some help?

Friend: Oh, yes please! That's very kind of you.

Scenario 2: Requesting Help

You are having dinner with your family.

You: Could you pass me the water, please?

Family: Sure. Here you are.

Your Functional Toolkit 🛠️

Here are the key phrases you need to offer, request, and respond politely.

Making an Offer

• Would you like...? (Very Polite)
• Can I help you? (Standard)
• Do you want...? (Informal)

Making a Request

• Could you..., please? (Very Polite)
• Can you..., please? (Standard)

Responding

• Accepting an offer: Yes, please. That's very kind of you.
• Refusing an offer: No, thank you. I'm okay.
• Agreeing to a request: Sure. / Of course. / No problem.

Grammar Focus: Who is Doing the Action?

This small difference between "I" and "you" is very important.

"Can I...?" = I do the action.

You use this to offer help or ask for permission for yourself.

• Can I help you? (I help you)
• Can I have the bill, please? (I receive the bill)

"Can you...?" = You do the action.

You use this to request help from someone else.

• Can you help me? (You help me)
• Can you pass the salt, please? (You pass the salt)

Tips for Sounding Polite

🗣️ Polite Intonation

Offers and requests use a polite, rising intonation (↗) to sound friendly.

• "Would you like some help? ↗" — This sounds like a genuine offer.
• "Could you pass me the water, please? ↗" — This makes it a soft request, not a demand.

Practice Your Skills 🎯

Activity 1: Offer or Request?

Read the sentence. Is the speaker making an offer or a request?

1. "Would you like a coffee?" → Offer
2. "Can you open the window, please?" → Request
3. "Let me help you with your bag." → Offer
4. "Could you speak more slowly, please?" → Request

Activity 2: Role-Play a Situation

Work with a partner. Read the situation and have a short conversation.

Situation: Student A is trying to reach a book on a high shelf but is too short. Student B sees this.
(Student B should make an offer of help. Student A should accept politely.)

Key Phrases for Reference

• Offer (Function)
  To ask if someone wants help or wants something. (e.g., "Would you like some help?")
• Request (Function)
  To politely ask someone to do something for you. (e.g., "Could you pass the water, please?")

Your Functional Mission ⭐

This week, your mission is to perform one offer and one request.

1. Offer: Find a situation where you can offer help to someone. Use a phrase like, "Can I help you?"
2. Request: Politely ask someone to do something small for you. Use a phrase like, "Could you pass me the menu, please?"