Business English phrases that combine the request word "would" and the use of "please" are some of the best polite phrases you must learn. The combination of "would" and "please" signal your English is polite, pleasant and correct in business meetings, presentations and small talk with clients and colleagues. English has almost 500,000 words and phrases, but polite Business English uses a subset of 20,000 words and phrases that you should know and use so native English speakers admire and respond to how you speak and write. The episode summary is below.

Episode Summary:

Sometimes you may need to ask for repetition or clarification of something another person has said.

Some of the situations where this might happen include:

Someone is talking to you but you can’t understand.

You might be a in noisy place and can’t hear the person.

You might not understand a piece of slang the other person used.

You might not understand the way the other person speaks English.

They might have a heavy accent or be speaking in a dialect you don’t understand. There are so many different ways English is spoken, depending on the country the person is from and what part of their country they are from. Sometimes the speaker might be a non-native English speaker and they have an accent.

The key idea is to use one of these phrases and for the most polite English, use “would” instead of “could”.

Would is more polite, more formal and more classy when making a request.

Here are some examples of how would can be used. Next we will use these in polite requests.

Would is used in three ways.

1. Would you like = Would you like to sit down? (This is a polite invitation or offer).

2. Would you mind = Would you mind moving down one seat? (tentative request with some worry that it will cause inconvenience or offense).

3. Would it be possible = Would it be possible for you to pick me up on your way to work? (similar to would you mind, used to make an inquiry about a desired action or request for a favor).

Here are eight key polite phrases you can use to ask for clarification when you don’t understand something.

For the first two examples, we use the word “catch”.

Usually, catch is used with a ball like to catch a ball in baseball or American football where the ball lands in your hand.

Here, imagine you are trying to catch their words.

1. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Would you say it again, please?

2. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Would you repeat that, please?

3. Would you say that again, please? I want to make sure I understood you.

4. I’m sorry, I’m not following you. Would you repeat it, please?

5. I don’t think I understood what you said. Would you explain it again, please?

6. I don’t think I understood you clearly. Would you explain it again, please?

7. I missed that. Would you explain it again, please?

8. I missed that. Would you repeat it, please?

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