Requests with “will” and “would”

How’s it going everyone?

Making requests in a language which is not your mother tongue can sometimes be nerve wracking as you always want to make sure that you are polite when making the request. Don’t worry though! Today, we are going to be talking about a couple of ways which you can make requests in English but still be polite.

Using “will” to make requests

“Will” is the auxiliary verb for the future simple tense but can also be used when requesting someone to do something. It is important to bear in mind that “will” is a more casual way of making the request than using the conditional.

Examples:

• Will you close the door, please?
• Will you help me cook dinner, please?
• Will he do his homework before we go out, please?

“Will” can also be used in a similar fashion to “can” when requesting someone to do something.

Using “would” to make requests

“Would” is the auxiliary verb in conditional but may also be used when we make requests in English. Unlike “will”, using “would” is a much more polite way to make your request to someone in English.

Examples:

• Would you close the door, please?
• Would you help me cook dinner, please?
• Would he do his homework before we go out, please?

What is the best one to use?

You can obviously use “will” and “would” at your discretion, although it is much more recommendable to use “would” when you are making request to people who you are not familiar with. “Will” would be more with people who you have a comfortable, common relationship with.

If you would like to know more regarding making requests in English with “will” and “would”, you can sign up for free to ABA and check out unit 42 for more handy hints and tips

Good luck!