English Requests & Suggestions 101: Politeness is King

a year ago
When you make a suggestion to someone, you want to be polite. Here are some tips:

Use words like "maybe" or "perhaps" to soften your suggestion.
If you are talking to an adult or someone important, be extra polite. Say things like "Would it be okay if..."  “Do you have…*  *How does that sound?*  *Let me know if..*  *Would you like to…*
Use the normal present tense verbs. Don't worry about fancy grammar.
Pay attention to how people talk in real life, not just in textbooks.
Think about who you are talking to. Talk differently to your friend than your teacher.
Use "you" or "we" differently depending on who has more power.  Use "we" if you have have less power, e.g. you are a team member.  Use "you" if you are a manager or leader, giving instructions to your team.
Learn new ways to make suggestions by studying real conversations.
Practice making suggestions in different situations.
The big ideas are: be polite, pay attention to who you are talking to, learn from real talking, and practice! If you do these things, you will get much better at making suggestions politely in English.

Reference:
Santos, Denise and Gláucia V. Silva, “Making Suggestions in Workplace: Insights from Learner and Native Speaker Discourses” Hispania 91.3 (2008): 642–655
---------------------------------
An Example Of A Conversation With Polite Requests And Suggestions

The polite phrases are marked with *...*

Guide: Welcome to New York City! My name is Sam and I'll be your guide today. *What would you* like to see while you're here?

Visitor: Hi Sam, nice to meet you! I'm not really sure what I'd like to do. This is my first time visiting. *Do you have any* suggestions?

Guide: Of course! New York has so much to offer. *Perhaps we* could visit Central Park? It's a nice place to start and you can see a lot of the city from there.'

Visitor: That sounds good! I've heard Central Park is beautiful. *Maybe* afterwards we could check out some museums or landmarks?

Guide: Excellent idea! *We could possibly* go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It has something for everyone. Or *perhaps* we could go to the Statue of Liberty and take the ferry out to see it up close. *How does that sound?*

Visitor: Seeing the Statue of Liberty sounds perfect! I would love to get a closer look at it. Also, *would it be okay* if we stopped to get some pizza or local food on the way? I want to try all the famous NY foods!

Guide: No problem! There are lots of great places to grab a bite in the city. We can certainly incorporate that into our tour. *Let me know if* you have any other requests as we go. I'm here to show you the best of New York!

Visitor: This is great, thank you for all the suggestions! I'm excited to explore the city with your guidance. *Do we have time* to go shopping? I want to get some souvenirs.

Guide: Absolutely! We could go shopping in Times Square or visit some local stores. *Would you like to* do that before or after seeing the Statue of Liberty? I'm happy to adjust our schedule.

Visitor: *Could we* go shopping after the Statue of Liberty? I don't want to be carrying bags around all day. You've been so helpful coming up with this plan for us!

Guide: You're very welcome! I'm happy to offer options and make this a fun, memorable visit for you. Let's go have a great day in New York City!