COULD YOU? Hotel English Asking for help. English for BEGINNERS

COULD YOU? Hotel English Asking for help EASY PATTERN ENGLISH English Speaking 360 for BEGINNERS

Explanation + Quiz

“COULD YOU ___?” for Asking for Help in a Hotel

When staying at a hotel, it’s important to know how to politely ask for help with problems or requests. One very polite way to do this is by using the phrase “Could you ___?” Here’s a simple structure to follow:

  1. Start with a polite introduction like “Excuse me” to get the staff’s attention.
  2. State the problem or situation briefly.
  3. Make your request politely using “Could you” followed by the action you need.
  4. End with “please” to keep it polite.

Here are some example scenarios:

Example 1: No Towels

Problem: You don’t have towels in your hotel room.

  1. Start: “Excuse me,”
  2. Problem: “There are no towels in my room.”
  3. Request: “Could you bring me some towels, please?”

Complete Example:
“Excuse me, there are no towels in my room. Could you bring me some towels, please?”


Example 2: Forgot Your Key

Problem: You forgot your key card inside the room.

  1. Start: “Excuse me,”
  2. Problem: “I forgot my key card in my room.”
  3. Request: “Could you open my door, please?”

Complete Example:
“Excuse me, I forgot my key card in my room. Could you open my door, please?”


Example 3: Room Cleaning

Problem: Your room hasn’t been cleaned yet.

  1. Start: “Excuse me,”
  2. Problem: “My room hasn’t been cleaned.”
  3. Request: “Could you send housekeeping, please?”

Complete Example:
“Excuse me, my room hasn’t been cleaned. Could you send housekeeping, please?”


Example 4: Extra Blanket

Problem: You need an extra blanket.

  1. Start: “Excuse me,”
  2. Problem: “It’s a bit cold in my room.”
  3. Request: “Could you bring me an extra blanket, please?”

Complete Example:
“Excuse me, it’s a bit cold in my room. Could you bring me an extra blanket, please?”


Key Points:

  • “Could you” is more polite than “Can you,” so it’s perfect for formal situations like asking for help in a hotel.
  • Always include “please” to make the request even more polite.

This is a useful structure to practice when you want to ask for help politely while traveling!


Practice

Quiz: Asking for Help in a Hotel Using “Could You ___?”

1. Problem: The remote control for the TV is missing. What would you say?

  • A. Excuse me, the remote is missing. Could you bring me a remote, please?
  • B. I don’t have a remote, bring me one.
  • C. Can I get a remote?

2. Problem: You need more towels in your room. What would you say?

  • A. Can I get towels in my room?
  • B. I need more towels.
  • C. Excuse me, there are no towels in my room. Could you bring me some towels, please?

3. Problem: The air conditioning isn’t working. What would you say?

  • A. Can you fix the AC?
  • B. Excuse me, the air conditioning isn’t working. Could you send someone to fix it, please?
  • C. The AC is broken, fix it.

4. Problem: You need help with your luggage. What would you say?

  • A. Could you help me carry my luggage, please?
  • B. Bring my bags upstairs.
  • C. Can someone help me with my bags?

5. Problem: The minibar needs restocking. What would you say?

  • A. Can you refill the minibar?
  • B. Excuse me, could you restock the minibar, please?
  • C. There’s nothing in the minibar.

6. Problem: You’re out of soap in the bathroom. What would you say?

  • A. Could you bring me some soap, please?
  • B. I don’t have any soap, bring some.
  • C. Can I get soap for the bathroom?

7. Problem: The Wi-Fi password is not working. What would you say?

  • A. Excuse me, the Wi-Fi password isn’t working. Could you help me with that, please?
  • B. What’s the Wi-Fi password?
  • C. Can you fix the Wi-Fi?

8. Problem: You need extra pillows for the bed. What would you say?

  • A. Bring me some pillows.
  • B. Excuse me, could you bring me some extra pillows, please?
  • C. Can I get pillows?

9. Problem: The shower isn’t working properly. What would you say?

  • A. The shower is broken. Fix it.
  • B. Excuse me, could you send someone to fix the shower, please?
  • C. Can you fix the shower?

10. Problem: You’d like a wake-up call for 7 a.m. What would you say?

  • A. Set a wake-up call for me.
  • B. I need a wake-up call for 7 a.m.
  • C. Excuse me, could you schedule a wake-up call for 7 a.m., please?

11. Problem: You’re not sure what time check-out is. What would you say?

  • A. Excuse me, could you tell me what time check-out is, please?
  • B. What time do I check out?
  • C. When do I leave?

12. Problem: The room is too hot and you’d like to adjust the temperature. What would you say?

  • A. It’s too hot in here, change the temperature.
  • B. Excuse me, could you help me adjust the temperature in my room, please?
  • C. Can you lower the temperature?

13. Problem: You would like to order room service. What would you say?

  • A. I need food in my room.
  • B. Excuse me, could you send some room service to my room, please?
  • C. Can I get some food?

14. Problem: You’re out of coffee in the room. What would you say?

  • A. Excuse me, could you bring me some more coffee, please?
  • B. Can I get more coffee?
  • C. I need more coffee now.

15. Problem: You need a taxi to the airport. What would you say?

  • A. Excuse me, could you call me a taxi to the airport, please?
  • B. I need a taxi.
  • C. Can you get me a taxi?

16. Problem: You need directions to the gym. What would you say?

  • A. Could you show me the gym?
  • B. Excuse me, could you tell me where the gym is, please?
  • C. Where’s the gym?

17. Problem: The room key isn’t working. What would you say?

  • A. My key’s not working.
  • B. Excuse me, could you help me with my room key, please?
  • C. Can I get another key?

18. Problem: You need to ask about laundry services. What would you say?

  • A. Excuse me, could you tell me how to use the laundry service, please?
  • B. I need laundry service.
  • C. Where’s the laundry?

19. Problem: The phone in the room doesn’t work. What would you say?

  • A. Can I get a new phone?
  • B. Excuse me, could you fix the phone in my room, please?
  • C. My phone is broken.

20. Problem: You would like some water in your room. What would you say?

  • A. Excuse me, could you bring me some water, please?
  • B. Can I get some water?
  • C. I need water in my room.

Answer Key

  1. A, 2. C, 3. B, 4. A, 5. B, 6. A, 7. A, 8. B, 9. B, 10. C, 11. A, 12. B, 13. B, 14. A, 15. A, 16. B, 17. B, 18. A, 19. B, 20. A
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