In this video we teach you some extremely useful ways to respond to requests in English. No matter if the request is formal or informal, whether you accept it or decline it, we show you some appropriate responses that will always give you something polite and suitable to say after ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

TRANSCRIPT

Put the money in the bag.

That was one of the ways
to make a request
we looked at
in our last video.
But how do we respond
to these requests?
That’s what we’ll talk about
in today’s lesson.
In our previous video,
we looked at different ways
to make a request
from the most direct
to the most polite.
But how should you respond?
If you’d like to say ‘yes’
to the request,
there are many ways to do so.
No matter whether the request
is polite or direct,
you can choose one of these
most common responses.

Yes, sure.
Certainly.
Of course.
No problem.
Absolutely.

All these responses
sound polite and will work
for all the requests
except one of them.
Which one of these requests
will require
a negative response
if you want to agree to it?
The verb ‘to mind’
means to oppose something.
So if a bank teller says

Yes, actually I do mind.

It means that she
does not agree
to put the money in the bag.
So if you agree
to the request,
you need to say ‘no,
I don’t mind’.

Would you mind
putting the money in the bag?
No, I don’t mind.
Would you mind
waiting at the bar
while we prepare your table?
No, I don’t mind.
Would you mind giving me
the defibrillator pads?
No, I don’t mind.

So how do we say ‘no’
to all the other requests?

I’m sorry, but I can’t.
I’m afraid I can’t.
Unfortunately, I can’t.
Regrettably, I can’t.

If you want to be polite
when rejecting
a request, you could offer
an explanation.

I’m afraid I can’t because
we don’t handle cash here.
I’m afraid I can’t because
you didn’t say ‘please’.
I’m afraid I can’t
because that’s a toy gun.

What other ways do you know?
Let us know in the comments.
At the end of this video,
there will be a link
to a video specifically
about making a request with
the phrase ‘would you mind’.
And that’s it.

No it’s not.
Tell them to subscribe.
Could you ask them
more politely?
Oh, okay.
Would you kindly ask
our viewers to subscribe
to our channel? Oh, right.
Remember to click
that subscribe button.
And if you like this video,
please share it with a friend.
Bye now!