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Lesson 4

Essential Polite Expressions

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Hello! Welcome to your fourth lesson.

In our last few lessons, you have learned how to introduce yourself and ask for someone's name. You can now manage a basic first conversation. Today, we'll learn how to make these conversations more friendly and polite.

This lesson focuses on four essential expressions: please, thank you, sorry, and excuse me. Using these words correctly is very important in English for daily conversations, travel, and work situations. Since you are also learning French, you will find they are very similar to s'il vous plaît, merci, désolé/pardon, and excusez-moi.

By the end of this lesson, you will know when and how to use these key polite words to sound natural and respectful.

1. The Four Essential Polite Words

In English, a few small words can make a big difference. Let's look at the four most important ones.

Polite Expressions in English
This image shows five common polite expressions. We will focus on four of them today: "Please," "Thank you," "Excuse me," and "I'm sorry."

Here is a simple guide to when to use each one:

  • Please: Use this to make a request more polite. You can add it to the end or beginning of a question.

    • Example: "Can you help me, please?"
    • Example: "Please pass me the salt."

  • Thank you: Use this to show you are grateful when someone helps you or gives you something. The common response to "Thank you" is "You're welcome."

    • Example:
      • A: "Here is your coffee."
      • B: "Thank you."
      • A: "You're welcome."

  • Excuse me: Use this in two main situations:

    1. To get someone's attention before you ask a question.
    2. To ask someone to move so you can pass.
    • Example 1: "Excuse me, what time is it?"
    • Example 2: "Excuse me, can I get past?"

  • Sorry: Use this to apologize when you make a small mistake.

    • Example: You step on someone's foot. You say, "I'm sorry." or just "Sorry."

2. Polite Words in Context

Now let's see how these words work in real situations. Reading and listening to examples is the best way to learn.

First, please read a short text that explains these words with clear examples in mini-dialogues.

Meeting New People and Being Polite in English

This article from 'Aula54' clearly explains when to use 'excuse me', 'please', 'I'm sorry', and 'thank you'. The examples are very practical.

Please scroll down to the heading 'Using “excuse me”, “please” and “sorry”'. Read this short section carefully. Pay attention to the explanations and the example dialogues.

Now that you've seen the words written down, let's listen to them in natural conversations. This will help you understand the flow and pronunciation.

Learn English with 100 Dialogues | Polite Small Talk for Beginners (A1-A2)

This video from 'Enjoy English Practice' contains many short dialogues. It's a great way to hear how these polite words are used in everyday small talk.

Please watch two parts of the video: From the beginning (00:03) to 00:45. From 07:15 to 08:51. Listen for 'please', 'thank you', and 'excuse me'. Notice how they fit into the conversations.

Did you notice the difference between "Excuse me" and "Sorry"?

  • We often say Excuse me before we do something (like ask a question or interrupt).
  • We often say Sorry after we have done something wrong (like bumping into someone).
Test your understanding!

Choose the best polite word for each situation: please, thank you, excuse me, or sorry.

  1. You are in a café and you want the waiter's attention. You say: "____________, can I have the menu?"
  2. The waiter brings you the menu. You say: "____________."
  3. You accidentally drop your fork on the floor. You say: "Oh, ____________."
  4. You want to ask for a glass of water. You say: "Can I have a glass of water, ____________?"
Show answer
  1. You are in a café and you want the waiter's attention. You say: "Excuse me, can I have the menu?"
  2. The waiter brings you the menu. You say: "Thank you."
  3. You accidentally drop your fork on the floor. You say: "Oh, sorry."
  4. You want to ask for a glass of water. You say: "Can I have a glass of water, please?"

Lesson Summary

Great work today! Adding these simple words to your vocabulary is a big step toward sounding more natural and friendly in English.

Key takeaways from today's lesson:

  • Use please to make requests polite.
  • Use thank you to express gratitude.
  • Use excuse me to get attention or to pass somebody.
  • Use sorry to apologize for mistakes.

You have now completed the first module of the course! You can recite the alphabet, greet people, introduce yourself, ask for a name, and use essential polite expressions.

Preview of the Next Lesson

In our next lesson, we will begin a new module. We will move from single words and phrases to building complete sentences. We will start with the most fundamental verb in the English language: the verb 'to be'. You will learn how to use words like 'am', 'is', and 'are' to talk about who you are, where you are from, and how you feel. See you then

End of Module,Exit lesson