Everyday English · CEFR A2 · Everyday
Shall I…? Would you like…? — Everyday english
Would you like takes a noun or "to" plus a verb. "Do you want" says the same thing and sounds blunt to most listeners.
The shape
Shall I + verb · Would you like + noun or to + verb
Offer help or offer somebody something.
In Hindi
would you like के बाद संज्ञा या "to" + क्रिया आती है। "do you want" वही कहता है, पर रूखा लगता है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
Would you like drinking tea? | Would you like to drink tea? "Would you like" takes "to", never -ing. |
Shall I…? Would you like…? examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
Would you like some tea?
क्या तुम्हें चाय चाहिए?
Would you like some help?
क्या तुम्हें मदद चाहिए?
also correct: Do you need any help?
Do you have coffee?
क्या आपके पास कॉफी है?
Would you like something to eat?
क्या तुम्हें कुछ खाना है?
Would you like anything else?
क्या आपको कुछ और चाहिए?
Can I help you?
क्या मैं आपकी मदद कर {सकता|सकती} हूँ?
also correct: Shall I help you?
Would you like cold water or normal water?
तुम्हें ठंडा पानी चाहिए या सामान्य पानी?
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- shallA2Offer to do something, or suggest doing it together
- will / wouldB1Soften what you say so it does not sound blunt
Questions people ask
- What is the shall i…? would you like…? used for?
- Would you like takes a noun or "to" plus a verb. "Do you want" says the same thing and sounds blunt to most listeners. In practice: offer help or offer somebody something.
- How do you form the shall i…? would you like…??
- Shall I + verb · Would you like + noun or to + verb.
- What is the most common mistake with the shall i…? would you like…??
- Saying “Would you like drinking tea?” instead of “Would you like to drink tea?”. "Would you like" takes "to", never -ing.
Where shall i…? would you like…? fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
Shall I…? Would you like…? is a CEFR A2 structure — the everyday band — and it belongs to everyday english. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
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