關於May的意思和用法的提問

A: @akiho919

まあ、言っとくけど、寝ちゃうかもしれない。。。

A: Yeah sometimes when I answer the phone (if it's a friend or family member), I say "Hey what's up"

A: 最初にかけてきた人との通話を保留にして通話中着信の相手［後からかけてきた人］と話す

A: There is no reason not to, so you are probably going to do it.

A: "May I know you?" is not a natural phrase, so I'm not sure what you mean..

Do you mean "Do I know you?" or "May I get to know you?"

A: Might is the past tense form of may and is typically used in questions or requests.
Your purse might be in the living room.
I might go to the movies.
I might go with you to the park.
May is typically used to talk about possibility.
She may be at home.
May I use your bathroom? (can also use "might", but "may" is more natural)
Jack may be angry.
May I ask you something?
May I borrow you pen? (can also use "might", "can I -" is the most natural)

A: Where is she??

I don't know,but maybe she is in her house

A: "May I" is more formal, but they mean exactly the same :)

A: May I .... is used to ask permission politely in English.
May I borrow your car please?

It can be reversed for a question
I'd like a biscuit if I may?
If I may? I'd like to go to bed now.

I can also be used to wish for things in the future.
May I live to see 100.

A: May !
Uma forma adequada de pedir ou perguntar algo !
May i go to the bathroom please ?
May i drink water teacher ?
May you help me William ?

A: @youme: They have the same meaning (asking for clarification), but the first one sounds VERY polite. Additionally, the second one can only be used during phone calls (since they are "calling about" something.)

Here are two situations:

Situation #1: A customer walks into a company. The secretary greets them.
Customer: "I need to talk to the owner right now about something important."
Secretary: "May I ask what this is in reference to?"
Customer: "It is about a recent sale."

Situation #2: You call your friend, but she doesn't answer. You call her back later.
Your friend: "Hello?"
You: "Hello! What were you calling about?"
Your friend: "Oh, I wanted to ask you a question."

A: @Emi85614: In normal conversation, they often mean the same thing, but "May I" is more polite.
"Can I" in some cases is about a person's capability to do something, like "Can I lift this?" or "Can I get her to like me?" "May I" is always asking for permission, like "May I take a look?"

A: Can I ask is the least polite out of the three.

May I ask is the politest.

Do you mind if I ask is used when you don't want to be a burden or be rude to the other person. Considering the polite level, "Do you mind if I ask" is the same as "May I ask". However, "May I ask" should be used to someone older or someone who has a higher status than you.
Meanwhile "Do you mind if I ask" should be used to someone equal to you that you haven't talked to before or to someone who you're not really close with.

Example.
Your at you first day at school. Everyone are strangers to you.
There are 3 cases in which you can use each of the questions above.
1.You can use "Do you mind if I ask" to be polite to one of the other students to show that your a modest person.If you use "May I ask" to a student the same age as you, the situation will get awkward for both you and him.
2.If you want to be seen as an outgoing or cool person then you can use "Can I ask you something?/Can I ask you a question?"
3."May I ask" should only be used towards a teacher or someone older than you. However, you do not have to use "May I ask" to someone 1~3 years older than you especially at a school.

Example #2

"Hey,um, do you mind if I ask you a question about the homework we were given yesterday?"

"Can I ask you a question mate?It's nothing special, just wanna know something about you."

"Excuse me, may I ask where the toilet is?"
"May I ask who you are?"
"May I go to the toilet, Mr Wasson?"

A: Hmm...

May and maybe are most often used in these ways:

May: I may buy a new car.
In this sentence, may is used to describe the possibility of you buying a car. May is often used when you are still considering. It doesn't lean towards yes or no. It sounds neutral.

May: you may want to eat soon.
In this sentence, the speaker is suggesting that the other person should eat. It sounds fairly polite.

May: may I try?
The speaker is using may to ask about the possibility of trying. Basically, they are asking for permission. It sounds polite.

May: you may go.
The speaker is giving the other person permission to leave. It is often used in certain phrases. It can also be considered impolite if used in certain ways.

Maybe: maybe tomorrow.
Maybe can be used to describe the possibility of something happening.
Less polite than may in most cases but It is used when you want to keep your answer short. Girls sometimes answer with maybe when they don't want to say no directly.

Here's an interesting one.

May be: he may be coming.
It is used almost like may. The only difference is that you need to have BE separate when the verb is using its ING form.

Probably: it is probably midnight.
Probably is used to describe the possibility of something. It suggests that the speaker assumes that something is true. It is more casual but it can be used in formal context.

Perhaps: perhaps he got lost...
It describes the possibility of something. It is fairly neutral but it can be used several ways. It is considered more polite than maybe.

May, may be, and probably are used a lot.

Perhaps it's used more often in novels and official letters.

I wouldn't worry too much about how formal they sound. English formality will come with time. I highly doubt you could offend an American by using perhaps instead of probably...

I hope this helps you.

-13emj

A: It sounds unnatural to ask: can I beg your pardon as it is like asking whether you are able to, whereas, 'may I beg your pardon' is asking whether you are allowed to.

A: “May I take your temperature” or “Can I take your temperature.” “Can I” is more casual.

A: it's an interpretation of peace be with you and I think it's from a TV show called star wars

A: u said Sara tora tora kha rahi ha so I replied that of ur comment

A: May I go out for a moment? ( = May I leave for a moment?)

If you have sent a child to their room, the child might ask "May I come out for a moment?" ( = May I come out of my room for a moment?)

If you arrive at someone's house unexpectedly, you might ask "May I come in for a moment?" ( = May I come into your house for a moment?)

A: you're correct. 冗談をいってもいいですか means "may I say a joke?" or "can I say a joke?"

A: Yeah I think it's good

A: The common expression is African American. But I think any discriminatory language is offensive. Saying ( black American) is discrimination..

A: 1. "May I look the word up IN my dictionary?"
2. "Come on. You can check it out." This is OK unless it is supposed to be a reply to the first sentence. It doesn't make sense as a reply to the first sentence.

A: It is natural

A: Informal: Where do you live?.
But I think yours is more polite.