Asking for things

To ask for something you can use ‘Can I have…?’ or ‘Could I have…?’. You can make your question more polite by adding please.

Can I have some more potatoes, please?

Can I have two tickets?

Can I have a timetable, please?

Can I have a map of the city, please?

Could I have the keys, please?

Could I have a cup of coffee, please?

Could I have another towel, please?

To say that you want something, use ‘I’d like…’

I’d like a single room, please.

I’d like an apartment in the suburbs.

I’d like a home with a terrace.

I’d like a room with an attached bathroom.

To describe what you want, say ‘I want…’ or ‘I’m looking for…’

I’m looking for a house with a garden.

I’m looking for a small laptop with a CD drive.

I’m looking for a private English tutor.

I’m looking for a stenographer.

I want to rent a car for two weeks.

I want a good camera.

Use ‘I need’ to say that it is important for you to have something.

I need someone to mow my lawn.

We need a guide who can speak English.

I need two tickets for the concert.

To ask if a shopkeeper sells what you want, use ‘Do you sell…?’ or ‘Have you got…?’

Do you sell cameras?

Do you sell books?

Have you got any mangoes?