Being polite is important in all languages especially if you are asking someone to help you. We all know that if we want things to be done whether in our personal or professional lives, it pays to be polite. You won’t get far by being rude or impolite. Different cultures have different ways of tackling politeness.

所有語言當中禮貌都是非常重要的，特別是當你尋求幫助時。不管是在我們日常生活或是工作場合，要事情能夠順利辦成禮貌是必要的條件。如果粗魯、沒禮貌，你絕對不可能有更好發展。在不同文化中，表達禮貌的方式也會不同。

In English Language cultures, the need to be polite and to use the correct expressions is essential. Not only will people appreciate it, they will see you as a competent English Language speaker.

在英語文化中，會使用一些正確的表達是禮貌的基本要求。別人不僅會對欣賞你的禮貌態度，也會認為你的英文水平很棒。

There are a few polite expressions that are frequently used in the English Language and it is important for learners to know how to use them correctly and in the right context. I’d like to share with you 5 of the most widely used polite expressions and show you how to use them correctly.

一些禮貌用語在英語中非常的常用，大家應該在適當的場合正確地運用。以下就是5個最常用表達，以及正確使用方法。

1. Excuse Me

不好意思

You would use “excuse me” if you need to go past somebody, for example, if they’re blocking your way.

當別人擋了你的路，你需要從他們身邊繞過時，你應當用這個短語。

Similarly, if you need to get someone’s attention you would start the phrase with “excuse me”:

如果你要引起別人的注意，你應該用這個短語開頭。

Excuse me, could you tell me the way to Charing Cross station?

不好意思，請問到查令十字街怎么走?

Excuse me, do you have the time?

不好意思，你現在有時間嗎?

Excuse me, is this seat taken?

不好意思，這兒有人坐嗎?

2. Sorry

對不起

We love saying “sorry” especially in the UK!

特別是英國人超愛將對不起。

Sorry or I’m sorry is frequently used when we need to apologise for something small, for example, if you’re late or you’ve made a small mistake:

當為些小事情道歉時，可以用這個短語，例如遲到或是翻了小錯誤。

Sorry I’m late. The traffic was terrible.

對不起我來晚了，堵車太厲害了。

I’m sorry, I didn’t realise that you were in the queue.

不好意思，我不知道你在排隊。

“I beg your pardon” is a formal expression which you might hear someone use.

“請原諒我”是比較正式的表達。

I beg your pardon, I didn’t see you standing there.

請原諒我，我沒看到你站那兒。

You would use Pardon? or Sorry? if you haven’t heard or understood what someone has said and you want them to repeat it.

當你沒有聽清或是不明白別人講的話希望他們重復一遍時，你可以用Pardon或Sorry。

Pardon? I didn’t quite hear that. Could you repeat the number please?

不好意思，我沒有聽清楚，你可以將數字重復一遍嗎?

Sorry? Did you say 30 or 13?

不好意思，你是說30還是13?

Sorry is more used than pardon. A student once told me that their teacher had told him ‘pardon’ was an old-fashioned word and not used. Whilst it may not be as common as ‘sorry’, ‘pardon’ is still used and you wouldn’t come across as a strange person!

Sorry比pardon更常用。有學生提出他們老師說pardon已經過時了，沒有人再用了。其實雖然sorry更常見，但pardon還是有人在用，別人也不會覺得你用得很奇怪。

One expression that is most definitely not polite is “What?”. If you use it when you haven’t heard or understood something, you may get some disapproving looks from the other person.

注意，當你沒有聽清或是不明白別人講的話時不要回應What，這是非常不禮貌的，別人可能對你側目。