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Lívia Sundell Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Can I or May I

I remember that when I was little in a high school in San Francisco, my teacher used to react in a "funny" way when we asked "can I go to the bathroom" instead of "may I go ...".
My question is: have you ever had a teacher who only accepted "may I go to the bathroom"?
And you yourself see any difference between "may I go" and "can I go"?
xoxo,
Livia
  

Top answer

' is correct when asking permission. Most of us ignore them.

— Fivejedjon

  • ' is correct when asking permission.
  • Most of us ignore them.
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6 Answers
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There are still people who insist that only 'May I ?' is correct when asking permission. Most of us ignore them.
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Lívia Sundellhave you ever had a teacher who only accepted "may I go to the bathroom"?
Yes, but she wore sensible ground-gripper shoes and put her graying hair up in a bun, so few of us paid much attention to her quirky advice.
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While I agree with what has been said above, I still feel that in certain very polite situations "May I ... ?" is more suitable.
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I'm afraid we've had the same "up-in-a-bun-graying-hair" teacher. ??????

I remember she didn't like the question "can you speak French" either, because everybody CAN as long as they have a mouth, so the question "do you..." was more suitable, in her opinion.
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Literally beaten into me as a child, I find it hard to let it go now, though I would not try to impose it on others.
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Lívia SundellI remember she didn't like the question "can you speak French" either, because everybody CAN as long as they have a mouth, so the question "do you..." was more suitable, in her opinion.
I can speak French (well, up to a point, anyway), but I never do.
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