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Servlette Posted 22 years ago
Grammar
Required Modern Sentence
Hi,
I am from South Asia.
The form of English used here is mainly British, though as elsewhere American is beginning to make itself felt because of the explosion of the internet.
We retain some words that have fallen out of fashion in Britain.
Suppose I want a favour or something to be done, I would write to a friend like "Kindly do the needful".
I am told this sentence is out of fashion or never used in Britain. I feel that I speak English of 1940's.
Could anyone tell me what is the equivalent sentence spoken in Britian/America nowadays for "Kindly do the needful".
So far, I've been using this sentence in my official mails whenever I send e-mail to my American clients. I want to be sure whether my American clients really understood what I tried to say.
Thanks in advance.
With regards,
Servlette.
I am from South Asia.
The form of English used here is mainly British, though as elsewhere American is beginning to make itself felt because of the explosion of the internet.
We retain some words that have fallen out of fashion in Britain.
Suppose I want a favour or something to be done, I would write to a friend like "Kindly do the needful".
I am told this sentence is out of fashion or never used in Britain. I feel that I speak English of 1940's.
Could anyone tell me what is the equivalent sentence spoken in Britian/America nowadays for "Kindly do the needful".
So far, I've been using this sentence in my official mails whenever I send e-mail to my American clients. I want to be sure whether my American clients really understood what I tried to say.
Thanks in advance.
With regards,
Servlette.
Top answer
As a speaker of AmE, it sounds to me as if you are asking me to use the toilet, Servlette! '
- As a speaker of AmE, it sounds to me as if you are asking me to use the toilet, Servlette!
- '
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21 Answers
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As a speaker of AmE, it sounds to me as if you are asking me to use the toilet, Servlette! If I were requesting a favour, I would write 'I would be grateful if you would ....'
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Servlette,
You must be from India. All the Indian people I know write that phrase in e-mails. No offense, but we Americans do have a good chuckle over it. In most of the contexts where I have seen it used it has meant "Please handle this case" or "Please handle this situation/problem" or "Please help me/us solve this problem" or "Please do whatever is necessary to resolve this probl
You must be from India. All the Indian people I know write that phrase in e-mails. No offense, but we Americans do have a good chuckle over it. In most of the contexts where I have seen it used it has meant "Please handle this case" or "Please handle this situation/problem" or "Please help me/us solve this problem" or "Please do whatever is necessary to resolve this probl
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"Kindly do the needful"
I agree with the other responders.
Asking me to "kindly do the needful" could
1) get you reported to Human Resources
2) get me fired or arrested if i really did that in public/at my desk.
I have only recently been introduced to this phrase although I was born in the US and have survived here for 38 years.
"kindly do the needfu
I agree with the other responders.
Asking me to "kindly do the needful" could
1) get you reported to Human Resources
2) get me fired or arrested if i really did that in public/at my desk.
I have only recently been introduced to this phrase although I was born in the US and have survived here for 38 years.
"kindly do the needfu
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Americans find "Kindly do the needful." to be insulting. We read it as "Hey Dumb a** you should have already done this, so do it now".
To us it assigns blame, or makes it seem as if we have overlooked/avoided something. Just ask for what you would like done and say thank you after the request.
To us it assigns blame, or makes it seem as if we have overlooked/avoided something. Just ask for what you would like done and say thank you after the request.
00
Well you have two options that would work best:
"Please take care of this"
or
"Go **** yourself" [6]
Both work great for getting the point across and getting something done in a timely manner.
Hope I helped!
"Please take care of this"
or
"Go **** yourself" [6]
Both work great for getting the point across and getting something done in a timely manner.
Hope I helped!
00
The phrase "do the needful" will definatly be understood by your American clients, though it is, at least in technology companies, instantly recognizable as being of south asian origin. An analagous phrase in english is "do what is necessary" or "do what needs to be done". These are both perfectly good substitutes, though a bit formal sounding. You could also ask someone to "Take care of
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This is a typical phrase in . However, this is viewed as an insult or a derogatory phrase for those who are not familiar. At best, "Do the needful" is an order and is not viewed 'kindly'...
There are many other options:
a) Please take care of this.
b) I'd appreciate if you could look into this issue.
c) I'd be grateful if you could handle this problem.
d) Co
There are many other options:
a) Please take care of this.
b) I'd appreciate if you could look into this issue.
c) I'd be grateful if you could handle this problem.
d) Co
00
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0 The truth is "Kindly do the needful" has absolutely no direct translation. In an email, formal or informal, Americians do not have an "exit line" that says anything remotely close to that. I'm sure it's a culture thing, but americians see this as you saying "Do your job." It seems more like a command and less like a friendly jesture. 02 br
02 br
00 Agreed, Americians see "Kind
02 br
00 Agreed, Americians see "Kind
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1 blockquote
01 cite 10 Anonymous 12 cite 12 br10 I can't agree with you that it's a completely formal letter. I would agree that it's common and appropriate in most workplace settings, but it's a far cry from 01 i
10 This is a completely formal letter for a common inter-office/business email. 12 br
12 br
12 blockquote
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