🗣 Polite English Practice: Mastering Requests & Permissions with Can and Could (Free ESL PDF). A printable, conversation-rich ESL worksheet to teach learners how to ask for permission and make polite requests naturally.

🗣 Polite English Practice: Mastering Requests & Permissions with Can and Could (Free ESL PDF)

🗣 Polite English Practice: Mastering Requests & Permissions with Can and Could (Free ESL PDF)

Want to help your ESL students sound more natural and polite when they ask for help or permission? This free printable lesson plan and worksheet is designed to do just that!

With fun pairwork and easy-to-follow exercises, this activity helps students understand the subtle but important differences between “can” and “could”, and how to use them to make polite, clear requests in English.

Perfect for A2 to B1 learners, this engaging PDF lesson is great for practicing real-life interactions in a way that feels authentic and confidence-boosting.

📝 What’s in the Lesson?

A. Request Building with Can and Could
Students are given common real-life scenarios (e.g., asking to open a window, borrowing something, etc.) and must turn them into polite questions using can or could.
Then they practice them with a partner for fluency and pronunciation.

💬 Example:

Scenario: Ask someone to drive you to the airport.
➤ Could you drive me to the airport, please?

B. Student-Created Requests
Students write their own original requests and permission questions using can or could.
Then, they mingle and practice asking other classmates—building fluency and confidence with repetition.

C. Politeness Upgrade Activity
In this fun and often funny part, students are given rude, direct requests and must rewrite them using polite expressions with can and could.

💡 Example:

❌ “Lend me 50 dollars.”
✅ “Could you lend me 50 dollars until tomorrow, please?”

This not only teaches grammar and formality, but also opens up great class discussion around tone, cultural norms, and professional English.

🔍 Key Focus Areas

Polite structures using can and could
Asking permission vs. making a request
Tone & formality in English conversations
Building practical speaking skills through repetition

✅ Why ESL Teachers Love It

✔️ 100% speaking-focused
✔️ Works for pairs, small groups, or whole class
✔️ Ideal for general English, business English, or exam prep
✔️ Encourages creativity and classroom interaction

Polite English Practice