So you could say “Could I speak with you for a minute?” – that’s also possible, but I think the most common way to say it is “could I talk to you for a minute”. Now, some students ask me the difference between talk to, talk with, speak to, and speak with, and in this case, there really isn’t any difference between them.
#JUST A QUICK WORD ABOUT PROFESSIONAL#
They would be used in more professional situations, but if you’re in a more informal situation, like with your friends, then you would probably ask somebody like this: “Could I talk to you for a minute?” or “Could I talk to you for a second?” This is just the more informal way of expressing your desire to speak with that person.
Now, “Could I have a word with you?” and “Do you have a moment?” are a little bit formal. The person might answer “Yes, of course,” and then you can continue the conversation or the person might answer “I’m a little bit busy” and in that case, you’d have to wait until later to speak with that person. So, “do you have a moment?” is a way to respect that person’s time. For example, you called a person on the phone, or you went to your co-workers office to visit them, and “do you have a moment?” is a way to ask if the other person has time to talk with you, if they are available and not busy. So the question “could I have a word with you” is a polite and indirect way to express to that person that you want to talk to him/her privately, away from the other people.Ī similar question for asking to talk with somebody is this: “Do you have a moment?” “Do you have a moment?” is more frequently used when you’re just talking to one person. “Could I have a word with you” is used when you are in a group of people, there are multiple people.įor example, in a meeting at work with your colleagues, and you want to talk with just one person from the group alone, privately without the other people listening. The first phrase I want to teach you today is actually a question it is “Could I have a word with you?” Now, this question simply means can I talk with you, and it’s used in a very specific situation.
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