Questionwhich better#email#workplace
Which is better in email: "Can you send the file?" or "Could you send the file?"
Both feel fine to me. Is one more polite for clients?
1 answer
Close the loop
Read the answers, then practice this phrase live with a language partner.
Yo
2
Correction
Can you send the file?
Could you send the file when you have a moment?
"Could" softens the request; adding "when you have a moment" shows respect for the reader's time.
"Could you" is slightly more polite and common in client-facing email. "Can you" is fine with close colleagues. For extra polish: "Would you be able to send the file when you have a moment?"