shall I call you or can I call you? (2024)

FAQs

Which is correct shall I call or can I call? ›

“Shall I call you"? or May I call you"? are more appropriate. “Can I call you" ? means to talk about your ability to call someone. It does not mean asking permission.

“Should I call you” would be interpreted as, “I don't really want to call you, but I will if you think it is necessary.” “can I call you” is much more likely to be interpreted as, “I would really like to call you if you think it would be OK.”

But asking can is an informal way of requesting permission. This is because it really asks about ability - but we do use it in this informal sense all the time. The formal way of requesting permission is to ask “May I call you?” - but outside formal situations, this sounds stilted.

Both are correct depending on the tense and the sentence. “ Can I come” is used when you are interested in something and you want to go there while ““shall I come” is used when you do not want to go, but if some one says yes you can also come in.

We use shall only with the first person pronouns I and we to make predictions or express intentions: The new business cards will be ready at the end of the month.

Well as commented by others, more information is needed to give good answer but generally when you are using "can" as a permission, the past form as in "Could I meet with you?" is considered to be more polite and formal also if you want to be more formal you can use "may" instead of "can" or "could".

That's a polite way to ask if it is OK to call someone even though it might be an inconvenience.

You don't have to demand it, or be too forward. Just let him know you want him to give you a call. You can even ask him to call you about something specific, so it seems less romantic. Try something like, “Give me a call if you ever want to check out that new movie” or “Call me if you need help with the homework.”

How do you politely ask someone for a talk? ›

I need a minute or two of your time when you can… just need to tell you something. I know you're busy, but when you have minute can we talk? Please, see me when you have a minute. Nothing urgent/it's urgent.

Please reach out to me when you have some time [1]. Give me a ring when you're not busy [1]. Call me at your earliest convenience [1]. Please get in touch with me when you're able [1].

“Can” means “is it physically possible?” while “may” means “is it permissible?”. Even if it is a question of whether the person you are hoping to speak to is in the office, it is more polite to use “may”. In casual conversation “can” is often used when “may” would be the correct form.

Both “Can I ask" and “May I ask" is intended for permission. but “may" version is more polite than use of can. For Better Sentence, “may" is more appropriate. Both are correct.

The word 'shall' is used to show strong intention/assertion about an action that will happen in the future. 'Shall' is used more in formal writing than 'should'. The word 'should' is used to give suggestions/advice. It's also used when one is talking about probable situations.

Speak usually only focuses on the person who is producing the words: He spoke about the importance of taking exercise and having a good diet. Talk focuses on a speaker and at least one listener, and can mean 'have a conversation': I hope I can meet you to talk about my plans for the company.

Maybe a more polite option would be: “I will contact you soon.” or “I will contact you as soon as I can.” Otherwise, it's good to add reasons to your original sentence “I will call you later”, such as: “I will call you as soon as I can.” / “I will call you when I finish work.”

Table Summarising the Difference between 'May I' and 'Can I' The word 'May I' is used to ask for permission. The word 'Can I' is used to refer to possible abilities or to seek permission.