Could I speak to someone?

Could I speak to someone?
Could I speak to someone? & Can I speak to someone? & May I speak to someone?
the phrase used to request to talk to a particular person, usually on the telephone. (Also used with

talk

in place of

speak

.) •

Tom (answering the phone): Good morning, Acme Air Products. With whom do you wish to speak? Bill: Can I speak to Mr. Wilson? Tom: One moment.

Sally: May I speak to the manager, please? Clerk: Certainly, madam. I'm the manager.


Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • speak for someone — speak for (someone/something) to express the opinions or wishes of someone. I can t speak for my boss on something that is so personal. Tokarczyk believed that her poetry could speak for the nation …   New idioms dictionary

  • speak — W1S1 [spi:k] v past tense spoke [spəuk US spouk] past participle spoken [ˈspəukən US ˈspou ] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(in conversation)¦ 2¦(say words)¦ 3¦(language)¦ 4¦(formal speech)¦ 5¦(express ideas/opinions)¦ 6 so to speak 7 speak your mind …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • speak - talk — Speak and talk have very similar meanings, but there are some differences in the ways in which they are used. When you mention that someone is using his or her voice to produce words, you usually say that they are speaking. He hadn t looked at me …   Useful english dictionary

  • speak for something — speak for (someone/something) to express the opinions or wishes of someone. I can t speak for my boss on something that is so personal. Tokarczyk believed that her poetry could speak for the nation …   New idioms dictionary

  • speak for — (someone/something) to express the opinions or wishes of someone. I can t speak for my boss on something that is so personal. Tokarczyk believed that her poetry could speak for the nation …   New idioms dictionary

  • speak — /spi:k/ verb past tense spoke past participle spoken 1 IN CONVERSATION (intransitive always + adv/prep) to talk to someone about something or have a conversation: speak to sb about sth: I intend to speak to the manager about the way I have been… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • could — [[t]kəd, STRONG kʊd[/t]] ♦ (Could is a modal verb. It is used with the base form of a verb. Could is sometimes considered to be the past form of can, but in this dictionary the two words are dealt with separately.) 1) MODAL You use could to… …   English dictionary

  • talk - speak — Speak and talk have very similar meanings, but there are some differences in the ways in which they are used. When you mention that someone is using his or her voice to produce words, you usually say that they are speaking. He hadn t looked at me …   Useful english dictionary

  • speak·er·phone — /ˈspiːkɚˌfoʊn/ noun, pl phones chiefly US : a feature on a telephone that allows you to talk and listen to someone without holding the receiver to your head [count] We used the speakerphone for the call so that everyone could hear what was said.… …   Useful english dictionary

  • can - could - be able to — These words are used to talk about ability, awareness, and the possibility of something being the case. They are also used to say that someone has permission to do something. These uses are dealt with separately in this entry. Can and could are… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Business speak — Business speak, also management speak refers to a particular syntax often used in large organizations. The tone is associated with managers of large corporations, business management consultants, and occasionally government. The term is typically …   Wikipedia

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