Fun with telemarketers

Redwolf · **Posted:** Fri 04 Apr 2014 12:04 am

WeeFalorieMan wrote:

franc 91 wrote:

Deirim - 'could I ?' agus 'may I ?' agus 'puis-je ?'

Everybody I've ever heard says "Can I …?"
"May I?", "Might I?", and "Could I?" would sound very stilted and unnatural if anybody were to talk that way where I live.

One nice thing about "Can I …?" is that it matches nicely with "An féidir liom …?"

I have never, in my entire life, until the other day, had someone call me and say "can I speak with the person who makes the financial decisions?" or "can I speak with the lady of the house?" "May I" is such a set phrase here in these situations that it really stands out when someone doesn't use it. It's different if it's a quick, casual, call to someone you know ("Yo! Can I speak to Doug?"), but in this kind of situation it would always be "may I...?"

Redwolf

WeeFalorieMan · **Posted:** Fri 04 Apr 2014 12:50 am

Redwolf wrote:

I have never, in my entire life, until the other day, had someone call me and say "can I speak with the person who makes the financial decisions?" or "can I speak with the lady of the house?" "May I" is such a set phrase here in these situations that it really stands out when someone doesn't use it. It's different if it's a quick, casual, call to someone you know ("Yo! Can I speak to Doug?"), but in this kind of situation it would always be "may I...?"

My last comment was posted to help franc to sound more like a fluent natural speaker of English.
If he were talking to his dad, for example, he would normally say, "Dad, can I borrow the car?"

Oh, by the way, I was reading a little dialogue from GaelTalk to-day and ran across this:
An féidir liom cabhrú leat? – Can I help you?

beagle · **Joined:** Mon 05 Sep 2011 1:45 am **Posts:** 267

Years ago my mother and another Irish woman worked with 2 women who persisted in speaking in a language unknown to the others. This went on all day. My mom and the other woman did not have another language so they began using what Irish they knew, All day they recited the Hail Mary.The others got the message and began speaking English

Mick · **Joined:** Fri 18 Nov 2011 2:27 pm **Posts:** 622

WeeFalorieMan wrote:

Oh, by the way, I was reading a little dialogue from GaelTalk to-day and ran across this:
An féidir liom cabhrú leat? – Can I help you?

This reminded me of something I meant to ask before. When staff in shops/bars/cafés etc. ask "Are you ok?" or the more formal "Are you being served?", what do they say in Irish? And is "An féidir liom cabhrú leat" common, because I don't think I've heard it before.

Sidenote: I had a hard time typing that, my browser kept auto-correcting it to "An féidir limo cabhrú lead."

Redwolf · **Posted:** Fri 04 Apr 2014 5:08 pm

Mick wrote:

Sidenote: I had a hard time typing that, my browser kept auto-correcting it to "An féidir limo cabhrú lead."

Auto-correct is the bane of my existence!

Redwolf

Braoin · **Joined:** Sat 17 Sep 2011 11:52 pm **Posts:** 460

Redwolf wrote:

Got another marketing call today. Warned by the delay, and then the click, before the person started talking, I think I responded appropriately:

Caller: Hello?

Me: Dia dhuit

Caller (long pause): Can I speak with the financial decision-maker in the house, please? (She lost major points right there for not saying "may I").

Me: Cé thusa?

Caller: Excuse me?

Me: Nach dtuigeann tú mé? Cé thusa?

Caller: Do...you...speak...English?

Me: Tá Béarla agam, cinnte, ach ní maith liom é a labhairt. An bhfuil Gaeilge agat?

Caller: Does...any...one...there...speak...English?

Me: Cén fáth? Nach bhfuil aon Ghaeilge agat ar chór at bith?

Funny...I have no idea why she hung up on me!

Now tell me again why you don't have time to practice speaking Irish!

Genius - pity I wasn't there to hear it... LOL...

Bríd Mhór · **Joined:** Sun 28 Aug 2011 8:29 pm **Posts:** 3001

Mick wrote:

WeeFalorieMan wrote:

Oh, by the way, I was reading a little dialogue from GaelTalk to-day and ran across this:
An féidir liom cabhrú leat? – Can I help you?

This reminded me of something I meant to ask before. When staff in shops/bars/cafés etc. ask "Are you ok?" or the more formal "Are you being served?", what do they say in Irish? And is "An féidir liom cabhrú leat" common, because I don't think I've heard it before.

Sidenote: I had a hard time typing that, my browser kept auto-correcting it to "An féidir limo cabhrú lead."

There is nothing wrong with "An féidir liom cabhrú leat?" but more naturally it might be better to say -
An dtastaíonn cúnamh uait?
An bhfuil tú ok ansin?

franc 91 · **Posted:** Sat 05 Apr 2014 2:47 pm

What would be the equivalent of that in Munster ?

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