How to Form Polite Questions

Introduction

In English-speaking interviews, how you ask a question is just as important as the question itself.

If you speak too directly, it might come across as too strong or even impolite, even if that is not your intention.

Small shifts can make you sound more collaborative and reflects the indirect communication style in English-speaking teams.

For example, instead of, "Do you want me to explain it?", try…

• Would you like me to explain it?

• Should I explain it?

• Would you prefer I explained it?

Example Clarification Questions

As covered in How to Ask Clarifying Questions, it's very important to ask questions before jumping straight into solutions in technical interviews.

Below are some example polite sentence structures that you can use when clarifying the problem:

• Should I just talk you through my approach or would you like me to code it out?

• Do we need to consider very large inputs, like millions of users?

• Is it okay if I share my screen?

• Would you prefer I start with the brute-force solution?

• Is it safe to assume that the input will always be positive?

• Would you mind repeating the different data types again?

Notice how many of the examples use modal verbs like would and should.

Modal verbs help you ask questions in a way that sounds less like a command and more like a suggestion.

💡 Think about how you could use the structures above not only in interviews but also in your daily work life.

Would you mind sending me the link to the documentation you wrote on best practices?

Is it okay if we reschedule the meeting to next week?