Polite English Phrases for Daily Life: Ask Someone to Move episode artwork

EPISODE · May 6, 2026 · 10 MIN

Polite English Phrases for Daily Life: Ask Someone to Move

from The Speak Confident English Podcast · host Annemarie — Speak Confident English

"Please move." It sounds polite. It isn't. Even "excuse me, please move" still comes across as a command in English. So what do native speakers actually say when someone is standing in your way at the grocery store, sitting too close on the bus, or blocking the hallway? In this episode, you'll learn the polite English phrases for daily life that turn a demand into a real request; the small words and phrases that most English courses never teach. You'll learn: ▪️ How to ask someone to scoot over or slide down when you need a little more space ▪️ How to politely squeeze past or slip past someone blocking your path ▪️ How to reach across or around someone without it feeling intrusive ▪️ When to use "sorry" and when to use "excuse me" Each phrase comes with real-life examples — on the subway, in a hallway, at a busy meeting — plus a chance to practice using them yourself. Episode Timestamps:  00:00 Why not "Please move"? 01:41 From rude to polite 03:18 Ask someone to move 05:42 Squeeze past someone 07:38 Reach across someone Full written lesson: https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/polite-english-phrases-for-daily-life-ask-someone-to-move Get my free training, Get the Confidence to Say What You Want in English: https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/say-what-you-want-in-english/ These small phrases make a bigger difference than you'd expect and they're easier to use than you think.   --- Thank you for listening! I share new episodes every Wednesday. Make sure you click the follow button to get notified. If you prefer video or want closed captions, you can watch all my episodes on YouTube → ⁠https://www.youtube.com/speakconfidentenglish⁠   COME SAY 'HI!' Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/speakconfidentenglish/⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/speakconfidentenglish⁠   MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU: How to Get the Confidence to Say What You Want in English (Free Fluency Training) → https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/say-what-you-want-in-english/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review! It really helps get encouragement and actionable advice to nonnative English speakers around the world.  

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 6, 2026

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