GIVE ANSWERS - English

Қазір дауыс бер!Жауап бердіLanguage Question
I want to ask for a toilet in a restaurant. How can I say that politely?

GIVE ANSWERS

AussieInBg profile picture AussieInBgAugust 2023
It depends on whether you are using British English or American English.

There are many different ways to do it. Here are just a few...

In British English, you might simply ask ”Could you please tell me where the toilets are?”.

For the women’s toilets, you might ask ”Could you tell me please where the ladies is?” (many female toilets in Britain have ”ladies” written on the door).

For the men’s toilets, you could ask ”Could you tell me please where the gents is?” (many male toilets in Britain have ”gentlemen” on the door).

American English is a little different. You might ask ”Can you tell me where the bathroom is, please?”.

As an Australian, I find it weird that Americans refer to a toilet politely as ”bathroom”!

If you try to use the British English polite forms which mention the word ”toilet”, many Americans would be offended. Similarly, if you use the American form with many British English speakers, you might end up being directed to the room with a bath or a shower!

”Can” as a modal in British English for a request would be regarded as informal and not so polite. ”Could” in American English is highly formal but normal politeness in British English.
  • AussieInBg profile picture AussieInBgAugust 2023
    @Xophe Not necessarily. I’m quite sure that at many beach resorts in India or Sri Lanka where it’s primarily British-like English, the waiter at the restaurant might well be directing you to a shower or a bath. I’m sure this would be the case in Fiji.

    That might also be the case in places like Kenya, Nigeria and Malaysia.

    There are huge parts of the English-speaking world who are not particularly familiar with American-specific English...
  • Xophe profile picture XopheAugust 2023
    Thumb up for your answer, but if a restaurant waiter is stupid or rude enough to ask me if I want to take a shower or a bath, I’ll hear: ”I’m not only an incompetent employee, but also a despicable individual, so get the F out of here because the cook was hired by the same manager.”
Xophe profile picture XopheAugust 2023
Back in the days, I’ve heard ladies ask where they could ’powder their nose’, but I guess people would now wonder whether they’d refer to the outside or the inside of it.

As a man, I’d ask where I could wash my hands, even if I wouldn’t feel a biological urge. Because I was taught to do so prior to having a meal. But, in a restaurant, I’d try and find the kitchen first. Then, I’d check the bathroom/restroom/toilet/lavatory/water-closet.

  • AussieInBg profile picture AussieInBgAugust 2023
    ”power your nose” is very American English. 1950’s films from the US are full of this expression.

    Indeed, a question of whether this powder is being used to sculpt the inside or outer part of the nose.

    In Australian English, you might ask where the washroom is if you want a place where you can wash your hands. If you are too delicate to say the word ”toilet” or even ”ladies” or ”gents”, then you might inquire about where the ”washroom” is, in the hope that a toilet is in the vicinity of the wash basin.