Asking a teacher for help or making a request


I would like to ask for help or make a request to a person to whom I should
show respect. Are the following both ok, or is one of them better?

> 例：Teacher, can you teach me OO?  
>  先生、OOを教えていただいんですか。  
>  先生、OOを教えてくださいますか。

> 例：Teacher, can you show me OO?  
>  先生、OOを見せていただいんですか。  
>  先生、OOを見せてもらえませんか。  
>  先生、OOを見せてくださいますか。




First, the level of politeness and use/non-use of keigo should be fairly
consistent between members of the class. Being overly formal towards the
teacher when everyone else uses less formal speech would be odd and
distracting. As you are together in the same environment nearly every day,
maintaining the same level of politeness in your speech (unless used for
effect) in the class is important.

For this reason, I would suggest the following:

> 「先生、＿＿＿を教えてください。」 ’Teacher, please teach me _____.’
>
> 「先生、＿＿＿を教えてくださいませんか？」 ‘Teacher, won’t you teach me _____?’
>
> 「先生、＿＿＿を見せてください。」 ‘Teacher, please show me _____.’
>
> 「先生、＿＿＿を見せてくださいませんか？」 ’Teacher, won’t you show me _____?’

That being said, your conjugation of いただく is incorrect. It would be:

> 「先生、＿＿＿を教えていただきたいんですが。」 ’Teacher, I would like you to teach me _____.’
>
> 「先生、＿＿＿を教えていただいてよろしいですか？」 ’Teacher, could you teach me _____?’
>
> 「先生、＿＿＿を教えていただけませんでしょうか（いただけないでしょうか）？」 ‘Teacher, couldn’t you possibly teach
> me this?’

Again, I don’t believe that using the いただく form would be the best mode of
address in this case. If used towards customers or in other environments where
you are expected to be more honorific and deferential it would be appropriate.

Use of もらう seems a bit too supplicating and/or needy and is not necessarily
appropriate in this setting. Not bad, just not necessary given the
circumstances.

Finally, at the end of your post you write 「ありがとうございます」. As there has not yet
been anything done for you this would be strange. Even in English this would
have been strange not too long ago. Saying thank you for something that has
neither been given nor agreed to comes off as out of sequence or even a bit
pushy. It would be better to say よろしくお願いします。 I know you didn’t ask about this,
but many others do the same thing and I thought it should be mentioned
nonetheless.




First, the level of politeness and use/non-use of keigo should be fairly
consistent between members of the class. Being overly formal towards the
teacher when everyone else uses less formal speech would be odd and
distracting. As you are together in the same environment nearly every day,
maintaining the same level of politeness in your speech (unless used for
effect) in the class is important.

For this reason, I would suggest the following:

> 「先生、＿＿＿を教えてください。」 ’Teacher, please teach me _____.’
>
> 「先生、＿＿＿を教えてくださいませんか？」 ‘Teacher, won’t you teach me _____?’
>
> 「先生、＿＿＿を見せてください。」 ‘Teacher, please show me _____.’
>
> 「先生、＿＿＿を見せてくださいませんか？」 ’Teacher, won’t you show me _____?’

That being said, your conjugation of いただく is incorrect. It would be:

> 「先生、＿＿＿を教えていただきたいんですが。」 ’Teacher, I would like you to teach me _____.’
>
> 「先生、＿＿＿を教えていただいてよろしいですか？」 ’Teacher, could you teach me _____?’
>
> 「先生、＿＿＿を教えていただけませんでしょうか（いただけないでしょうか）？」 ‘Teacher, couldn’t you possibly teach
> me this?’

Again, I don’t believe that using the いただく form would be the best mode of
address in this case. If used towards customers or in other environments where
you are expected to be more honorific and deferential it would be appropriate.

Use of もらう seems a bit too supplicating and/or needy and is not necessarily
appropriate in this setting. Not bad, just not necessary given the
circumstances.

Finally, at the end of your post you write 「ありがとうございます」. As there has not yet
been anything done for you this would be strange. Even in English this would
have been strange not too long ago. Saying thank you for something that has
neither been given nor agreed to comes off as out of sequence or even a bit
pushy. It would be better to say よろしくお願いします。 I know you didn’t ask about this,
but many others do the same thing and I thought it should be mentioned
nonetheless.

