2

I am writing an email to an important person to attend. I would like to ask him about his schedule. Is the following sentence correct and polite?

I was wondering if you could give me more details of your flight so that I can meet you at the airport?

or I need to change "can" to "could" in order to use tense correctly?

Improve this question
2
  • 3
    That sounds perfect. No change is needed for could.. Or you can consider using "I would appreciate it if you could ~~~~ – user24743 Sep 29 '15 at 3:59
  • 1
    Alternatively you can use, "I would appreciate it if you could provide more details of your flight so that I can meet you at the airport." – pedram Sep 29 '15 at 4:22
1

You do not need to add "can", However, your construction of "details of your flight" is awkward. I would recommend one of the following:

"I was wondering if you could give me your flight details..."

or

"I was wondering if you could give me more details about your flight..."

Improve this answer
4
  • I prefer would over could in this context. The person is probably capable of sharing their flight details; we're asking if they are willing to share them. – ColleenV Sep 29 '15 at 19:23
  • often in speech, "could" is used to mean the same as "would be willing to", as opposed to its literal meaning of "to be capable of". – Liam Sep 29 '15 at 20:05
  • I didn't mean to imply it was incorrect - when I'm speaking I use them interchangeably quite often. I prefer more precise wording in formal writing. – ColleenV Sep 29 '15 at 20:40
  • "Would be willing" is certainly more formal, and will sound better in professional writing. Sorry, I misunderstood. – Liam Sep 29 '15 at 21:17

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy