Asking for Permission ESL Games, Activities & Worksheets
May I...?
ESL May I Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Communicative Practice
In this free asking for permission speaking activity, students practice asking for, giving and refusing permission using cards as prompts. On one side of the card is a permission prompt and on...
Picture This
ESL Asking for Permission Game - Speaking: Drawing Pictures, Guessing, Forming Questions - Pair Work
In this creative asking for permission game, students draw pictures of situations where people ask for permission and a partner tries to guess the 'Can I...?' question for each one. First, in two groups, students...
Can I...?
ESL Can I Game - Speaking: Matching Questions and Answers - Group Work
In this engaging asking for permission game, students ask permission to do different things using 'Can I...?' and race to find the person who gives permission. Each card contains three 'Can I...?' questions that ask for permission and nine replies...
Can I... yes or no?
ESL Modals of Permission Game - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing, Communicative Practice - Pair Work
In this fun modal verbs of permission game, students ask for permission to do various things and guess whether their partner is going to grant or refuse permission. This game helps students...
Perfect Partners
ESL Asking for Permission Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Communicative Practice
In this communicative asking for permission activity, students practice asking for, giving and refusing permission. Students imagine that they are going to try to find their perfect partner by asking, giving...
Asking for Permission Board Game
ESL Asking for Permission Board Game - Speaking: Forming Questions - Group Work
This free asking for permission board game helps students practice asking for, granting and refusing permission using a variety of phrases. In groups, players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counter along the board. When a player lands...
Do you mind if I...?
ESL Asking for Permission Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Communicative Practice
Here is a communicative asking for permission activity to help students practice asking for permission with 'Do you mind if I...?' and responding by either granting or refusing permission. Students go...
12 Ways to Ask Permission
ESL Asking for Permission Game - Speaking: Gap-fill, Guessing - Pair Work
In this enjoyable asking for permission game, students practice 12 ways to ask permission by guessing missing words in questions. In pairs, one student begins by guessing the missing words in the first question that asks for permission. Their partner...
Is it alright if I connect four?
ESL Asking for Permission Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Forming Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work
In this useful asking for permission game, students play Connect Four by using common phrases to form questions that ask for permission. To begin, the first player chooses a square. The other player...
Permission Granted!
ESL Asking for Permission Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Writing Sentences, Word Completion - Speaking Activity - Pair Work
Here is a productive asking for permission worksheet to help students practice language for asking, granting and refusing permission. First, students use polite...
Permission to Play
ESL Asking for Permission Games - Vocabulary: Miming, Guessing, Matching - Pair Work
Here are two entertaining asking for permission games to help students practice a variety of common phrases that ask for permission. In pairs, students begin by playing a miming game where they...
Would it be alright if I...?
ESL Asking for Permission Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Gap-fill, Categorising, Forming Questions and Answers, Rewriting Sentences - Speaking Activity - Pair Work
In this comprehensive asking for permission worksheet, students practice phrases for asking, giving and refusing permission. First, students read two...
Using Permission Language
Permission language covers the words and phrases people use to request the right to do something, from casual everyday requests like 'Can I borrow your pen?' to more formal expressions like 'Would it be alright if I left early?' Students who rely on only one or two of these phrases, typically just 'Can I...?', risk sounding blunt or inappropriately casual in situations where a more careful form is expected, such as when speaking to a manager or addressing someone they have just met.
This page covers asking for permission across A1-A2, A2, B1, and B2 levels, with twelve resources including speaking games, card activities, and worksheets, with two available as free downloads.
The phrases below show how permission requests shift in formality, from the most casual classroom expressions to the kind of careful language students need in professional or formal situations. The table below maps the most common permission phrases from least to most formal, with an example and a note on when each one fits naturally.
| Formality Level | Permission Phrase | Example | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very informal | Can I...? | 'Can I have a look at that?' | Friends, classmates, informal settings |
| Informal | Could I...? | 'Could I use your phone for a second?' | Acquaintances, relaxed workplace exchanges |
| Neutral | May I...? | 'May I come in?' | Neutral, polite situations with a slight formal edge |
| Polite | Do you mind if I...? | 'Do you mind if I open the window?' | Colleagues, strangers, situations needing care |
| More formal | Would it be alright if I...? | 'Would it be alright if I brought a colleague?' | Managers, authority figures, formal requests |
| Formal | Is there any chance I could...? | 'Is there any chance I could take Friday off?' | Senior colleagues, workplace negotiations |
| Very formal | Do you think I could...? | 'Do you think I could have a moment of your time?' | High-stakes formal situations, unfamiliar authority figures |
When to Ask for Permission
Informal and Everyday Situations: Speakers use casual permission phrases when they need a quick, low-stakes answer from someone they know well, and 'Can I...?' signals informality and familiarity, as in 'Can I grab a seat here?'
Workplace Requests: In professional settings, speakers shift to more careful phrasing to show respect for authority and avoid coming across as presumptuous, as in 'Would it be alright if I worked from home on Friday?'
Politely Softening a Sensitive Request: When a request might inconvenience someone or feels awkward to raise, speakers use longer and more tentative structures to give the listener an easy way to refuse, as in 'Do you think I could possibly leave a little early today?'
3-Step Framework for Teaching Permission Language
1. Build Confidence With a Controlled Card Activity: Before students can circulate freely, they need a structured first encounter with permission phrases where students get clear prompts and responses stay simple. A card activity where one side shows the permission prompt and the other shows a tick or cross handles this well: students know immediately whether to grant or refuse permission, so all their attention goes on producing the request phrase correctly rather than worrying about what to say in response.
2. Add a Guessing Element to Make the Language Stick: Once students are comfortable with basic permission phrases, introduce a game that adds a prediction layer. A card game where students pick up a permission card with a modal verb and prompt, form a question, then guess whether their partner will grant or refuse before the partner picks up a response card to reply, rewards students for reading social cues as well as producing accurate language, which is exactly the real-world skill that permission language requires.
3. Push Students Into More Formal and Varied Phrasing: At the top of the level range, students need to move beyond 'Can I...?' and handle a full range of permission expressions fluently. A Connect Four game that forces students to form a permission question using the specific phrase on a chosen square, triggered by a situation card read aloud by their partner, makes students practice phrases like 'Is there any chance...' in context rather than in isolation, and gives them immediate peer feedback on whether the question is correct and appropriate before they can claim the square with an X or O.
Common Mistakes with Permission Language
Using 'Can I...?' in Formal Situations: Students often use 'Can I...?' regardless of the social context, not realizing it sounds too casual or even rude when addressing someone in authority or making a sensitive request. Wrong: 'Can I leave work early today?' Correct: 'Would it be alright if I left work early today?'
Answering 'Do you mind if I...?' with 'Yes': Students often answer 'Yes' to mean they agree, not realizing that 'Yes, I do mind' signals refusal, which causes confusion when they intend to give permission. Wrong: 'Do you mind if I open the window?' 'Yes, go ahead.' Correct: 'Do you mind if I open the window?' 'No, not at all.' or 'No, go ahead.'
Common Questions About Teaching Asking for Permission
What is a fun game for practicing asking for permission?
In the game Picture This, students draw pictures to represent 'Can I...?' questions and a partner guesses what each one is, scoring three points for a correct first guess, two for a second, and one for a third. Turning permission phrases into visual puzzles gives students a reason to think carefully about what each request actually means.
What is a good board game for asking for permission?
For practicing asking for permission, the free board game Asking for Permission Board Game is a good choice because it forces variety: students must combine a verb card with the permission phrase on the square they land on rather than repeating the same question. If the group decides the phrasing is wrong, the player goes back two squares.
What is an effective worksheet for teaching asking for permission?
An effective choice for this is the worksheet Would it be alright if I...?, which builds systematically. Students first identify and produce permission phrases from two model dialogues, then write their own questions and responses, then rewrite short dialogues to make them more polite, moving from recognition to production in a single activity.
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