infi_mob

[sinful turtle]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[untold geyser]

"est-ce que c'est possible de payer maintenant/tout de suite (s'il vous plaît)" is correct. "Puis-je payer maintenant/tout de suite, s'il vous plaît" is also correct.

Otherwise, there's also "est-ce qu'il est possible de ..." which for me is slightly more formal than "est-ce que c'est possible de..."

I think you can also use "directement" as a way of saying "immediatly", for instance: "Je peux payer directement s'il vous plaît ?"

[cobalt plume]

Thank you for the detailed answers!

Does "est-ce que c'est" and "est-ce qu'il est" mean the same thing, i.e. "is it?"

[cobalt plume]

Wouldn't it be "Puis-je" instead of "Je peux" when asking a question?

[untold geyser]

Both are correct, "puis-je" is more formal

But when speaking (casually), we often skip the inversion when asking questions.

If you add the "s'il vous plait" at the end then it's formal enough for you not to worry about using "puis-je ?" or "je peux ?"

[untold geyser]

In that case, they both mean "is it", yes.

But there are some uses where "il" may correspond specifically to a masculine subject.

"Est-ce qu'il est content ?" = "Is he happy ?"

[cobalt plume]

Ah I didn't know this. So for example if I wanted the bus driver to open the door (he had forgotten once) I could have said "Vous pouvez ouvrir la porte, SVP?" instead of "Pouvez Vous ..." ?

[untold geyser]

In the previous case it's like an impersonal expression (is it possible to...)

[untold geyser]

yes, the "s'il vous plaît" adds a lot of "politeness" to the sentence

without it, it might sound a bit too informal just saying "vous pouvez ouvrir la porte ?"

But when I think about it, even though "pouvez-vous ouvrir la porte ?" sounds a bit more formal than "vous pouvez ouvrir la porte ?", the key addition is "s'il vous plaît" in both cases 😄