UrbanPro

Location Set your Location

Login Ask & Answer Success Stories Paid Courses Free Classes Tuition & Classes Fees Write a Review All Categories Help Center
Post your Learning Need Signup as a Tutor
✕

Popular Cities

Bangalore

Hyderabad

Delhi

Mumbai

Chennai

Pune

Kolkata

Gurgaon

Ahmedabad

Jaipur

Noida

✕

Learn Spoken English from the Best Tutors

  • Affordable fees
  • 1-1 or Group class
  • Flexible Timings
  • Verified Tutors

Book a Free Demo

Spoken English > Learn Spoken English > Is there a difference between Shall I come in and...
✕

Search in

Is there a difference between Shall I come in and May I come in?

Asked by Last Modified  

62 Answers

Learn Spoken English

Follow 3
Answer

Please enter your answer

Trainer

One big difference is that may is more formal second difference is shall has probability Wether the doer is asking to go in or not... where as may has courtesy to ask the person to whom your are addressing.
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

English Language Tutor, GRE Verbal and Writing Tutor

Yes. The former is less polite than the latter. "Shall" indicates a strong assertion while "may" asks for permission and indicates possibility.
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

.Net and WPF coaching with interview cracks and mock interviews

There is a very subtle difference. You will ask "May I come in?" when you want to go in and are asking for permission and say "Shall I come in?" when you don't really want to go but will go in if someone says "Yes please come in." The latter is used like, if your dad is reading his paper on the couch...
read more
There is a very subtle difference. You will ask "May I come in?" when you want to go in and are asking for permission and say "Shall I come in?" when you don't really want to go but will go in if someone says "Yes please come in." The latter is used like, if your dad is reading his paper on the couch and he hears a big crash in the kitchen and is concerned your mom must have fallen but its a big inconvenience to actually get up and go and see, so he will shout from the couch, "What was that? Are you ok dear? Shall I come and help you?." If your mom says yes then he goes in else he doesn't bother. read less
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

Shall I - Asking what to do May I - Asking for permission or future possibility
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

teacher with passion

Yes of course...shall and may are two modal auxiliary verbs.shall is mainly used expressive of offers, , suggestions and requests. May is used to ask for permission.
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

Yes Ganeshan. There is a difference between these two. When you ask someone ''Shall I come in?'', it sounds like you are ordering someone to let you in. However, when you say ''May I come in?'', it is more polite and sounds like you are requesting a person to allow you to come in. That's the only difference...
read more
Yes Ganeshan. There is a difference between these two. When you ask someone ''Shall I come in?'', it sounds like you are ordering someone to let you in. However, when you say ''May I come in?'', it is more polite and sounds like you are requesting a person to allow you to come in. That's the only difference between these two. When you ask someone's permission to allow you to do something, you should be polite in your language because you want his/her permission.So, you are requesting that person politely by asking him ''May I come in?''. ''Shall'' is a bit harsh, so it doesn't go well with asking permission to do something. Now, I hope I have cleared your doubt Ganeshan. read less
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

Certified IELTS Tutor with 15 yrs of teaching experience.

Shall and may are both modal auxiliary verbs. However ; Shall is used when making suggestions, offers or requests. Whereas ; may is used mainly when asking or granting permission
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

Tutor

yes may i come in is a polite way of getting permition.where as shaii i come in shows that u r just want to enter with out any care
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

Financial Accounting Expert

Shall I come in, conveys a simple question asking whether he will come in at a future point of time. Think in terms of an actor seeking directions in a play, that whether he will enter or not. The word 'may' in the question conveys the act of seeking permission at that instance only.
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

Improver

Shall i come in means if there is your requirement or not in the room. May i come in means you yourself want to go in and just want to get in
Comments
Dislike Bookmark

View 60 more Answers

Related Questions

Why do you learn English for?
It's an International language most commonly used and understood around the globe. All offices use English as a medium of conversation. be it trade, education etc....
Santosh
0 0
9
Sir, I need to learn English. My English is very poor, and I want to improve my English knowledge. Please help me.
Firstly, I would suggest to avoid negative words like 'Poor', 'Weak' etc. Being negative brings your moral down further. Anyway you dont have to be sorry that you are weak in english, because that is not...
Pankaj
How can I improve my spoken English by self preparation and self practice?
First know about English language and then try to speak it. You may speak it with your family, friends and neighbours first. They won't be making fun but they can help you to improve your speaking. You...
Rakesh
0 0
8
I want to learn & speak English language fluently. What I do. I am pursuing graduation. I am very bad in English
Hi Mohit, Start by watching English news channels, as they would speak without the accent, which would help you understand the matter in a better way. Also, read one novel/ story book everyday, as that...
Mohit
Is English grammar based on logic?
Yes
Somil

Now ask question in any of the 1000+ Categories, and get Answers from Tutors and Trainers on UrbanPro.com

Ask a Question

Related Lessons

Subject and predicate
Subject is the person, place, animal or thing that the sentence is about. Predicate tell us what the subject is or does. Examples: Subject: Varun goes out for a walk every day. ...

Denny Davis

0 0
0
PARAGRAPH
A paragraph is a group of sentences put together in a logical way. Example: The television is a useful gadget of modern times. It is also a source of...

Denny Davis

0 0
0
6 Tips & Tricks to continue the Habit of Speaking English Language in Daily Life
Hello friends and students and welcome to Indian Institute of Professional Development - IIPD & Today we will share top tips on how to improve your English language.I know even if you people are learning...

IIPD - Indian Institute of Professional Development

2 0
1
use of "some and "any"
Some Countable and uncountable Some is used with both countable and uncountable nouns: Countable Nouns - 'Some people in my school like Jazz.'Uncountable Nouns - 'There was some snow here last winter.' Positive...

Krithika N.

0 0
0
English Conversation : Meeting an Old Friend
1. to bump into someone: to meet someone by chanceI bumped into Greg at the store.She bumped into her ex-friend at the concert.2. to be back in town: to return to town after being gone for a period of...

Sridevi D.

1 0
0

Recommended Articles

Learning foreign language in India

If you think English is enough to communicate with anybody in this world, you are sadly misinformed. Statistically the highest spoken foreign language in the world is Chinese with 20.7%, followed by English at 6.2%. That means that 93.8% of people do not speak English. This makes it necessary to learn another foreign language...

Read full article >

Choosing the right Foreign Language to learn...

When globalization was out of picture, it was enough to know just the mother tongue. Since globalization and out-sourcing have become part of life, there is a nagging need to learn new languages. Foreign languages help us to communicate with potential clients, sell our ideas and bond with their culture. It could be opening...

Read full article >

Which language is more useful to learn French...

Learning any second language could be a little bit tricky. However, to learn a language, one needs to write, read, understand and speak it appropriately. Therefore, many students and professionals find it helpful in learning a foreign language from a reputable and reliable source. A second language helps them to increase...

Read full article >

Job Prospects for German Language Learners

Due to globalization of the Indian economy, the demand for learning foreign languages is on the rise. ITES (Information Technology Enabled Service) and Outsourcing have brought a lot of job opportunities paving the way for the learning foreign languages. German is the native language of more than 100 million people in...

Read full article >

Find Spoken English classes near you
Spoken English classes in Delhi
Spoken English classes in Bangalore
Spoken English classes in Hyderabad
Spoken English classes in Mumbai
Spoken English classes in Chennai
Spoken English classes in Kolkata
Spoken English classes in Pune
Spoken English classes in Noida
Spoken English classes in Gurgaon
Spoken English classes in Lucknow

Looking for Spoken English classes?

Learn from the Best Tutors on UrbanPro

Are you a Tutor or Training Institute?

Join UrbanPro Today to find students near you
X

Looking for Spoken English Classes?

The best tutors for Spoken English Classes are on UrbanPro

  • Select the best Tutor
  • Book & Attend a Free Demo
  • Pay and start Learning

Learn Spoken English with the Best Tutors

The best Tutors for Spoken English Classes are on UrbanPro

This website uses cookies

We use cookies to improve user experience. Choose what cookies you allow us to use. You can read more about our Cookie Policy in our Privacy Policy

Accept All
Decline All

UrbanPro.com is India's largest network of most trusted tutors and institutes. Over 55 lakh students rely on UrbanPro.com, to fulfill their learning requirements across 1,000+ categories. Using UrbanPro.com, parents, and students can compare multiple Tutors and Institutes and choose the one that best suits their requirements. More than 7.5 lakh verified Tutors and Institutes are helping millions of students every day and growing their tutoring business on UrbanPro.com. Whether you are looking for a tutor to learn mathematics, a German language trainer to brush up your German language skills or an institute to upgrade your IT skills, we have got the best selection of Tutors and Training Institutes for you. Read more

ThinkVidya Learning Pvt Ltd © 2010-2024All Rights Reserved