"I kindly request you" vs "i humbly request you"

Question

"I kindly request you" vs "i humbly request you"

In polite conversation, you would never presume to do something kindly; that would be reserved for the person you are addressing. However, to say that you are doing something "humbly" might sound overly formal. If you would like to make a polite request of someone, you could use the phrase, "I would like to request that you..."

Last Updated: January 17, 2020

If you are going to request that someone does something for you, you need to use the word "that" after "request." Also, the word "kindly" does not sound right in this sentence; you would more often hear this adverb in a sentence like, "She spoke to him very kindly," or in the phrase "take kindly to." "Kindly" used to be commonly used as an adjective, so you might read phrases like "a kindly old man" in older literature.

Explanation provided by a TextRanch English expert

Some alternatives from our editors:

I request that you
I would like to request that you

You can request something, or you can request that someone do something. In this case, you would have to say, "I request that you." Also, the word "humbly" sounds rather dated and is not often used in this context in North America.

Explanation provided by a TextRanch English expert

Some alternatives from our editors:

I request that you
I would like to request that you

Answer 1

I kindly request you

This is not correct. Don't use this phrase.

Answer 2

i humbly request you

This is not correct. Don't use this phrase.

"I kindly request you" vs "i humbly request you"

I kindly request you

i humbly request you

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