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May I come in vs Shall I come in

Both 'May I come in?' and 'Shall I come in?' are correct and commonly used phrases in English. They are polite ways to ask for permission to enter a room or a place. The choice between 'may' and 'shall' depends on the level of formality and personal preference.

Last updated: March 27, 2024 • 5229 views

May I come in

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to ask for permission to enter a room or a place.

This phrase is a polite way to ask for permission to enter. It is considered more formal than 'Can I come in?' and is suitable for various situations.

Examples:

May I come in and join the meeting?
May I come in to talk to you for a moment?
May I come in and sit down?
May I come in and use the restroom?
May I come in to see the doctor?

Show examples from the web [+]

(a) “May I come in.” “May” is an expression which indicates that someone is seeking/asking for permission to do something (e.g. to enter a place).
English Pronunciation of May I come in. Learn how to pronounce May I come in in English with video, audio, and syllable-by-syllable spelling from the United ...

Alternatives:

Can I come in?
Could I come in?
Is it okay if I come in?
Am I allowed to come in?
Would it be all right if I come in?

Shall I come in

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to ask for permission to enter a room or a place.

This phrase is a polite way to ask for permission to enter. It is considered more formal than 'Can I come in?' and is suitable for various situations.

Examples:

Shall I come in and discuss the matter with you?
Shall I come in and wait for further instructions?
Shall I come in and take a seat?
Shall I come in and assist you?
Shall I come in and help with the project?

Show examples from the web [+]

- Shall I come in, then?
Shall I come in and we can talk it over with your missus?
"'Shall I come in and cut your threads off?"'
Or I shall come in here and drag him out by force.
Then I shall come in person to collect you...
I shall come back in due course to certain observations in this chapter, especially those regarding the social aspects of innovation and the task forces.
Shall I go out and come in again?
The historical vantage point should perhaps be a next step, but I shall come to this in a moment.
I shall come to that in a second.
This has now already begun: the forecasts for the current year and the analysis of the status quo are basically optimistic, although they do of course contain a number of risk factors, which I shall come to in a moment.
Mr. Love is waiting outside to see you, and he's a gasser. I mean, shall I ask him to come in, sir?
I mean, shall I ask him to come in?
Now we have a much larger number of states that have adopted these more comprehensive bans, even some with a few exceptions: I shall come to that in a minute.
I take this as full support for all the policies which have been followed both by the UK Presidency and by the United Kingdom on aspects like the budget, which I shall come to in a moment.
Shall I come back at a better time?
- Shall I come with you? - No!
Marth, shall I come with you?
Shall I come back when all is well with your mind?
Shall I come back at a better time?
Shall I come to the bus stop with you?

Alternatives:

Can I come in?
Could I come in?
Is it okay if I come in?
Am I allowed to come in?
Would it be all right if I come in?

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