Can I vs May I use the bathroom?

“Can” is asking whether it’s physically possible. “May I go to the washroom?” means: Do I have your permission to go to the washroom? “May” is asking permission. Rather than sit or stand and squirm you need to just go into the bathroom and relieve yourself.

Can vs May grammar?

May is used to express possibility or ask permission. Can is used to express ability and informally used to ask permission.

What is the correct way to ask to go to the bathroom?

You simply say, “Excuse me, I need to goto the restroom.”, or, “Excuse me, I need to goto the bathroom.”, or, “Excuse me, can I use your restroom?”, or, “Pardon me, is there a bathroom nearby?” (like in a store you might use this one).

Why is can I use the bathroom wrong?

Technically, the correct form is “May I go to the toilet.” In casual usage, “can” is much more frequent than “may.” But using “can” could let a smart-aleck respond “I don’t know — can you?” Meaning, “Are you able to.” This is because “can” implied you are asking about ability, not requesting permission.

Can I or may I or shall I?

Well, actually, in modern English they are both considered acceptable. May is a preferred in a formal style or when you want to be more polite. In less formal situations, can is perfectly acceptable. Both can and may are used to ask for permission.

Can I or may I?

The only difference between the two verbs is that one is more polite than the other. In informal contexts it’s perfectly acceptable to use can; in formal situations it would be better to use may.

Can I and may I?

Which do you think is correct? If you use “Can I…” you are literally asking if you have the ability to pick the book up from the person’s hands, walk away with it, and return it later. If you use “May I…” then you are asking permission to use the book and bring it back at a later time.

Can may permission?

Can and may can both be used to ask for permission, although “may” is considered more formal. “May” is the older word and has meanings that refer to the ability to do something, the possibility of something, as well as granting permission.