It is possible that during a conversation with a friend or with someone you just met, you are tempted to give them some advice. This can be well received on the other person's side, as long as you speak politely. Here are some words from the best English teacher online to remember when giving advice in English, while remaining polite. On this side, take an example from the British!
Give advice in English while remaining reserved
Rather than jumping into a conversation by saying “do this and do that,” try to smooth things over and bring your thoughts in a polite manner. English does this very well thanks to conditional verbs like "should" and "could", which imply a suggestion. Don't be afraid to take the plunge!
"You should go to the doctor to have it checked" = "You should go to the doctor to have a look".
"If you don't like your work colleagues, you could always ask if there is a new project for you to work on" = "If you don't like your work colleagues, you could ask if there is another project you could work on ”.
Make a suggestion using a question
You can also give advice in English in the form of a question, as if to emphasize that this is indeed a suggestion and not an order.
“ Would you consider telling her how you feel”? : It's a good way to offer a solution, while leaving the choice to your interlocutor to answer it.
" Shouldn't you ", " Couldn't you ": Reuse these conditional verbs in your questions!
" If I may , are you sure it's a wise thing to do? ": By starting with" if I may, "you make it clear that you are going to give your own opinion, but that you want to remain polite and not offend your interlocutor.
Giving advice using proverbs
It is also possible to advise someone by taking roundabout paths. If you don't want to make it clear to someone that their project is a little wobbly, or that they seem too enthusiastic, slip a proverb into the conversation.
“Rome wasn't built in a day” : It's a good way to remind someone to be patient and that a project can take a long time to develop.
“Actions speak louder than words” : If someone is hesitant to do something about their job, relationship, or future project, remind them that it's easy to talk about it, but it's best to 'to act !
“Don't bite the hand that feeds you” : A great way to remind someone not to be too ungrateful to their boss, a friend who helped them or someone who shares their life. Obviously, you have to pay attention to the context.