Being polite is a tactic. Choosing when to use it is a skill.
Asking
I want > I would like > Is it possible to… > I would be grateful if…
Informing
I want you to know that > I would like you to know that > Please note > I’d like to inform you / I’d like to advise > Please let it be known that > Please /Be advised that
Apologising
No > I’m sorry > I’m afraid
Unfortunately
Please accept our apologies
Sorry for that > I apologise for this
With regret
I can’t > it’s not possible
I / we apologise for this inconvenience
Advising
I need to tell you > I just would like to let you know that > it is necessary to inform you
I have to tell you > we have to tell you > it is required to advise you that
You should > it is advisable to
I’m sorry to tell you > we regret to inform > with regret, we have to inform you / We regret to advise you
No > We would like to but / however
And > Also > In addition
So > Therefore
very personal : if I were you / it would be good if you could
I promise > I can assure you > I assure you / You can be sure that / I’m sure that
Needing a response
Please email me back asap > I look forward to hearing from you
I need a reply > Hoping to hear from you soon
Looking forward to hearing from you (soon)
Looking forward to your prompt response
Reminders: just following up / just bringing this back up your inbox / just checking in with you / just a gentle reminder / I was just wondering if you were able to …
Give me
I need > I require
… is required
Would it be possible to have
I am required to ask > we are required to ask
Please do this > I would be grateful if you could
Could you do this > It would be appreciated if
Urgency
I don’t have time for you > There isn’t enough time
There isn’t a lot of time left / remaining
We are running low/short on time
As the deadline is approaching
Send me
Could you please send > Would it be possible to send
It needs to be sent by xx / at the (very) latest
Can you
I /we would be grateful if you could > It would be appreciated if you could > It would be appreciated if the xxx could be done
Can you > Could you > Is it possible to > I was wondering if it’s possible
Can I/ Shall I do that for you? > Would you like me to?
Declining
Must I do this? > Is it necessary to do this? > I’m afraid it’s not (really) possible
Unfortunately that’s beyond my responsibilities at this moment
What do you want?
Please let us know your requirements
What can we do to help/assist / you?
Please let us know what we can do to help you
Giving
Have this > I would like to give > we are happy to provide
I’m happy to tell you that I can now give you
Here is your xxx, I hope this is to your satisfaction
We are delighted to announce that
We’re glad to let you know that it is now possible to
We hope you will be pleased to receive
Please find enclosed your … with our gratitude
Thank you for your patience, here is your ….
Thanks
Cheers > Received with thanks
That’s appreciated, thank you
Please accept our gratitude
Thank you for
Thanks a lot > I am most grateful for…
Thanks for your help, I want you to have this
Please accept this as a token of our gratitude
Thank you for your patience
That was awesome
We were very impressed
It was very impressive
What a cool presentation
It was a stimulating / fascinating /
Don’t forget
You forgot > Just a reminder that > We would like to remind you that
You haven’t… > It seems that xxx hasn’t been done
Sorry but nope
Unfortunately it’s not possible
Sadly, it just isn’t possible
While we tried to accommodate your request, it wasn’t possible.
It seems unlikely
At this point, it’s not possible to proceed any further
Ending an email / meeting
Laters > See you (soon)! > Looking forward to seeing you (soon)
I look forward to seeing you
Looking forward to next week
Signing the end
Bye > Regards > Best Regards
for formal / legal letters = Yours sincerely
After giving help or doing something nice = Kind regards