“Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?”
One of the other members of your softball team made a joke that offended you. You don't embarrass him in front of the whole team, so after practice you ask him to talk privately with you.
Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?
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Hey
You say "Hey" at the beginning of a sentence in casual English when you want to get someone's attention. For example:
Hey, Hitomi, can you hand me that box over there?
It's common to say "Hey" before you ask someone a question, or when someone has done something that's wrong or unfair:
Use "hey" with people you know or are familiar with. When you're talking to people you don't know as well, "Excuse me" is more polite.
Can I talk to you?
When you have to talk to someone about a serious, and maybe uncomfortable, topic, it's good to start by saying:
Can I talk to you?
This phrase alerts the listener that you're not just making small talk; you have something serious about. Here are some examples of conversations that you may want to start by saying "Can I talk to you?":
- You need to reprimand one of your employees for doing something wrong.
- You just got some bad news, and you need to share it with your partner.
- You're going to break up with the person you've been dating.
If you want to make this expression a little bit less serious (but still pretty serious), add "for a minute" or "for a second".
To make it more formal, use "May I", "speak with", and "for a moment" instead:
Jessica, may I speak with you for just a moment?