ていただけませんか — Could You Please (Very Polite Request)
A very polite request asking someone (often of higher status) to do something for the speaker. It is one of the most polite everyday ways to make a request.
Structure
[Verb te-form] + いただけませんか
Examples
もう一度説明していただけませんか。
Mou ichido setsumei shite itadakemasen ka.
Could you please explain it one more time?
説明して + いただけませんか = very polite request
こちらにサインしていただけますか。
Kochira ni sain shite itadakemasu ka?
Could you please sign here?
いただけますか = polite, slightly softer than the negative ませんか form
駅までの道を教えていただけませんか。
Eki made no michi o oshiete itadakemasen ka.
Could you please tell me the way to the station?
教えて + いただけませんか = very polite request (e.g., to a stranger)
• Politeness scale: てください → てもらえますか → てもらえませんか → ていただけますか → ていただけませんか (most polite). • いただく is the humble (謙譲語) form of もらう — you humble yourself while receiving the favor.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ていただけませんか is tested against.
vs てください
てください is a polite instruction/request but can sound like a directive; ていただけませんか is a softer, more deferential appeal ('would it be possible for you to...').
vs てもらえませんか
Same structure with もらう instead of the humble いただく — polite, but a step less formal/deferential than the いただけませんか version.
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