Could we consider…?

Formal Polite

What it really means

In a meeting this sounds like an open question, but it often means "I want us to do this". British workplace suggestions are usually phrased as questions to sound less bossy.

Chinese explanation

开会时听起来像开放式提问，实际常表示"我希望我们这么做"。英国职场为了不显得专断，提议通常都包装成问句。

Example conversation

A: Could we consider moving the launch to March? B: Is that your recommendation? A: Well… yes, strongly.

A：我们能不能考虑把发布推迟到三月？ B：这是你的建议吗？ A：呃……是的，强烈建议。

What you could say back

“That sounds sensible — let's look at the dates.”

Related phrases

You might want to… Perhaps you'd like to… I wonder if you could…

Go deeper

British Politeness Explained: Why "Interesting" Means "No"

All Politeness Decoder

Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team · Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake