I'm confused....could someone tell me what the difference is in these two sentences... Mado o akete moratte mo ii desu ka Mado o akete kuremasen ka Aren't they both asking the same thing?.....asking if someone could open the window for you? I know there is a logical explanation for it, but I don't see it right now. Thanks!

Tomcat-san, Konnichiwa! *Mado o akete moratte mo ii desu ka* _AND_ *Mado o akete kuremasen ka* are indeed asking the same question. However, there is a distinction that can be made. Let's take a step back and look at these two sentences: *Mado o akete kuremasen ka* *Mado o akete moraemasu ka* :arrow: Spoken as a question, *~te kureru?* or its negative form *~te kurenai?* makes a request like _"Could/would/won't you [please do the action]?"_ For even greater politeness *~te kuremasu?* or *~te kuremasen?* or *~te kuremasenka?* is used ( :idea: as in our sentence: *Mado o akete kuremasen ka* = _"Won't you please open the window?"_). :arrow: Now onto the second sentence: *Mado o akete moraemasu ka* - note that the verb *morau* is in it's potential form. Using a polite "Can" form of *~te morau* as a question = *~te moraemasu ka?* makes a polite request. In English, it expresses "Could I/might I/might I not ask you to [do the action]?". In many contexts, *~te morau/moraimasu* is effectively the same as *~te kureru/~te kuremasu* :arrow: Now let's take a look at what other components are in : *Mado o akete moratte mo ii desu ka* The ending *~te mo ii desu ka?* asks for permission to do the action. Such as, *Tabete mo ii desu ka?* _("May I eat?")_ Following a *~te morau* expression with *~te mo ii desu ka* makes a very polite request for permission to do the action. So, *Mado o akete moratte mo ii desu ka* suggests _"May you perhaps allow me to ask you to open the window for me?"_ :shock: -Hope it's not too confusing! That last sentence simply adds more politeness - remember that the longer the sentence in Japanese - most probably it is more polite. :P

Sayaka-san, wakarimashita! This makes a lot of sense now. arigato gozaimashita! Cathy (Tomcat)

You are very welcome! Dou itashimashite! :P

さやかさん、 わたしも、どうも！ デレック Attempted meaning: Sayaka, I too am thankful (for the explanation). Derek