"Can I get"

[Facilitatingdarkness]

What's wrong with "Can I have"?

It doesn't even make grammatical sense! I've noticed it more and more when people are ordering coffee, to the point that more people say it than not.

Makes me irrationally angry. Just me?

I think what irritates me is that "can I get" hardly ever includes a "please". For that reason it sounds demanding and not particularly polite. I think of people copying US dramas and imagining they are some hot shot lawyer or detective rushing importantly into a cafe to grab their extra shot black coffee before rushing back out to save the day.

[quote Geamhradh]@Rozziie. You win the Dunning-Kruger award of the day.[/quote]
That's pretty hilarious given that I have advanced qualifications in English teaching and contributed to a published textbook. My phrasing was unclear, yes. I haven't had my coffee yet. Grammatically speaking, you do not use 'may' to ask for something you want. You use it to ask permission.

Do you disagree with that?

"fix themselves a coffee"

Surprised no one picked up on this.

Fixed a coffee? Was it broken?

I was once asked 'Can you fix my collar?'

My brain was in overdrive - do collars break? Need mending?

@NanaPorsche

"fix themselves a coffee"

Surprised no one picked up on this.

Fixed a coffee? Was it broken?

I was once asked 'Can you fix my collar?'

My brain was in overdrive - do collars break? Need mending?

One of the definitions of 'fix' is 'fasten (something) securely in a particular place or position'' so they were perfectly correct to ask you that.

'Fix coffee/a meal' is also acceptable in American English.

I don't understand why you think it only means 'repair' - there are plenty of other uses.

I swear I wrote 'barista' originally!

‘Can I get’ is really commonly used in Scotland like others have said (I’m near Glasgow). I say it when ordering a coffee but would ask ‘can I have’ when ordering in a restaurant. No idea why but both are always followed with ‘please’

@Rozziie

What has 'fastening securely' got to do with asking for coffee?

I dislike it. Technically, I think you're meant to ask 'Might I have....?' And the server should reply 'Yes, you may...'

[quote NanaPorsche]@Rozziie

What has 'fastening securely' got to do with asking for coffee?[/quote]
One of your two examples was about a collar and you asked if collars break and need mending, so the point about fastening securely in position was referring to that. The person was perfectly correct to ask you to fix their collar. In that context it means 'adjust' rather than 'mend'.

I imagined you'd pick that up without me needing to spell it out, especially given that I also addressed your other example about the coffee!

@Runforthehillocks

It annoys me too. The answer to "Can I get?" is "Yes, go ahead".

Or "No, I'll get it for you".

It's so annoying and so American. Grinds my gears every time I hear it and DH and I eye roll each other.

If get is used as a synonym for obtain or receive, then I suppose it is grammatically correct. But I still don’t like it. It’s no effort for me at all not to use it, more natural to say can I have.

MNers ability to get worked up about the language other people use never ceases to amaze me.

@Chunkymenrock

It's incredibly rude. 'May I have a xxx please' is far nicer.

Definitely this IMO.

When I lived in scotland in the late 80’s it was commonly used. Not heard it anywhere else.

My own personal hatred is things being “dropped”. Clothes, albums, tour dates, tv programmes. Stop fucking dropping things, hold on to it properly!

You keep altering the meaning.

Is 'fix' - to fasten or now is it 'adjust'?

Fix my collar? I wouldn't have thought she wanted me to mend, fasten or adjust.

She was asking if her collar was straight.

So why not be more specific?

Fix my collar? 🤢

@Rozziie

Do you also find it weird when you're in a cafe and the person behind the counter says 'what can I get you?', to which a normal response would be 'please can I get a ....' You could also say 'may I have' but I don't think either one is wrong

@fluffythedragonslayer

But "get" means to be given something. "What did you get for Christmas?"

So, can I get a latte = can I be given a latte

Yeah exactly this, it's like when serves say 'what can I get you' it's the same as saying 'what can I give you' 'what can I bring you' or if they wanted to be rude 'what do you want?' Lol

@NanaPorsche

"fix themselves a coffee"

Surprised no one picked up on this.

Fixed a coffee? Was it broken?

I was once asked 'Can you fix my collar?'

My brain was in overdrive - do collars break? Need mending?

In the UUS fix is used in the sense of preparing food or drink e.g fixing a sandwich or a coffee.

@Trufflethewuffle

A couple of weeks ago one of my sons had COVID and stayed in his room for the duration. We took his meals up on a tray. One morning, he texted me “can I get a coffee?”. I said no and that I would get it for him. He said that’s what he meant. In that particular instance “can I have” would have been a bit clearer!

You know words have different meaning in different contexts? Sounds like you were being purposely difficult tbh

There is a slightly different implications in get and have. But neither are wrong...

Putting it in a slightly different context. If I said to a friend 'shall we get some coffees' vs 'shall we have some coffees' Id say there was a subtle implication in the former, we'd be taking away, and in the latter, that we'd be having them in.

So perhaps the can I getters, are not necessarily the one consuming them....as it happens I think think I tend to say, 'please can I have ...' when ordering for myself and 'can I, please, get x, y and z' when ordering for a group.

But its all informal English. Would life not be terribly stiff and boring if we all had to speak completely perfectly all the time.

Not in USA.

This was also about 40 yrs ago - maybe she had been watching Gone with the Wind?

Maybe my reply should have been 'Mend your own clothes.' ?

@NanaPorsche

You keep altering the meaning.

Is 'fix' - to fasten or now is it 'adjust'?

Fix my collar? I wouldn't have thought she wanted me to mend, fasten or adjust.

She was asking if her collar was straight.

So why not be more specific?

Fix my collar? 🤢

@Rozziie

Are you being intentionally obtuse?

I'm not 'altering the meaning', I'm saying it has more meanings than the one you seem to have latched onto ('repair').

'Fix' can mean 'fasten securely in place', which is along the lines of 'adjust' or 'arrange', isn't it? You can absolutely ask someone to fix your collar if what you mean is to make it straight/put it in the right position. You seem to think that person was wrong to phrase it like that when it's actually a perfectly acceptable use of the word. If it sounded to you like she was asking you to repair the collar then it's you who doesn't grasp that it has plenty of other meanings and uses.

www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fix

I don’t like it but as long as there is a please in there too it doesn’t bother me too much

In the UUS fix is used in the sense of preparing food or drink e.g fixing a sandwich or a coffee

It’s also used to describe intentional infertility- i saw “i’ve had myself fixed so knew the baby wasn’t mine” the other day. I’ve seen it used for spay/neutering animals as well.

'Can I get' boils my piss a bit too. If it was 'Please can I get' then it would make it slightly better I suppose. For me that's the issue - the phrase 'can I get' very rarely seems to include a 'please'. Personally I'd much rather 'please may I have' but that's just my opinion.