BeginnerFormalStandard

May I sit here?

Ekhane boste pari?

AY-khah-nay BOSH-tay PAH-ree?

About this phrase

Literally

Here to-sit (I) can?

When to use it

A polite request to take a seat, on a train, in a waiting room, or at a shared table. The 'infinitive + pari' framing keeps it respectful.

How it feels

Polite.

Formality

Formal

Word by word

Ami ki ekhane boste pari?

May I sit here? (the fuller version, with ami and the question word ki)