Requesting

Requesting is the act of asking someone to do something or to provide something. In everyday language, it is a speech act that aims to elicit action or information from another person. Requests can be explicit, such as commands and questions, or implicit and conveyed through context, tone, or implication. The form and success of a request depend on social norms, relationship, and situational factors.

Direct requests use imperative or plain indicative structures: “Pass the salt, please,” or “Please send the file.” Indirect requests employ a question or conditional form: “Could you pass the salt?” “Would you mind sending the file by noon?” The choice of grammar, hedges (please, perhaps), and modal verbs helps manage face and willingness to comply.

Politeness theory describes strategies for requesting, including on-record and off-record approaches and positive or negative politeness. Effectiveness is influenced by the speaker–addressee relationship, the perceived feasibility of the request, timing, and cultural expectations. In some cultures directness is common; in others indirectness is preferred to preserve harmony. Nonverbal cues and contextual cues also play a role.

In written and digital communication, clear, specific, and courteous requests improve outcomes: state what is requested, by when, and why. In computing, requesting refers to a client initiating a transaction with a server, such as an HTTP request that specifies a method (GET, POST) and may include headers and a body, receiving a corresponding response.