Hi, I'm Alex 👋
This is a short clip from my Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened gameplay. Watch what happens when I try a very polite phrase!
Getting past people in a crowd is something you do every day, so you need the right English. 🕵️ In this 39-second clip from Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, the way is blocked and I try the most useful phrase there is: “Excuse me, guys. Can you let me through?” It doesn’t go as planned. ❌💀
Watch it, read along, and then learn the polite phrases you can use on a bus, on a train or at a concert.
▶️ Watch and read along
Can you let me through?
- Game: They’re <mark>not letting me through</mark>.
- Game: So I guess I should go up there…
- Game: <mark>Excuse me</mark>, guys. Can I… Can you <mark>let me through</mark>?
- Game: No!
- Game: [screaming]
📖 How to get past people politely
- Excuse me, can you let me through? Polite and very common.
- Sorry, could I just squeeze past? Very British! We say sorry even when we’ve done nothing wrong.
- Excuse me, this is my stop. On a bus or train.
- Mind your backs, please! When you’re carrying something big.
- They’re not letting me through. = They won’t let me pass. Let + person + through.
🃏 Words from this episode
- let someone through: to allow someone to pass
- excuse me: a polite way to get someone’s attention or ask them to move. ik-SKYOOZ mee
- squeeze past: to move through a small space between people
- I guess: I think; I suppose
✍️ Exercise 1: Listen and fill the gap
- “They’re not ___ me through.”
- “So I ___ I should go up there.”
- “___ me, guys.”
- “Can you let me ___?”
🔗 Exercise 2: Match the situation to the phrase
- a crowd is blocking the door
- you need to get off the bus
- you’re carrying a big box
- there’s a tiny gap between people
🔽 Exercise 3: Grammar check
- “Can you let me ___?”
- “They’re not ___ me through.”
- Can I… / Can you…? To ask someone else to move, use ___.
🎮 More English with games
- Resident Evil 9 Requiem: Classic Mode (Part 1)
- Resident Evil 9 Requiem: Tutorials and Menus (Part 2)
- Common grammar mistakes + GTA 5 slang (live)
- 007 First Light: British English
- Hogwarts Legacy: British English
See every episode on Learn English with Games.
Next time you’re on a crowded train, try it: “Excuse me, can you let me through?” Hopefully it goes better than it did for Sherlock! 🕵️
Alex