You want to make a request without stepping on anyone’s toes. It’s essential to be as polite as possible if you’re asking someone for a favor, after all! But is “please kindly” a suitable phrase to use?
In this article, we’ll answer that question while also providing a list of great alternative phrases to “please kindly.”
Please Kindly Synonyms
- It would be much appreciated
- Would you mind
- If you wouldn’t mind
- I’d appreciate it
- Kindly
- Please
- Could you
- Would you
- Can you
- Will you
- May you
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The phrase “please kindly” is an example of tautology and should be avoided in general.
- As a formal alternative, you can say “it would be much appreciated.”
- In informal settings, you can say “would you mind” when making a request.
Stick around! In the next section, we’ll discuss our favorite formal and informal synonyms for “please kindly” in more detail.
After that, we’ll discuss whether it is correct to say “please kindly.” Is this phrase redundant?
It Would be Much Appreciated (Formal)
If you’re trying to figure out what to say instead of “please kindly” in formal circumstances, we would recommend “it would be much appreciated.”
Firstly, this phrase is a highly polite way to make a request. Therefore, you can use it in an email or letter in work or school correspondence.
Secondly, although this phrase is wordier than the original, it is also less redundant. This makes it more suitable for formal settings where you need to exhibit a good grasp of English.
Finally, let’s see an email sample making use of this phrase:
Dear Carlisle,
I have sent you an itinerary for your travels next week.
It would be much appreciated if you could forward this to your team.
Regards,
Jake Henley
Would You Mind (Informal)
Another way to say “please kindly” in informal circumstances is “would you mind.”
This phrase is still a perfectly polite way to make a request. However, it also comes across a tad more casually than the original phrase.
Therefore, we wouldn’t recommend using it in highly formal correspondence at work or school. Nonetheless, it is perfectly okay to use this phrase when asking your colleagues for something, especially if you have a friendly dynamic in the office.
For instance, consider the email example below:
Hi Daiki,
Would you mind heading into my office and finding the Jedd file on my desk?
I’ll need it for the meeting later.
Thanks so much!
Phelo
Is It Correct to Say “Please Kindly”?
Although both “please” and “kindly” are polite terms that you can use when requesting something, they appear awkward when placed together this way. Therefore, it is not correct to say “please kindly” in general.
This is a matter of context, however. “Kindly” can be used to mean the same thing as “please” in some sentences:
- Kindly fetch that for me.
- Would you kindly let me know when it arrives?
In this context, “kindly” means essentially the same thing as “please”. Thus, in the following examples, the phrase “please kindly” is redundant:
- Could you please kindly
- Please kindly help me
- Please kindly forward
- Please kindly note
- Please kindly find attached
- Please kindly advise
The use of “please kindly” above is an example of tautology, which is a stylistic error in which a writer says the same thing in different words.
However, “kindly” can also mean “in a kind manner.” Therefore, there are some circumstances where this phrase is not redundant:
- Please kindly talk to her.
This sentence means “please talk to her in a kind manner.”
In short, context is everything. If you’re making a formal request, it would be best to avoid the phrase “please kindly.” Instead, you should choose one or the other, or go with one of the synonyms on our list!
Speaking of which, feel free to bookmark this page if you want to keep our list of synonyms on hand for later!