Asking for and Giving Advice

2nd Year Bac · Unit 7 · Functions

Learn to ask what someone thinks you should do — and how to give advice clearly and kindly in return.

What this function covers

Asking for and giving advice means helping someone decide what to do in a situation — a very natural, everyday function. English has many set expressions for this, and knowing several of them lets you sound both natural and appropriately polite.

عن ماذا تتحدث هذه الوظيفة؟
طلب النصيحة وتقديمها يعني مساعدة شخص ما على تحديد ما يجب فعله في موقف معين — وهي وظيفة يومية طبيعية جدًا. تحتوي اللغة الإنجليزية على العديد من التعابير الجاهزة لهذا الغرض، ومعرفة عدة تعابير تجعل حديثك طبيعيًا ومهذبًا في آنٍ واحد.

Asking for advice

Useful questions

What should I do?What do you suggest?What do you advise me to do?What’s your advice?If you were mewhat would you do?Can you advise me?

Example

I have a severe headache. If you were me, what would you do?

Giving advice

Useful phrases

You should…You ought to…You had better… / You’d better…I advise you to…My advice to you is to…It might be a practical idea if you…

Example

If I were you, I would visit a doctor.
You’d better read more if you want to improve your English.

💡 Should vs. ought to

Both give advice, but ought to can carry a sense of moral or external duty, while should feels more like a simple suggestion. In everyday use, they’re often interchangeable.

The 'If I were you' structure

This is one of the most natural ways to give advice — it imagines yourself in the other person’s position.

Formula

If I were you, I would / I’d + base verb. If I were you, I‘d apologise right away.

💡 Grammar note

We use “were” for all subjects here (even “I” and “he/she”), because this is an unreal, hypothetical situation — not a real fact.

Grammar note: advice vs. advise

Advice (noun)

My father gave me a good piece of advice.

Uncountable — never say “an advice.”

Advise (verb)

I advise you to think it over.

An action — followed by to + verb.

See it in a dialogue

The conversation

Karim: My English could be better. What should I do to improve it?
Salma: You’d better read more. I advise you to read English articles every day.
Karim: That’s a good idea. Anything else?
Salma: It might be a practical idea if you also watch English videos with subtitles.

What's happening

Asks for advice.

Gives advice, twice, in different forms.

Accepts and asks for more.

Gives more advice.

Common mistakes to avoid

⚠️ Watch out

❌ My father gave me an advice. → ✅ My father gave me a piece of advice. (advice is uncountable)

❌ I advise you going to bed early. → ✅ I advise you to go to bed early. (advise + to + verb)

❌ If I was you, I would… → ✅ If I were you, I would… (always “were” in this structure)

✏️

Your turn — choose the correct expression

1. Which is a way to ASK for advice?
2. Choose the correct sentence.
3. “If I ___ you, I would apologise.”
4. I advise you ___ more.
5. Which phrase GIVES advice?
6. Choose the correct sentence.
7. “You ought to” is closest in meaning to ___.
8. “You’d better” is the short form of ___.
9. Choose the correct sentence.
10. Which is a polite way to ask for advice?
11. “Advice” is ___.
12. Choose the correct sentence.

✏️ Your turn ✍️

Write short responses for each situation:

A friend asks: “I’m always tired at school. What should I do?” Give advice using “should”.
A friend asks: “I failed my exam. What do you suggest?” Give advice using “If I were you”.
Ask a friend for advice about improving your English, using one of the expressions from this lesson.