أطفال متطوعون · Programme: Offering help · Grammar: Can I help you?; What can I do for you?
By the end of this lesson, I can:
- Offer help politely: Can I help you? What can I do for you?
- Accept or refuse an offer of help
- Understand how a kids’ club was established and how to join it
- Spell and pronounce the sound /k/ (k, c, ck, ch, qu) and the silent k
🖼️ Picture dictionary قاموس مصوّر
tap 🔊 to listen📚 كلمات الدرس
11 كلمة من هذا الدرس في القاموس المدرسي: المعنى بالعربية والفرنسية، والنطق، ومثال.
📖 Read: The Little Gardeners of Bizerte أقرأ
In 2021, Lilia, 11, and her friend Tom, a foreign pupil from Ireland, were sad to see plastic bags everywhere near their school in Bizerte. “What can we do?” asked Tom. Lilia answered: “Let’s get started today!”
They established a club called “The Little Gardeners”. On the first Saturday, only six kids came forward. They picked up litter, planted ten olive trees and painted a big sign: Keep our school green!
Soon, other children wanted to join. Membership is free: you just promise to plant one tree a year and to recycle at home. The club also involves adults. A baker became their sponsor and offered gloves and bags. A teacher said, “Can I help you?” and now she drives the kids to the beach.
Today the club has 300 members in schools across the region. Every week Lilia receives messages from kids: “What can I do for you?”, “How can I help?”, “Can I start a club in my village?” Her answer is always the same: “Yes, you can! No one is too small to help.”
Do you understand? أفهم
Answer in your copybook first, then check.
- Why did Lilia and Tom start the club?
Answer
Because there were plastic bags everywhere near their school.
- What did the first six members do?
Answer
They picked up litter, planted ten olive trees and painted a sign.
- What must a new member promise?
Answer
To plant one tree a year and to recycle at home.
- Find two expressions used to offer help.
Answer
“Can I help you?” and “What can I do for you?” (also “How can I help?”).
🧩 Grammar القواعد
To offer help politely we usually use can in a question:
- Can I help you?
- What can I do for you?
- How can I help (you)?
- Do you need any help? / Shall I carry it for you?
To accept: Yes, please. That’s very kind of you. / Thanks a lot! To refuse politely: No, thanks. I’m fine. / That’s kind, but I can manage.
لعرض المساعدة نقول: Can I help you? أو What can I do for you? وللقبول: Yes, please, thank you، وللرفض بلطف: No, thanks. I can manage.
Offer » answer
| Offering help 🙋 | Accepting ✅ | Refusing politely 🙂 |
|---|---|---|
| Can I help you, madam? | Yes, please. That’s very kind of you. | No, thank you. I’m fine. |
| What can I do for you? | Could you carry this bag? | Nothing, thanks. I can manage. |
| Do you need any help? | Oh yes, thanks a lot! | That’s kind, but I’m OK. |
| Shall I open the door for you? | Yes, please! | No, it’s all right, thanks. |
Asking how to help
- How can I join your club?
- What can I do to help poor people?
- How can I give a hand to disabled kids?
Add please, sir or madam, and smile. Say thank you even when you refuse.
A mini-dialogue
💬 Useful expressions عبارات مفيدة
Offering help
Answering an offer
🔊 Pronunciation النطق
Worked examples أمثلة محلولة
Try first, then read the solution.
A tourist looks lost in the medina. What do you say?
Step-by-step solution
- You want to offer help, so you need a question with can.
- Polite form: “Can I help you?” + sir / madam.
✓ Excuse me, can I help you? Are you looking for something?
club / join / how / I / can / your / ?
Step-by-step solution
- Question word first: How.
- Then can + subject: can I.
- Then verb + object: join your club.
✓ How can I join your club?
⚠️ Common mistakes أخطاء شائعة
⭐ Remember أحفظ
- Offer help with: Can I help you? What can I do for you? How can I help? Do you need any help?
- Accept: Yes, please / That’s very kind of you. Refuse politely: No, thanks. I can manage.
- To ask how to participate: How can I join…? What can I do to…?
- A club can be established, people can join it, come forward and get involved.
- /k/ can be spelled k, c, ck, ch; qu = /kw/; k is silent in kn- (know, knee).
Quick quiz اختبار سريع
4 questions · instant feedback1. Which sentence offers help?
2. Complete: What can I do … you?
3. “To establish a club” means…
4. In which word is the k silent?
✍️ Write: A message to join a club أكتب
You want to join “The Little Gardeners”. Write a short email to Lilia (80–100 words): introduce yourself, say why you want to join, and offer your help.
Steps
- Greet Lilia and introduce yourself (name, age, town).
- Say why you want to join the club.
- Offer help: say what you can do.
- Ask one question (How can I…? What can I…?) and end politely.
A model text to compare with (after writing mine)
Dear Lilia,
My name is Malek. I’m 14 and I live in Nabeul. I read about your club online and I really like your idea. Near my house there is a small park full of litter, and nobody cleans it. I would like to join “The Little Gardeners” and start a group in my school. Can I help you with your website? I can take photos and I’m good at computers. I can also bring three friends who want to come forward. How can I get started? What can I do first?
Thank you, and keep up the good work!
Malek
One good example among many: compare, don’t copy.
😊 The lighter side استراحة
Little strokes fell great oaks.
What can you catch but not throw?
Answer
A cold.
Customer: “Waiter, can you help me? There’s a fly in my soup!” – Waiter: “Don’t worry, sir, it won’t eat much.”
✅ Exercises تمارين
All exercises →6 exercises on three levels, with new questions every time.
- Choose the right answerTo do
- ClassifyTo do
- Situation 1To do
- Situation 2To do
Practise: Volunteering Kids
True or false, complete, choose, classify and situations: instant correction with explanations.
Got the lesson? Try it yourself
6 exercises · instant correction · new questions every time
Start the exercisesPictures: Twemoji (CC-BY 4.0). Texts, explanations and exercises: Scolaire.tn.