Chinese phrase
我可以借〜吗？ wǒ ké yǐ jiè 〜 ma
Meaning
Can I borrow ___?
When to use it
A polite way to ask to borrow something. It is common in everyday conversation and has a friendly, respectful tone.
Example dialogue
我可以借一下你的手机吗？ wǒ ké yǐ jiè yí xià nǐ de shǒu jī ma
Can I borrow your phone for a moment?
可以，给你用五分钟。 ké yǐ gěi nǐ yòng wǔ fēn zhōng
Sure, you can use it for five minutes.