Chinese phrase
可以做〜吗？ ké yǐ zuò 〜 ma
Meaning
May I do ___?
When to use it
It politely asks for permission to do something. It is used before an action, often when speaking to a teacher or another person in charge.
Example dialogue
老师，可以做这个实验吗？ lǎo shī ké yǐ zuò zhè ge shí yàn ma
Professor, may I do this experiment?
可以，做之前把步骤发给我看一下。 ké yǐ zuò zhī qián bǎ bù zhòu fā gěi wǒ kàn yí xià
Yes, show me the steps before you begin.