Making effective suggestions in English

“We told everthing to the OR and now we are in legal trouble! Why did you tell us to do that?”
“I was only making a suggestion.”
“It didn’t seem that way!”

Have you ever been in a situation like this with your Dutch or English speaking co-workers? Making suggestions and giving orders are not things that we think of as being culturally defined, but it’s really a minefield out there!

I would suggest is not a suggestion

The main issue stems from the under use of the word ‘must’ by Native English speakers. A Dutch speaker has no issue with explaining that you must do this or that. Because you MUST. So it’s clear right? It is.

However, native speakers shy away from this word as it can sound a bit over-bearing, and they probably last heard quite a bit of it in kindergarten. So what do they say instead of must? Let me give you some examples:

“I would suggest disclosing your overseas assets.”
“I would advise you not to tell the lawyer about this.”
“I would recommend geting that checked by a doctor.”

Now the recipient of the advice does still have the option of taking their own path, but this would only be expected in the situation that they have very good reasons for doing so! The giver of the advice is basically telling you that they know what they are talking about, and it might be silly not to listen to them.

Giving advice without compelling people to follow it

So what about using these phrases as a Dutch speaker speaking to native speakers? In some situations it works perfectly. Many people have jobs where they need people to follow their advice in order for the work environment to run smoothly. Even though you are not compelling the other party to follow your advice, you’ve made it clear that you did your best to inform them of the right course of action, as someone in a position to do so.

A quick note on the grammar

Suggest, recommend and propose have a special pattern, different from all the other verbs. Fabulous! I hear you say. That’s what I love about English. All the exceptions.
These three words are not followed by ‘to’ or by ‘somebody’. Below you will see some incorrect examples:

“I suggest you to…” (incorrect)
“I suggest to go…” (incorrect)
The two possibilities that are always correct when following suggest, recommend and propose are “that” and “verb + ing”.
“I suggest going…”
“I suggest that you go…”

If you can’t remember, then “I would advise you to go,” is often an easier option and will achieve the same result.

‘Hands off’ advice.

But what if you don’t want to essentially instruct the other party what to do? What if you want them to make their own decision and you would just like to provide some helpful input? There are many ways to frame this English to let the other party know that they will be making their own decision, and that you will not be responsible for it.

“What about verb + ing?”
“Have you thought about verb + ing?”
“… might be an idea.”
“ You could….”

Imagine the other party has asked you for ideas for their new tattoo. You want to make it entirely clear that you did not in fact, choose the flaming skull for them if they don’t like it 6 months from now.

So whether you need to instruct, advise, suggest or something in between, I hope that the tips above help you to communicate more effectively in English!

Written by English language trainer Emma Kirkman.
Read more blogs about the English language