Regarding the discussion whether or not 我要拖鞋 is impolite or not: My wife just added that the tone with which you speak also has something to say. You could bark the words, and it becomes impolite, or you could speak them gently and it is fine. If you really want to be polite, you could also say 我可以要拖鞋吗？ or 可不可以给我拖鞋？ or 我想要拖鞋？
Posted on: Hospitality Series 3: Slippers, Toothbrush and Toothpaste
July 25, 2012 at 4:37 AMRegarding the discussion whether or not 我要拖鞋 is impolite or not: My wife just added that the tone with which you speak also has something to say. You could bark the words, and it becomes impolite, or you could speak them gently and it is fine. If you really want to be polite, you could also say 我可以要拖鞋吗？ or 可不可以给我拖鞋？ or 我想要拖鞋？