"Am I clear?" vs. "I am being clear?"

[Brainy]

hi,

I would like to ask about sth...
Is there any difference between
'Am I clear?' and 'I am being clear?'

Is one more polite than the another?

[Alan]

Hi Brainy,

To be honest, I find both expressions a little strange. If you mean to use 'clear' in the sense of 'intelligible' or 'understandable' then 'Am I clear?' doesn't really work. You would say this in the following situation: You are reversing your car and you ask your passenger if you have enough space to get out because you can't see from where you are sitting and you would ask: 'Am I clear?' To my mind the other sentence: 'Am I being clear?' doesn't sound right. The two expressions I would use are: 'Do I make myself clear?' and 'Am I making myself clear?' The difference between these two is not to do with politeness but emphasis. The first one 'Do I .....' is more direct and even abrupt and it means: 'Do you understand what I have said, yes or no?' The second one: 'Am I ....' is in a way apologetic because it means: ' I hope you understand what I have said.'

Best wishes

Alan
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English as a Second Language
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