Comment by tempestn

These concepts don't generally apply universally to all things. There are things that are perfectly reasonable to ask for directly. "Could I have a glass of water?" "Could I use your bathroom?" There are other things that create an uncomfortable obligation. "Could I borrow $5000?" "Could you pick me up from the airport at 4am?" There's no point in beating around the bush about the first set, but it is polite in most cultures I'm familiar with to give a person an "out" of the second.

So instead of directly asking in those cases, you could instead mention your need, without directly asking. "The vet bill's going to be $5k and I have no idea where we're going to come up with it." "Ugh, the flight gets in in the middle of the night; going to have to see if I can get a cab or something at 4am." You give them a chance to _offer_ help, but don't create an expectation.