I am speaking as best as I can.

[tufguy]

Tim(while talking to his friend John over the phone): I can't hear you. Speak a bit louder.

John: Sorry I can't. I am speaking as best as I can.

Please check my sentences. Especially this part "I am speaking as best as I can".

 

[Tarheel]

I don't understand. Is John saying he can't talk any louder?

I don't understand your sentence. What does "I am speaking as best as as I can" mean?

 

[emsr2d2]

Tim space needed here (while talking to his friend John over the phone): I can't hear you. Speak a bit louder.
John: Sorry, I can't. I am speaking as best as I can.

Please check my sentences. Especially this part: "I am speaking as best as I can".

It doesn't make sense in the context. If someone asks you to speak more loudly, your answer would be one of two things:
1. You speak more loudly and everything's OK.
2. You say "I'm speaking as loudly as I can".

Using "best" makes no sense in this scenario.

 

[Kontol]

It doesn't make sense in the context. If someone asks you to speak more loudly, your answer would be one of two things:

Hello, emsr2d2. I'm wondering why you don't say "asked" here? Shouldn't it be "If someone asked you to speak more loudly, your answer would be one of two things:"

 

[emsr2d2]

Hello, emsr2d2. I'm wondering why you don't didn't say "asked" here.

A sentence that starts "I'm wondering" should not end with a question mark.

Shouldn't it be "If someone asked you to speak more loudly, your answer would be one of two things:"?

A sentence that starts "Shouldn't it be" should end with a question mark.

I used "asks" because I'm referring to the asking taking place at any time in the past, present, or future.

 

[tufguy]

I don't understand. Is John saying he can't talk any louder?

I don't understand your sentence. What does "I am speaking as best as as I can" mean?

Yes.

 

[tufguy]

It doesn't make sense in the context. If someone asks you to speak more loudly, your answer would be one of two things:
1. You speak more loudly and everything's OK.
2. You say "I'm speaking as loudly as I can".

Using "best" makes no sense in this scenario.

This is the best I can do.

I am speaking at the top of my lungs.

How about these?

 

[emsr2d2]

I don't understand. Is John saying he can't talk any louder?

I don't understand your sentence. What does "I am speaking as best as as I can" mean?

Yes.

There are two questions in Tarheel's post. The word "Yes" can answer the first one but it definitely doesn't answer the second one.

 

[emsr2d2]

1. This is the best I can do.
2. I am speaking at the top of my lungs.

How about these?

The first is OK but it loses any suggestion of volume.
The second doesn't work. We do say "shout at the top of one's lungs" but in this situation you're not shouting, you're talking.

 

[Skrej]

Forget about using 'best' to reference volume. 'Best' is a reference to quality, which is completely different and unrelated to volume.

That then should hopefully be the end of this discussion.

 

[Rover_KE]

Not quite. 'As best I can' (and variations) is an idiom sometimes heard - mainly in British English. [link]