To sign "how may I help you," start by placing your dominant 'A' hand (a fist with the thumb pointing up) on your flat, upward-facing non-dominant palm. Move both hands forward together toward the person you are addressing to indicate "I help you." Finish by opening both hands flat, palms facing up, and moving them slightly outward while furrowing your eyebrows to ask "how?"
Sign a welcoming gesture, then use the directional 'help' moving toward the customer, followed by the open-handed 'how' gesture with furrowed eyebrows.
Point to the person, sign 'lost', then transition into the forward-moving 'help' sign and finish with the 'how' question gesture.
Sign 'time' and 'free', then direct the 'help' sign toward the person you are offering assistance to, ending with the 'how' gesture.
Sign a welcoming gesture, then use the directional 'help' moving toward the customer, followed by the open-handed 'how' gesture with furrowed eyebrows.
Point to the person, sign 'lost', then transition into the forward-moving 'help' sign and finish with the 'how' question gesture.
Sign 'time' and 'free', then direct the 'help' sign toward the person you are offering assistance to, ending with the 'how' gesture.
No, you don't! In ASL, 'help' is a directional verb. Moving the sign from yourself toward the other person automatically includes 'I' and 'you' in the meaning, making separate signs unnecessary.
In ASL, facial expressions provide the grammar for questions. Furrowing your eyebrows indicates a 'wh-question' (who, what, where, when, why, how), letting the person know you are asking a question and expect an answer.
While it is extremely common in retail, professional, or service settings, you can absolutely use this phrase when offering assistance to friends, family, or anyone who looks like they might need a hand.
