Difference between "Я бы хотел..." and "Прошу вас"

Question

What construction would you use when writting a letter to a bank or your boss, asking for something

Я бы хотел попросить вас сделать что-то...

Прошу вас сделать что-то...

Я бы хотел, чтобы вы ...

In what situations do I use these?

Answer 1

I think the main difference is intonation and the degree of politeness.

Я бы хотел попросить вас сделать что-то...

This is the most polite option when you would like to ask someone to do something for you. You can translate it as "I would like to ask you to..." Or "May I ask you to do..."

Прошу вас сделать что-то

To my ear, this sounds a bit passive-aggressive. I wouldn't use it to formulate a polite request. It can be used when giving orders, though.

"Прошу вас прислать мне ответ до конца дня". = Please send me your reply by the end of the day.

Another situation where you can use it is in conflicts. For example, someone forwarded your letter to another person without your consent, and you're angry about it. If you want to be stern, but not rude, you could say: "Прошу вас больше так не делать". It shows that you're disappointed and that you're very serious about the matter, but it's still polite.

Я бы хотел, чтобы вы ...

This is the way to give advice. For example, your friend says, "I hate myself", then you could say, "Я бы хотел, чтобы ты себя полюбил". (I wish you would love yourself). The main difference from the first option is that you're not asking for anything, but you're expressing a wish connected to someone else's life.

To sum up, if you want to ask someone to do something that benefits you, these are the best ways to phrase it:

• Я бы хотел попросить вас сделать...
• Могу я вас попросить сделать...?
• Вы не могли бы сделать...?

And I would also add "пожалуйста" to all of these sentences.

Hope this helps!