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I am replying to an email, and I would like to express that I need more days to sign a contract, but in a polite manner.

The obvious thing to say is

Please give me a few more days

But this sounds kind of odd. Is there an alternative to this?

Does the following expression make sense? I've repeated it now over and over, and can't tell anymore if that's what an English speaker would say.

Please allow me a few days to return the signed agreement.

HelloWorld
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    Are you asking them for more time or telling them that they’ll get it in a few days? – Jim Jul 29 '21 at 03:43
  • Sorry if that was not clear. I have to tell them that I need more days to return the signed agreement. – HelloWorld Jul 29 '21 at 03:44
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    Do you need that time because the terms of the contract are so complex that checking it is going to take a long time or do you need to consult colleagues who are not currently available ? It sounds to me as though you have had the contract for a little while already and the other party is asking you to return it. If there are specific reasons for the delay you should probably give them an outline of those reasons (perhaps "I'm sorry for the delay, but I need to discuss the contract with a colleague who is on annual leave") and give a firm estimate of the number of days they will have to wait. – BoldBen Jul 29 '21 at 04:21
  • Thanks for the help! Imho excusing myself for no reason puts me in a position as if I made a mistake. I spare a sorry for when I need it :-P – HelloWorld Jul 29 '21 at 04:34
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    “I’m looking forward to our relationship and will have the signed contract ready in a few days.”. But this really belongs on Workplace or Interpersonal. – Xanne Jul 29 '21 at 04:59
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    I’m voting to close this question because it belongs elsewhere. – Xanne Jul 29 '21 at 05:01
  • @Xanne I am a new contributor here. Can you please explain why this type of question belongs elsewhere? And also what do you mean by elsewhere? Is there other sections of English Stackexchange website where people can post such questions like these as they are valuable in improving vocabulary and English language usage for students and non-native speakers. I was also wondering who are the target market of this English Language and Usage website. Is it scholars or students, content writers or non-natives? The question by OP to me seems to relate to English Language and Usage. – Syed Danish Anwar Jul 29 '21 at 05:51
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    Regarding the question, I would write: Please allow me XX days to go over the details of the contract. You need to be specific about time in business dealings. – Syed Danish Anwar Jul 29 '21 at 05:53
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    @SyedDanishAnwar You could look at https://english.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic for info about the site. ELU doesn’t do writing advice or proofreading. There are other SE sites that focus on workplace and personal relationships. – Xanne Jul 29 '21 at 06:51
  • @Xane Ok. Thanks a lot. I now realize this section seems to be for English language scholars and linguists. I have found English Language Learners to be a more suitable for me where questions like these are accepted. – Syed Danish Anwar Jul 29 '21 at 07:34

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