When should I use "Care to explain [..]" vs "Could you explain [...]". Does it have a negative connotation ? Which one is more polite and when should I use which ?
donald remero
[ Moderator ]
"Could you explain..." is definitely the polite option here.
Better yet would be: "Could you please explain...".
"Care to explain..." is colloquial and (except when between two people well-known to each other and who have obvious mutual respect) encapsulates a tone of superiority.
"Care to X, Y or Z" is something that a teacher or professor can say to a student without necessarily conveying disregard, disrespect, arrogance, or parental disquietude. But it is not something that a student or child can say to a teacher or parent without conveying a sense of insolence or impudence.