Thomas Borchert wrote:
It's an easy sentence, agreed. However, it is NOT a sentence in the AIM
nor the Pilot/Controller Glossary or the ICAO standard phraseology. It is
also not the proper way to phrase a question in standard phraseology. It
is plain English, but that doesn't help a foreigner trained to expect
standard aviation phraseology. And THAT is exactly what standard
phraseology is for.

So, to sum up: It's a non-standard phrase and a non-standard way to ask
something. How much LESS standard can it get?

The reg is that you can speak, read, write, and understand English. It
doesn't specify that you only have to know how to understand and respond
to standard phraseology. Understanding English covers the whole
language, not just aviation phraseology.