¿Puedes ayudarme, por favor?
English: Can you help me, please?
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- A0
- Unit
- Imperativos y peticiones
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
A polite request in Spanish asks someone to do something in a friendly, indirect way.
When to use it
Use it whenever you want a softer, more polite tone than a plain command.
Key forms
- ¿Puedes + infinitivo?
- ¿Podrías + infinitivo?
- Por favor + imperativo
- ¿Te gustaría + infinitivo / sustantivo?
Examples
¿Podrías repetir eso?
English: Could you repeat that?
Por favor, cierra la ventana.
English: Please close the window.
¿Te gustaría un poco de agua?
English: Would you like some water?
Tips
- 'Podrías' is slightly more polite than 'puedes'.
- Adding 'por favor' at the start or end always increases politeness.
- Use rising intonation and question marks for polite requests.
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