Por favor
- At the end: Un café, por favor. (A coffee, please.) This is the most common position.
- At the start: Por favor, cierra la puerta. (Please close the door.) Put a comma after it.
- Yes, please: Sí, por favor. When someone offers you something, sí, gracias works just as well.
- Casual: friends shorten it to porfa, and in texts to xfa or porfis.
- Begging: ¡Por favor, por favor! works just like "please, please!" in English.
Polite requests without the word please
Spanish speakers make a request polite by asking it as a question, often with poder (can) or the conditional (could, would). These are the patterns you will hear most:
| Spanish | English | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Me puedes…? | Can you…? | Friendly, to someone you call tú |
| ¿Me puede…? | Can you…? | Polite, to someone you call usted |
| ¿Me podría…? | Could you…? | More polite, good with strangers |
| ¿Sería tan amable de…? | Would you be so kind as to…? | Very formal |
| ¿Me hace el favor de…? | Would you do me the favor of…? | Polite, very common in Mexico and Colombia |
| Quisiera… | I would like… | Polite way to ask for something |
Add por favor to any of these for extra courtesy: ¿Me podría ayudar, por favor? (Could you help me, please?)
Asking for things in shops and cafés
How people order varies a lot by country, and what sounds polite in one place sounds stiff or rude in another.
- Mexico: ¿Me da un café, por favor? (Will you give me a coffee, please?) is the everyday way to order.
- Colombia: ¿Me regala un café? is standard. Literally "will you gift me a coffee?", it just means "can I have a coffee?", and you still pay for it.
- Spain: orders are more direct. Ponme un café (put me a coffee) or Un café, por favor is completely normal and not rude. Adding "¿me podría…?" in a busy bar can sound overly formal.
- Anywhere: Quisiera un café, por favor (I would like a coffee, please) is polite in every country.
Please on signs and in writing
Written requests use their own set phrases:
- Favor de no fumar. Please do not smoke. Common on signs in Mexico.
- Se ruega silencio. Silence, please. Formal, common in Spain.
- Por favor, no tocar. Please do not touch.
- Le ruego que me responda. I ask that you please reply. Very formal letters.
Example sentences
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| La cuenta, por favor. | The check, please. |
| ¿Me pasas la sal, por favor? | Can you pass me the salt, please? |
| ¿Me podría decir dónde está el baño? | Could you tell me where the bathroom is? |
| Más despacio, por favor. | More slowly, please. |
| ¿Puede repetir, por favor? | Can you repeat that, please? |
| Pase, por favor. | Come in, please. |
| ¿Me hace el favor de cerrar la ventana? | Would you mind closing the window? |
How people answer a request
- Claro. Sure. Of course.
- Por supuesto. Of course.
- Con gusto. With pleasure.
- ¡Cómo no! Of course! Common across Latin America.
- Aquí tiene. Here you are. (usted) or Aquí tienes. (tú)
Then it is your turn: see thank you in Spanish.
Common mistakes
- Relying on por favor alone. "Dame el libro, por favor" (give me the book, please) is fine with a friend, but with a stranger a question like ¿Me podría dar el libro? sounds far more polite.
- Translating "please" in "please find attached". Spanish emails say Le adjunto… (I attach…), with no please at all.
- Pronouncing favor like English "favor". Stress the second syllable: fah-VOR, with a quick tapped r.
More polite phrases
Please goes hand in hand with thank you and sorry. For the greetings to open with, see hello in Spanish, and for a full list, common Spanish phrases.