How to Ask for Things Politely in Spanish!

Hola estudiante de Español,

Bienevenido/a a Master Spanish Weekly. Helping you integrate Spanish into your daily life.

As some of you know, I’m training to run a marathon in February 2026.

When I feel tired or don’t want to run, I wonder: Why do people do hard things?

Running a marathon. Learning a new language. Starting something from zero.

I asked ChatGPT, and it replied:

Learning Spanish is definitely challenging, but it’s a meaningful challenge.

If you wonder why you are learning Spanish. Consider these facts from the Instituto Cervantes “El español: una lengua viva” study from 2023:

1. Nearly 500 million people speak Spanish as their first language.

2. More than 590 million can communicate in Spanish.

3. It’s the second-most spoken native language in the world.

4. Over 24 million people are learning it right now. (you’re part of that group 😊)

5. And Spanish continues to grow globally every year.

So yes, it’s a challenging thing. But it’s also a worthwhile thing.

Now, let’s go to today’s lesson. ¡Vamos!

📚Lesson of the Week: How to Give Polite Directions Without Sounding Rude

When you want to politely ask someone to do something. To a coworker, a waiter, a classmate, or even family, Spanish has simple, friendly structures that sound natural and respectful.

Here are the most useful ones:

I created two files for you to save on your phone or computer for extra practice:

🧩 Mini Quiz: 5 questions

How well did you understand today’s lesson? Test your knowledge 👇🏼

How do you say the following questions in Spanish:

1. “Could you send me the file?”

   a) ¿Puedes enviarme el archivo?

   b) ¿Podrías enviarme el archivo?

   c) ¿Serías enviarme el archivo?

2. “Do you mind if I sit here?”

   a) ¿Te importa si me siento aquí?

   b) ¿Me puedes sentar aquí?

   c) ¿Podrías sentarme aquí?

3. “Would you be so kind as to confirm?”

   a) ¿Serías tan amable de confirmar?

   b) ¿Podrías confirmar amable?

   c) ¿Puedes confirmar amable?

Gracias por seguir aprendiendo conmigo cada semana.

Lo que estás haciendo no es fácil, pero sí es valioso.

Y cada pequeña frase que aprendes te acerca más a tu meta.

Hasta la próxima semana.

– Alejandro, Director @ Vokally

🗳️ Polls: Let’s hear from you!

We’re working on launching Vokally+, a membership offering complete courses (from beginner to expert), mini weekly lessons, conversation clubs, and more. Your feedback will help shape it.

Would you like to join Vokally+ when it launches? - Just reply to the poll below to let me know. ¡Gracias!