Ch 41 · Lesson 16Spanish · Chapter 41 · Lesson 16 · Grammar primer
Would you mind...? Request frames and hedges
¿ + infinitive?, ¿ + present?, ¿ + subjunctive?, and the openers that cushion an ask: , .
The short version
Would you mind is ¿ + infinitive?
¿ ?
Why?Hide
¿ ? asks a favour; to a stranger it is ¿ ...? To ask permission instead, use ¿ + present: ¿ ?
Request frames: ¿te importaría...?
Beyond the verb, Spanish has ready-made frames to drop a request into. Each takes its own follow-up:
| Then | Frame | Example |
|---|---|---|
| infinitive | ¿ ...? | ¿ ? |
| infinitive | ¿ ...? | ¿ ? |
| + present | ¿ ...? | ¿ ? |
| subjunctive | ¿ ...? | ¿ ? |
With a stranger, the frame takes forms: , , . With a friend, and the forms:
¿ ?- Would you mind closing the window? ()¿ ?- Would you mind closing the window? ()
Openers and hedges
Before the request itself, a hedge buys a moment and signals goodwill:
| Use | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
. | Sorry to bother you. | |
. | Sorry to bother you. | |
. | Excuse me. | |
| a small ask | ... | Just one little thing... |
| a favour | ... | If it's no trouble... |
| a tentative ask | ... | I don't know if you could... |
Stack one in front and the request stops sounding abrupt:
, ¿ ?- Sorry to bother you, have you got a moment?
A diminutive shrinks the imposition too: momentito, preguntita, favorcito. One is warm; three in a row is syrup. More on Spanish diminutives.
Por favor finishes, it does not fix
favor adds courtesy to a request that is already soft. It cannot rescue an order:
, .- Give me some water, please. (still an order)¿ , ?- Could you give me some water, please?
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| + subjunctive | |
| a | | + infinitive |
| + subjunctive | |
| + infinitive |
Going further: The politeness ladder at a glance and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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