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Asking for items

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How do i ask for an ice cream

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updated Apr 11, 2014
edited by 00551866
posted by barry1978
"I" should be capitalized and a period at the end of your sentence. - rac1, Apr 11, 2014
asjing for items: I corrected the typo in your title. :) - 00551866, Apr 11, 2014

2 Answers

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Under many circumstances, telling someone what to do can sound rather rude or impolite. So in Spanish, as well as in English, there is a variety of ways of asking people to do something or of making what might be called mellow commands. These are in addition to the impersonal and indirect commands discussed in our lesson on commands and requests.

Following are some of the most common ways of making polite requests in Spanish. Any of these ways will likely be understood wherever you go in the Spanish-speaking world, although usage does vary with region. Listen to those around you to figure out what may be preferred where you are:

Querer: Although it may seem grammatically illogical, the imperfect subjunctive form of querer (usually translated in this context as "I would like"), quisiera, is a common colloquial way of stating wishes and making polite requests. The normal sequence of tenses applies, so when quisiera is followed by a conjugated verb, the following verb must be in an imperfect subjunctive form. Other forms of querer including the present and conditional tenses also can be used in either statement or question form.

• Quisiera dos manzanas. (I would like two apples.) • Quisiera comer ahora. (I would like to eat now.) • Quisiera que salieras. (I would like you to leave.) • Quiero dos manzanas. (I want two apples.) • Quiero comer ahora. (I want to eat now.) • Quiero que salgas. (I want you to leave.) • ¿Quieres darme dos manzanas? (Do you want to give me two apples?) • ¿Querrías darme dos manzanas? (Would you like to give me two apples?)

Gustaríá: The verb gustar (which can be translated literally as "to be pleasing" ) can similarly be used in the conditional form, gustaría, to make gently worded requests.

• Me gustaría que estudiaras. (I would like you to study.) • Me gustarían dos manzanas. (I would like two apples.) • ¿Te gustaría darme dos manzanas? (Would you like to give me two apples?)

Poder: This verb meaning "to be able" or the auxiliary verb "can" can be used as a question in the conditional or imperfect tense.

• ¿Podrías darme dos manzanas? (Could you give me two apples?) • ¿Podías darme dos manzanas? (Could you give me two apples?)

updated Apr 11, 2014
posted by bosquederoble
Thank you. - 007c5fc1, Apr 11, 2014
I like things that are mellow. - llamalovers000, Apr 11, 2014
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Welcome to SpanishDict. Please fill out your profile. What language are you studying? Also, please remember to always use proper capitalization and punctuation. We are a learning site. Thank you.

updated Apr 11, 2014
posted by rac1