13.07.2026

10 minutes to read

In Spanish, the word “please” is not always translated with just one option. It all depends on the situation: whether you are asking for something, replying to thanks, trying to sound softer, or, on the contrary, very polite.
The main option is por favor. It is used when you ask someone to do something, give something, explain something, or repeat something.
Un café, por favor.
A coffee, please.
¿Puedes repetir, por favor?
Can you repeat, please?
Ayúdame, por favor.
Help me, please.
Por favor can be placed at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a phrase. The meaning hardly changes, but the intonation may sound slightly different.
Por favor, cierra la puerta.
Please close the door.
Cierra la puerta, por favor.
Close the door, please.
If the request is softer, structures with ¿puedes...?, ¿podrías...?, ¿me puedes...? are often used. In this case, por favor can be kept or omitted.
¿Puedes ayudarme, por favor?
Can you help me, please?
¿Podrías enviarme la información?
Could you send me the information?
¿Me puedes pasar el agua?
Can you pass me the water?
The form ¿podrías...? sounds more polite than ¿puedes...?. It is convenient to use in emails, at work, and when speaking with people you do not know.
There is also the expression si no te importa — “if it is not difficult for you,” “if you do not mind.” It makes the request softer.
¿Puedes esperarme cinco minutos, si no te importa?
Can you wait for me for five minutes, if you don’t mind?
Si no te importa, mándame el documento hoy.
If it is not difficult for you, send me the document today.
For more formal communication, si no le importa is suitable. This is used when speaking formally.
Si no le importa, ¿podría repetirlo?
If you do not mind, could you repeat that?
Another useful option is hágame el favor de... or hazme el favor de.... Literally, it means something like “do me the favor of...”. But depending on the tone, the phrase can sound either polite or quite strict.
Hazme el favor de llamarme cuando llegues.
Please call me when you arrive.
Hágame el favor de esperar aquí.
Please wait here.
In formal correspondence, you may come across the expression le agradecería que.... This is not a direct translation of “please,” but in meaning it conveys a very polite request.
Le agradecería que me enviara la respuesta hoy.
I would be grateful if you sent me the answer today.
Le agradecería que revisara los documentos.
I would appreciate it if you checked the documents.
There is also the expression tenga la bondad de.... It sounds very official or old-fashioned, but it is sometimes used in formal situations.
Tenga la bondad de esperar un momento.
Please be so kind as to wait a moment.
When someone says “thank you,” in English we often reply “you’re welcome.” In Spanish, you cannot use por favor here. You need to choose other options.
The most common replies to thanks are:
De nada.
You’re welcome / not at all.
No hay de qué.
You’re welcome / don’t mention it.
Con gusto.
With pleasure.
A ti / a usted.
Thank you.
Gracias. — De nada.
Thank you. — You’re welcome.
Muchas gracias por tu ayuda. — No hay de qué.
Thank you very much for your help. — You’re welcome.

Spanish is used in different countries, so polite phrases may vary slightly. Por favor is understood everywhere: in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, and other countries. It is a universal and safe option. But in real speech, people often add local shades, use other forms of address, or choose more conversational expressions.

In Spain, the most common option is por favor. It is used in cafés, shops, transport, school, the office, and everyday speech.
Una botella de agua, por favor.
A bottle of water, please.
¿Me puedes decir la hora, por favor?
Can you tell me the time, please?
In Spain, ¿me puedes...? and ¿me podrías...? are also often used. In informal situations, a request may sound short, but the intonation makes it polite.
¿Me pones un café, por favor?
Can you make me a coffee, please?
In a bar or café in Spain, you can hear exactly ¿me pones...?. For a foreigner, this may sound unusual, but for everyday Spanish speech, it is normal.
When replying to thanks, people often say:
De nada.
You’re welcome.
Nada, nada.
It’s nothing.
A ti.
Thank you.

In Chile, por favor is also used without any problem. It is the main option and works in almost any situation.
Un té, por favor.
A tea, please.
¿Me ayudas, por favor?
Can you help me, please?
Chilean speech can be fast, with contractions and local words, but por favor remains clear and universal. In conversation, soft requests may also be used:
¿Me podrías ayudar?
Could you help me?
Si puedes, mándame el mensaje.
If you can, send me the message.
As a reply to “thank you,” in Chile these options often work:
De nada.
You’re welcome.
No hay de qué.
Don’t mention it.
Con gusto.
With pleasure.

In Argentina, the main word is also por favor, but it is important to remember the local feature of address. In Argentinian Spanish, vos is often used instead of tú. That is why the verb form may be different.
¿Me ayudás, por favor?
Can you help me, please?
¿Me pasás la sal, por favor?
Can you pass me the salt, please?
In Spain, people would say ayudas or pasas, while in Argentina you often hear ayudás, pasás. Por favor itself does not change.
In a more polite form, you can say:
¿Me podrías ayudar, por favor?
Could you help me, please?
People usually reply to thanks with:
De nada.
You’re welcome.
No, por favor.
Oh, please, no need to thank me.
Interestingly, no, por favor in Argentina can sound like a polite “oh, not at all,” especially if the person is thanking too much.

In Uruguay, the situation is similar to Argentina. Vos is also often used here, so verb forms change, but por favor remains universal.
¿Me traés la cuenta, por favor?
Can you bring me the bill, please?
¿Me explicás esto, por favor?
Can you explain this to me, please?
A more neutral option would be:
¿Podrías ayudarme, por favor?
Could you help me, please?
In Uruguay, as in other countries, the following replies to thanks are suitable:
De nada.
You’re welcome.
No hay de qué.
Don’t mention it.
Con gusto.
With pleasure.
If you are just learning Spanish and are not sure about vos forms, you can use more universal structures with usted or a neutral por favor at the end of the request.

In Mexico, the most common way to say “please” is por favor. This is the standard phrase for a request.
Un vaso de agua, por favor.
A glass of water, please.
¿Me puede ayudar, por favor?
Can you help me, please?
In Mexico, the polite form usted is often used, especially with strangers, older people, clients, and employees of official institutions. That is why the phrase ¿me puede...? sounds very natural.
¿Me puede repetir la dirección, por favor?
Can you repeat the address, please?
¿Me podría decir cuánto cuesta?
Could you tell me how much it costs?
As a reply to thanks in Mexico, people often say:
De nada.
You’re welcome.
No hay de qué.
Don’t mention it.
Con gusto.
With pleasure.
Para servirle.
At your service.
The phrase para servirle sounds especially polite and may be heard in the service industry.

In Colombia, por favor is also the main and universal option. But Colombian Spanish is often perceived as very polite, especially in official and everyday communication with strangers.
¿Me regala un café, por favor?
A coffee, please.
Literally, me regala means “give me as a gift,” but in Colombia it is a common polite form of request in a café, shop, or on the street. It does not mean that the person is asking for something for free. They are simply politely asking to be given or sold something.
¿Me regala la cuenta, por favor?
The bill, please.
¿Me puede colaborar, por favor?
Can you help me, please?
The verb colaborar in Colombia is often used in the meaning “to help.” For a foreigner, this may sound unusual, but in local speech it is normal.
You can reply to thanks with:
Con mucho gusto.
With great pleasure.
De nada.
You’re welcome.
No hay de qué.
Don’t mention it.
A la orden.
At your service.
The phrase a la orden is very common in Colombia. You can hear it in shops, cafés, markets, and the service industry. It means readiness to help and sounds polite.
So, if you need to say “please” in Spanish in a request, the safest option is por favor. If you are replying to gracias, it is better to say de nada, no hay de qué, or con gusto. And if you want to sound more natural in a specific country, it is worth remembering local forms: ¿me pones...? in Spain, vos forms in Argentina and Uruguay, ¿me puede...? in Mexico, and me regala and a la orden in Colombia.