Why Pedir Is "To Ask For," Not "To Ask"
Pedir means to ask for something: help, food, forgiveness, a favor. The verb for asking a question is preguntar. English uses "ask" for both, so this is where learners slip.
Pedir also changes its stem (pido, pides, pide, pedimos, piden), so the chunks below save you from conjugating in your head mid-sentence.
Pattern 1: Pedir un favor / ayuda — "To ask for a favor / help"
The classic polite opener. Spanish does not need "for" after pedir: the thing you ask for comes right after the verb. The other side of the favor is hacer un favor; see [Hacer] Chunks.
- Te quiero pedir un favor. — I want to ask you a favor.
- No tengas miedo de pedir ayuda. — Don't be afraid to ask for help.
- Le pidió permiso a su padre. — He asked his father for permission.
Chunk to learn:
Pedir + [un favor / ayuda / permiso]
Pattern 2: Pedir la cuenta — "To order / ask for the bill"
At a restaurant, pedir is the verb for ordering and for asking for the bill. Learn it with la cuenta and you can finish any meal.
- Voy a pedir la sopa. — I'm going to order the soup.
- ¿Ya pidieron? — Have you already ordered?
- ¿Podemos pedir la cuenta, por favor? — Can we ask for the bill, please?
Chunk to learn:
Pedir + [comida] / Pedir la cuenta
Pattern 3: Pedir perdón / disculpas — "To apologize"
In Spanish you ask for forgiveness. Add por plus a noun or an infinitive to say what you are sorry for.
- Te pido perdón. — I'm sorry. (I ask your forgiveness.)
- Pido disculpas por llegar tarde. — I apologize for being late.
- Me pidió perdón y lo perdoné. — He apologized to me and I forgave him.
Chunk to learn:
Pedir perdón / Pedir disculpas (por + infinitivo)
Pattern 4: Pedir que… — "To ask someone to…"
When you ask someone to do something, pedir takes que and the subjunctive. The person you ask is the indirect object: me, te, le. For more on the subjunctive, see Subjunctive Chunks.
- Te pido que me esperes. — I'm asking you to wait for me.
- Mi jefe me pide que llegue temprano. — My boss asks me to arrive early.
- ¿Puedo pedirte que no digas nada? — Can I ask you not to say anything?
Chunk to learn:
Te pido que + [subjuntivo] / Me pide que + [subjuntivo]
Pattern 5: Pedir prestado — "To borrow"
Spanish has no single everyday verb for "to borrow." You ask to be lent something: pedir prestado. The person you borrow from comes after a, or as le / les.
- ¿Te puedo pedir prestado el coche? — Can I borrow your car?
- Le pedí prestado dinero a mi hermano. — I borrowed money from my brother.
- Pedí prestado un libro en la biblioteca. — I borrowed a book from the library.
Chunk to learn:
Pedir prestado + [algo] / Pedirle prestado + [algo] a + [persona]
Pattern 6: Pedir un taxi / cita — "To order a ride / book an appointment"
Pedir also covers calling for a service: a ride, food delivery, or an appointment. Pedir cita is common in Spain; Latin America often says sacar cita or hacer una cita. For sacar, see [Sacar] Chunks.
- Voy a pedir un Uber. — I'm going to order an Uber.
- Pedimos pizza a domicilio. — We ordered pizza for delivery.
- Tengo que pedir cita con el médico. — I have to book an appointment with the doctor.
Chunk to learn:
Pedir + [un taxi / un Uber / comida a domicilio / cita]
Pedir vs. Preguntar
A quick test: if you want a thing or an action, use pedir. If you want information, use preguntar. Pedí la cuenta asks for the bill; pregunté cuánto cuesta asks for the price. If you are still choosing the right word after traveling, see [Viajar] Chunks for the trip side of the story.
Start with te quiero pedir un favor and ¿puedo pedirte prestado…?. You will use both the next time you need something from someone.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.