How to Say Please in Spanish: 15 Polite Expressions Beyond Por Favor

The Short Answer

The most common way to say please in Spanish is por favor (por fah-BOR). It is universal across all 21 Spanish-speaking countries and works in every register, from casual conversation to formal correspondence.

But here is what textbooks rarely explain: Spanish does not rely on the word "please" nearly as much as English does. Where an English speaker might say "Could you please pass me the salt, please?" a Spanish speaker would simply ask ¿Me pasas la sal? and it would already sound perfectly polite. The verb form, tone, and sentence structure carry the politeness that English packs into the word "please."

"Politeness in language is not a matter of magic words but of the entire system of social indexing: verb forms, pronouns, intonation, and indirectness work together to signal respect."

(Claire Kramsch, Language and Culture, Oxford University Press, 1998)

Spanish is spoken by approximately 559 million people across 21 countries, according to Ethnologue's 2024 data. With that global reach, the ways speakers express politeness vary enormously, from Mexico's deeply deferential mande to Argentina's breezy dale. This guide covers 15 polite expressions organized by formality, with pronunciation, examples, and cultural context for each.

Quick Reference: Spanish Polite Expressions at a Glance

Standard "Please" Expressions

These are the workhorses of Spanish politeness, expressions that every learner should master first. According to the Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (ASALE), por favor has been the standard polite marker across all varieties of Spanish for centuries.

Por favor

Por favor is the direct equivalent of "please" in English. It literally means "as a favor" and can be placed almost anywhere in a sentence. The most common positions are at the end (Un café, por favor) or at the beginning (Por favor, siéntese).

One key difference from English: Spanish speakers use por favor less frequently than English speakers use "please." Research in cross-cultural pragmatics shows that English relies more heavily on explicit politeness markers, while Spanish builds politeness into verb conjugation and sentence structure. Adding por favor to every request in Spanish can actually sound excessive or even sarcastic.

Si me hace el favor

This expression adds a layer of courtesy beyond plain por favor. It is frequently heard in restaurants, hotels, and offices. The conditional form si me hiciera el favor is even more formal, using the subjunctive mood to add distance and deference.

Formal Requests

In professional, academic, and bureaucratic contexts, Spanish offers several elevated expressions. These are the phrases you will encounter in business emails, official letters, and government offices. Moreno Fernandez notes in Variedades de la lengua espanola (Routledge, 2020) that formal register in Spanish varies significantly by country, with Latin American Spanish tending toward more formal address than Peninsular Spanish.

Le ruego

Le ruego sounds dramatic in English, but in Spanish it is standard formal correspondence. You will see it in business emails, legal documents, and official communications. The verb rogar (to beg, to request) carries no sense of desperation in this context; it is simply the most respectful way to frame a request.

Tenga la amabilidad de...

This is the kind of phrase you will see printed on signs in government offices or hear from a receptionist at a high-end hotel. It belongs firmly in the formal register and would sound awkward among friends.

Haga el favor de...

Be aware of tone with this one. Said calmly and with a full sentence, Haga el favor de... is polite and formal. But said sharply on its own (¡Haga el favor!), it flips into an expression of indignation, similar to "How dare you!" or "The nerve!" Context and intonation make the difference.

Casual Softeners

These are the expressions that make Spanish feel alive and natural. Rather than translating directly as "please," they function as softeners that make requests friendlier. Using them correctly will make you sound far more natural than someone who adds por favor to every sentence.

Porfa

Porfa is simply a shortened por favor, and it is everywhere in casual Spanish. You will hear it among friends, in text messages, and in any relaxed setting. It is not slang exactly, more like a natural abbreviation that has become universally accepted.

Some speakers extend it playfully to porfis or porfi for an extra dose of charm, especially when asking a favor from someone close. You might hear Porfis, porfis, porfis as a lighthearted way to plead, similar to "pretty please" in English. This playful repetition is particularly common among younger speakers and in family settings.

Anda

Anda is one of those distinctly Spanish (as in Spain) expressions that learners rarely encounter in textbooks. It softens a request by turning it into a friendly encouragement. Anda, quédate un rato más (Come on, stay a bit longer) is warmer and more natural than adding por favor. You will hear it constantly in Spanish films and TV series. Check out our guide to the best movies for learning Spanish for great examples.

Venga

Venga is Spain's Swiss Army knife of casual speech. It can mean "come on," "OK then," "let's go," or function as a friendly push to accept a request. In Latin America, you would not hear venga used this way; it remains a distinctly Peninsular expression.

A typical exchange in Spain might end with Venga, venga, nos vemos mañana (OK, OK, see you tomorrow), where the repetition functions as both agreement and a casual sign-off. It is one of those words that, once you notice it, you will hear it in every conversation in Madrid or Barcelona.

Dale

Dale is to Argentine Spanish what venga is to Peninsular Spanish: an all-purpose casual affirmation. While it does not translate directly as "please," it functions as an encouraging agreement that softens requests and suggestions. An Argentine saying Dale, ayudame con esto (Come on, help me with this) is making a polite casual request.

In Argentina and Uruguay, dale has become so ubiquitous that it can open a conversation, close one, express agreement, and soften a command, sometimes all in the same exchange. You might also hear dale que va (go for it) or dale, dale as enthusiastic encouragement.

Indirect Politeness: When Spanish Skips "Please" Entirely

This is where Spanish politeness gets fascinating for English speakers. In many everyday situations, the verb form itself does all the polite work, with no explicit "please" needed.

¿Me podrías...?

The conditional tense is the workhorse of indirect politeness in Spanish. By changing ¿Me puedes ayudar? (Can you help me?) to ¿Me podrías ayudar? (Could you help me?), the request becomes softer without any explicit "please." This is how most native speakers make everyday polite requests.

¿Sería tan amable de...?

This is the formal end of indirect politeness. You will hear it from bank tellers, hotel staff, and in any professional service interaction. The conditional mood (sería instead of es) combined with tan amable (so kind) creates a very respectful request without the word por favor.

You can also swap amable for gentil (kind/gentle): ¿Sería tan gentil de indicarme el camino? (Would you be so kind as to show me the way?). Both versions are interchangeable in formal contexts, though amable is slightly more common in everyday formal speech.

When "Please" Is Implicit: The Subjunctive Secret

One of the most important things for English speakers to understand about Spanish politeness is that verb conjugation often replaces the word "please" entirely. The subjunctive mood and conditional tense are built-in politeness markers.

Notice the pattern: where English adds "please" as an external word, Spanish builds the politeness into the verb itself. The subjunctive quisiera (I would like) is inherently more polite than quiero (I want), and the formal imperative siéntese already includes the respectful usted form.

Regional Politeness: Mande and Beyond

Spanish politeness customs vary significantly by region. One of the most striking examples is Mexico's mande.

Mande (MAHN-deh), literally "command me," is used in Mexico as a polite response when someone calls your name or when you did not hear what was said. It functions like "yes?" or "pardon?" but carries a deeper cultural layer of deference rooted in colonial-era social hierarchies. While outsiders sometimes mistake it for "please," it is actually a response marker, not a request word.

In much of Latin America outside Mexico, ¿Cómo? or ¿Perdón? serves the same function. In Mexico, answering with ¿Qué? (What?) instead of Mande is considered rude, and parents actively teach children to use mande from a young age. This is one of the clearest examples of how Spanish politeness norms are culturally transmitted and region-specific.

Practice With Real Spanish Content

Understanding these polite expressions on paper is a strong start, but hearing them in natural conversation is what makes them feel instinctive. Spanish-language films and shows are full of these expressions. Listen for porfa in casual scenes, le ruego in formal dialogue, and anda in any scene set in Spain.

Wordy lets you watch Spanish movies and shows with interactive subtitles. Tap on any polite expression to see its meaning, formality level, and cultural context in real time. Instead of memorizing a list, you absorb politeness patterns from real conversations with authentic intonation.

For more Spanish content, explore our blog for guides on everything from greetings to the best movies for learning Spanish. Visit our Spanish learning page to start practicing today.