Hazme el paro

Asking for a favor can be a delicate task. Do it wrong and you can damage an otherwise healthy relationship. Since it's important to express yourself not only correctly but sensitively when asking a favor, let's look at some functional language that is useful for doing this in Spanish.

Prefacing

Before introducing sensitive topics, we often do something called prefacing. We alert the listener about the topic coming up rather than jumping right in. This seems to soften the blow and make the listener more open to what we have to say. In English, we might preface the asking of favor by saying something like 'Hey, I was wondering if ...' rather than jumping right into the request. Or: 'Say, I wanted to ask you if ...'

In Spanish, you can preface a request with something like oye.

• Oye, mi hermana viene de visita y te quería preguntar si me prestas tu colchón inflable. Hey, my sister's coming to visit and I wanted to ask if I could borrow your inflatable mattress.

Simple present

Notice the use of past in the request (quería) above to create a polite distance. Alternatives are: ¿Podrías ayudarme con algo? or even ¿Crees que podrías ayudarme con algo? This use of past tense (not past meaning) is optional but common when making requests.

It's also possible to use simple present, especially for minor favors where you expect the other person to grant your request as a matter of courtesy.

• ¿Me pasas la sal? Could you pass the salt?

This sounds a bit softer and more polite than a command form like 'pásame la sal', even if you add 'por favor'. Again, this form is common when making a perfunctory request.

Favorzote

Although it isn't necessary to use the word favor when asking for a favor, if you do, there's favorcito, small favor, and favorzote, big favor.

• ¿Me haces un favorzote?

Even a very small favor can be referred to as a favorzote if the speaker wishes to express extreme deference.

Level of Formality

You'll want to adjust the level of formality used in your request to the situation at hand. In school I was taught to make a polite request by saying Tenga la bondad de, meaning, 'please have the kindness to' do something. In reality, this is excessively formal, and it's hard to think of common situations where this would be appropriate. Choose language that is at the right level of formality for the situation.

Echarle la mano

For a neutral, even informal, way to ask for help, there's echarle la mano: lend a (helping) hand.

• ¿Me echas la mano con esto? Could you give me a hand with this?

Hazme el paro

A fun way to ask for help is with hacerle el paro. In this context, paro means 'favor'. It's informal and works well among friends.

• Me está haciendo el paro. He's helping me out.
• Hazme el paro con esa chica. Introduce me to her.
• Por cierto, quería pedirte que me hicieras un paro, que me prestaras el coche ... Oh, I wanted to ask you for a favor, if you could loan me your car ...
• Pero ahora sí necesito que me eches el paro. But now I realy do need you to do something for me.

As with la mano, the verb echar is possible: echarle el paro a alguien. And you'll sometimes this expression with the indefinite article: hacerle un paro. Or just alone:

• Gracias por el paro = Thanks for the favor.

By the way, a common second meaning of paro is 'strike' or 'work stoppage', una huelga.

No seas malito

A counterintuitive but useful expression for asking someone to help you out, even 'cut you some slack', is no sea(s) malito/a, literally: don't be bad.

• No seas malito/a. Espérame tantito, ¿no? Give me a sec to get ready.

If you're thinking of the English translation, no seas malito may seem harsh-sounding to you, but in Spanish it's appropriate for any small request where you will minorly inconvenience the other person and/or are asking for some tolerance or leeway.

¡Ándale!

Ándale is another informal 'begging' word you'll hear at times. You can say it when you've asked for something and you can see that the other person is hesitating about whether to grant your request or not.

• ¡Ándale! Pretty please!
• ¡Ándale! No seas malito. Be a dear and help me out here.

Ándale has several other communicative uses, but the idea of 'please, do this for me' is one of the most common ones. It's important to get the intonation (pronunciation) right. Extend the first syllable, falling a bit in pitch.