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Sentence explanations

1. Por favor, pasa.

   Please come inside.

   Por favor

   please

   pasa

   come in

   More detail

   Por favor is a polite expression meaning “please.” It can be added to requests without changing the requested action. pasa comes from the verb pasar, “to pass” or, in this context, “to come in.” Here it is the affirmative command for tú (one familiar listener). The same form can have other meanings in other contexts, so the intended “come inside” meaning comes from the fixed translation and situation. For example: Pasa, por favor. — “Come in, please.” Together, Por favor, pasa. is a polite request addressed to one familiar listener: “Please come inside.”

2. Por favor, siéntate aquí.

   Please sit here.

   Por favor

   please

   siéntate

   sit down

   aquí

   here

   More detail

   Por favor is a polite expression used to make a request. It can introduce many requests, as in Por favor, espera aquí (“Please wait here”). siéntate means “sit down” here. It is the affirmative tú command of the reflexive verb sentarse (“to sit down”): siéntate = “sit down” when addressing one person informally. The final -te refers reflexively to the person being addressed, and the accent preserves the verb’s pronunciation when the pronoun is attached. The corresponding formal singular command is siéntese; this sentence uses neither that form nor a plural command. aquí means “here” and indicates the place where the action should happen. It contrasts with allí or ahí, which indicate a place other than the speaker’s immediate “here,” depending on context. Together, Por favor + siéntate + aquí gives the polite request “Please sit here.”

3. Por favor, espera aquí.

   Please wait here.

   Por favor

   please

   espera

   wait

   aquí

   here

   More detail

   Por favor is a polite expression meaning “please.” It can be placed before a request, as here, or after one: Espera aquí, por favor means “Wait here, please.” espera is the affirmative command form of esperar (“to wait”) for tú, one person addressed informally. The same written form can also be a present-tense form meaning “he/she waits” or “you wait,” but in this sentence its command function is clear from the request. For formal singular usted, the command is espere; for plural ustedes, it is esperen. Example: Espera un momento. — “Wait a moment.” aquí is the adverb “here,” referring to the place associated with the speaker or the current situation. It does not change for number or gender. A useful contrast is aquí (“here”) versus allí (“there”). Example: Quédate aquí. — “Stay here.” Together, Por favor makes the request polite, espera tells one informal singular listener to wait, and aquí specifies the place. The whole utterance therefore means “Please wait here.”

4. Por favor, mira aquí.

   Please look here.

   Por favor

   please

   mira

   look

   aquí

   here

   More detail

   Por favor is a polite expression used to soften a request. It does not itself identify the listener or indicate a number. mira means “look” here. It is the affirmative command form of mirar for tú (one person addressed informally). The corresponding formal singular command is mire, and the plural command for ustedes is miren. Example: Mira el mapa. — “Look at the map.” aquí means “here” and points to the place intended by the speaker. It is an adverb, so it does not change for number or gender. A useful contrast is allí, “there.” Example: Espera aquí. — “Wait here.” Together, Por favor, mira aquí. means “Please look here.” The request asks one tú listener to direct their gaze to the place indicated by aquí; por favor makes the request polite.

5. Por favor, escucha con atención.

   Please listen carefully.

   Por favor

   Please

   escucha

   listen

   con atención

   carefully

   More detail

   Por favor is a polite request marker meaning “please.” It can be placed at the beginning or end of a Spanish request: Por favor, habla despacio. means “Please speak slowly.” escucha means “listen” here. It is the affirmative command form for tú (one person addressed informally) of escuchar. The same written form also occurs as the third-person singular present form in other contexts, so the command meaning comes from its use as a standalone request here. Compare escuche for a singular usted command and escuchen for a plural ustedes command. con atención literally expresses doing something “with attention,” and here means “carefully” or “attentively.” atención is a feminine noun; the preposition con does not change its form. A reusable pattern is escucha con atención (“listen carefully”). Together, Por favor + escucha + con atención forms the polite request “Please listen carefully.”

6. Por favor, habla despacio.

   Please speak slowly.

   Por favor

   please

   habla

   speak

   despacio

   slowly

   More detail

   Por favor is a polite expression used to make a request. It does not itself specify who must act; the verb form supplies that information. habla means “speak” here. In this request, it is the affirmative command for tú (one person addressed informally), from hablar. The same form can also be the present-tense form for él, ella, or usted in a different sentence, but here the request reading identifies it as the command. The negative command is no hables. Example: Habla más alto, por favor. — “Speak louder, please.” despacio is an adverb meaning “slowly”; it describes how the speaking should happen. A useful contrasting adverb is rápidamente — “quickly.” Example: Lee despacio. — “Read slowly.” Together, Por favor, habla despacio forms a polite request: “Please speak slowly.” habla tells one informal tú addressee to speak, and despacio specifies the manner of speaking.