“Ask” has several meanings in Spanish. They’re not interchangeable, and there are some subtle differences in meaning.
Preguntar - “to ask a question” or “to ask about” something.
- Preguntó por ti en la fiesta. - He asked about you at the party.
- Pregunté si habían estudiado para la prueba. - I asked if they had studied for the test.
Pedir - used to indicate a direct request or to ask for something.
- Pidió un libro de español. - She asked for a Spanish book.
- Me pidió dinero pero le dije que no tenía un centavo. - He asked me for money but I told him I didn’t have a penny.
Rogar - to make a formal request, or also to beg or to pray.
- Se ruega a los clientes que tomen las precauciones oportunas para salvaguardar sus pertenencias. Customers are asked to take appropriate precautions in order to protect their belongings.
- Fuimos a la iglesia para rogar. - We went to the church to pray.
Invitar - can be used when asking someone out to do something or go somewhere.
- Te invito a mi casa a echarnos un trago. - Come to my house to have a drink.
Solicitar - used with certain types of requests, such as for information, or in business or legal contexts.
- Solicitan amnistía para el ex presidente. - They are requesting an amnesty for the former president.
See you next time!
2 Comments
Spanish Word of the Day dated 9/9/08 disappoints me when i came to know ‘aplicado’ means ‘applied’,since i am a regular reader of this snippet.Kindly send me the correct translation for ’studious’,as far as i know its ‘estudioso’.
Don’t worry, all of the above are correct:
applied = aplicado (referring to things or concepts)
studious = estudioso / aplicado (referring to people)
The difference in Spanish between “estudioso” and “aplicado” is very slight, so the terms are used almost interchangeably to refer to good students:
“Estudioso” is a student who spends a considerable amount of time in deliberate study activities.
“Aplicado” is a student who works hard and always completes assignments.
“Aplicado”