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Lesson 9 of 238

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Free Spanish CourseLesson 9 of 238

Please, thanks, and sorry in Spanish

Café Laurel is busy, and Justin still hasn't seen a drop of water. He's polite, though — he says por favor before the bump and perdón after it.

Yako is stuck on two chairs and truly cannot move. Yako waves it all off with no pasa nada.

In this lesson you'll ask for things politely, say thanks, and apologize when you bump into someone.

By the end of this lesson

Ask for something politely, thank someone, and apologize.

  • ___, por favor___, please
  • GraciasThank you
  • De nadaYou're welcome
  • DisculpaExcuse me
  • PerdónSorry
  • Lo siento, no puedoSorry, I can't
  • No pasa nadaIt's fine

Scene — no glass yet

It's late morning inside Café Laurel. Justin's glass of water hasn't arrived yet, and the table has no glass on it at all.

Yako is parked on two chairs and truly can't budge. One turning elbow is about to cause real trouble.

Justin is about to ask for water at Café Laurel, with one chair pulled out and no glass on the table.

Learn — please and sorry

Here are seven short lines to keep you polite in Mexico City.

You'll cover asking for things, thanking people, and apologizing — the whole social toolkit for a café.

  1. ___, por favor: Justin asks Michael for water with a polite hand on his chest.

    ___, por favor

    ___, please

    When to use it: Add por favor to any request to make it polite.

    Put what you want first, then por favor.

    Say it: por fah-VOR, stress the last syllable.

  2. Gracias: Justin smiles and nods as Michael straightens the chair for him.

    Gracias

    Thank you

    When to use it: Say gracias whenever someone helps you.

    Say it: GRAH-syahs in Mexico.

  3. De nada: Michael waves the thanks away with a kind smile.

    De nada

    You're welcome

    When to use it: Say de nada when someone thanks you.

    Say it: deh NAH-dah.

  4. Disculpa: Justin turns to Yako with one hand raised, excusing himself.

    Disculpa

    Excuse me

    When to use it: Use it to get past someone or soften a bump, like saying excuse me.

    Say it: dees-KOOL-pah.

  5. Perdón: Justin has just bumped Yako's chair and looks sorry.

    Perdón

    Sorry

    When to use it: Say perdón to apologize for a small accident.

    Say it: pehr-DOHN, stress the last syllable.

  6. Lo siento, no puedo: Yako stays on his two chairs and shakes his head, he can't move.

    Lo siento, no puedo

    Sorry, I can't

    When to use it: Say this when you're sorry you can't do something.

    Learn lo siento, no puedo as one chunk.

    Say it: no PWEH-doh.

  7. No pasa nada: Yako waves the bump away from his two chairs, relaxed, and still no glass of water.

    No pasa nada

    It's fine

    When to use it: Say no pasa nada to tell someone it's fine.

    Say it: no PAH-sah NAH-dah.

Story — the bumped chair

Watch how one bumped chair turns into a whole polite conversation.

Every line you just learned shows up, from the first request to the final you're welcome.

  1. JustinHola. Agua, por favor.Hi. Water, please.
  2. MichaelClaro.Sure.
  3. Justin's seat is behind Yako's two chairs.
  4. JustinDisculpa.Excuse me.
  5. YakoLo siento, no puedo.Sorry, I can't.
  6. Justin squeezes past anyway and bumps Yako's chair.
  7. JustinPerdón.Sorry.
  8. YakoNo pasa nada.It's fine.
  9. Michael straightens the chair for Justin.
  10. JustinGracias.Thank you.
  11. MichaelDe nada.You're welcome.

Practice — thanks and sorry

Eleven quick exercises are coming up to lock these lines in.

They're short, so run through them all — listening, matching, and building sentences yourself.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    Spanish

    GraciasDrop the English here
    De nadaDrop the English here
    PerdónDrop the English here
    Sí, por favorDrop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its Spanish, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    You want a glass of water and you want to be polite.

  4. Pick the reply

    Michael says:

    Gracias

    Thank you

    And you reply with:

  5. Build the line

    Sorry, I can't

    ,

    Tap the words in order.

  6. Find the mistake

  7. Sort them

    Sorry

    Thanks

    Drag each line into its group, or tap a line and then a group.

  8. What does it mean?

    Hola.

  9. True or false?

    No pasa nada means someone is in trouble.

  10. Put the chat in order

    1. JustinWhat comes first?
    2. Yako…
    3. Justin…
    4. Yako…

    Tap the line that comes next, or drag it into the chat.

Say it — ask and apologize

Now you're Justin. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and say your line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear it. Don't worry, your recording stays on your device.

  1. Justin (you)Ask Michael for water, politely.

    ___, por favor

    ___, please

0 of 4 said

Recap — what you can say now

SpanishEnglish
___, por favor___, please
GraciasThank you
De nadaYou're welcome
DisculpaExcuse me
PerdónSorry
Lo siento, no puedoSorry, I can't
No pasa nadaIt's fine
Next: lesson 10Here you go

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Nice work — you just handled a bump, an apology, and a thank-you in Spanish. Keep going with these on your Yak Cards.

Come back tomorrow and run the Say it again — Michael's still waiting on that water.

Open Yak Cards