# Direct requests: imperatives done politely

> id: usage.requests-direct · category: usage · depth: standard · levels: A2 · review: internally_reviewed

**Summary.** Imperative + por favor is normal and not rude among peers: pasame la sal, por favor. Soften with diminutives, nomás, or porfa.

Spanish tolerates direct imperatives where English hedges: mandame la dirección, decime cuándo. Politeness rides on tone, por favor, and closeness.

Softeners: porfa/porfis (casual please), un favorcito, nomás ('just go ahead': pase nomás), ¿sí? tagged at the end. With strangers or officials, switch to the podría register.

Spanish tolerates bare imperatives where English hedges — pasame la sal, mandame la dirección — and politeness rides on tone, por favor, and closeness rather than grammar. Soften with diminutives (un favorcito), porfa, or nomás (pase nomás = 'go right ahead'); with strangers or officials, climb to the ¿podría…? register instead.

## Examples
- Pasame tu número, porfa. — Send me your number, please.
- Siéntese nomás. — Just have a seat.
- Pasame la sal, porfa. —Tomá. —Gracias. — Pass me the salt, please. —Here. —Thanks.

Related: usage.requests-polite, conjugation.imperative.tu-affirmative, conjugation.imperative.vos

License: CC BY-SA 4.0 — Spanish Rules Library — spanishruleslibrary.com