Asking for Advice in Spanish: "¿Qué harías tú?" and "¿Algún consejo?"
Learn to ask for opinions and advice in Latin American Spanish, explain your situation, and understand how this differs from asking for a favor.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
When you have a problem and want someone's opinion, Spanish has specific phrases for asking for advice. This is different from asking for a favor, where you request that someone do something for you. In this lesson you will learn to explain a situation, ask "What would you do?" and "Any advice?", and respond to advice you receive. All examples use broadly useful Latin American Spanish, with notes on regional variation.
By the end, you can…
- explain a problem or situation in simple Spanish
- ask for someone's opinion or advice using ¿Qué harías tú? and ¿Algún consejo?
- distinguish asking for advice from asking for a favor
- respond appropriately when someone gives me advice
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
¿Qué harías tú en mi lugar?
What would you do in my place?
keh ah-REE-ahs too en mee loo-GAR
A warm, common way to ask for someone's opinion. The tú form is informal; use usted in formal situations: ¿Qué haría usted en mi lugar?
¿Algún consejo?
Any advice?
al-GOON kon-SEH-hoh
Short and natural after you explain your situation. Consejo means 'piece of advice'; the plural consejos means 'advice' in general.
Necesito tu opinión.
I need your opinion.
neh-seh-SEE-toh too oh-pee-NYON
Use this to signal you want an opinion, not a favor. It is neutral and works with friends, family, or colleagues.
¿Tú qué piensas?
What do you think?
too keh PYEN-sahs
Very common in conversation. In some regions people add 'de esto': ¿Tú qué piensas de esto? ('What do you think about this?').
Te cuento mi situación.
Let me tell you my situation.
teh KWEN-toh mee see-too-ah-SYON
A natural way to begin explaining your problem before asking for advice. Cuento comes from contar, 'to tell'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To ask for advice, use a question with harías (conditional of hacer) or piensas (present of pensar). Examples: ¿Qué harías tú? ('What would you do?'), ¿Tú qué piensas? ('What do you think?'), ¿Me puedes dar un consejo? ('Can you give me a piece of advice?'). Notice that these questions ask for an opinion, not for an action. If you want someone to do something for you, that is a favor: ¿Me puedes ayudar? ('Can you help me?') or ¿Me prestas tu teléfono? ('Can you lend me your phone?').
When to use it
Use ¿Qué harías tú? when you want to hear what the other person would do in your situation. Use ¿Algún consejo? when you want general suggestions. Use Necesito tu opinión when you want to be clear that you are not asking for a favor. For a boss, an older person, or someone you just met, use usted: ¿Qué haría usted en mi lugar? ('What would you do in my place?'). With friends and family, tú is normal in most of Latin America; in parts of Central America and Colombia, vos is also common, for example ¿Vos qué harías?
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Oye, te cuento mi situación. Tengo dos ofertas de trabajo y no sé cuál elegir.
Hey, let me tell you my situation. I have two job offers and I don't know which one to choose.OH-yeh, teh KWEN-toh mee see-too-ah-SYON. TEN-goh dohs oh-FER-tahs deh trah-BAH-hoh ee noh seh kwal eh-leh-HEERQué difícil. ¿Y qué te importa más, el sueldo o el horario?
How difficult. And what matters more to you, the salary or the schedule?keh dee-FEE-seel. ee keh teh een-POR-tah mas, el SWEL-doh oh el oh-RAH-ryohEl horario, creo. ¿Tú qué harías en mi lugar?
The schedule, I think. What would you do in my place?el oh-RAH-ryoh, KREH-oh. too keh ah-REE-ahs en mee loo-GARYo hablaría con las dos empresas y preguntaría por la flexibilidad. ¿Algún consejo más? Pues no te apures.
I would talk to both companies and ask about flexibility. Any more advice? Well, don't rush.yoh ah-blah-REE-ah kon lahs dohs em-PREH-sahs ee preh-goon-tah-REE-ah por lah fleh-see-bee-lee-DAD. al-GOON kon-SEH-hoh mas? pwehs noh teh ah-POO-rehsA little context goes a long way
In many Latin American workplaces and families, asking ¿Qué harías tú? is friendly and collaborative, but with a boss or an older relative, the usted form (¿Qué haría usted?) shows respect. Directly asking for a favor, such as ¿Me puedes ayudar?, can feel stronger; if you only want an opinion, say so clearly with Necesito tu opinión. In some regions, people may answer with a general phrase like 'Depende' ('It depends') before giving advice, which is polite rather than evasive.
One thing to watch for
Using ¿Qué haces? to mean 'What would you do?'
Try this instead: ¿Qué haces? means 'What are you doing?' or 'What do you do?' For advice, use the conditional: ¿Qué harías tú? ('What would you do?'). Example: ¿Qué harías tú en mi lugar? not ¿Qué haces tú en mi lugar?
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You want a friend's opinion about a problem. Which phrase asks for advice, not a favor?
Show a sample answer
¿Qué harías tú en mi lugar?
This asks what the friend would do in your situation, so it seeks an opinion. ¿Me puedes ayudar? would ask for a favor instead.
2How would you ask a new older colleague for advice politely?
Show a sample answer
¿Qué haría usted en mi lugar?
Using usted shows respect with someone older or unfamiliar. ¿Qué harías tú? is also correct with friends, but it is informal.
3Translate: 'I need your opinion. Any advice?'
Show a sample answer
Necesito tu opinión. ¿Algún consejo?
Necesito tu opinión signals you want an opinion, and ¿Algún consejo? asks for advice. You could also say ¿Tienes algún consejo? ('Do you have any advice?').
To ask for advice in Spanish, explain your situation and use ¿Qué harías tú? or ¿Algún consejo? Remember: advice asks for an opinion, while a favor asks someone to act. Use usted with people who deserve more formality.
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