How to Ask for Help in Spanish: '¿Me puedes hacer un favor?' and '¿Me prestas tus apuntes?'
Learn polite Latin American Spanish ways to ask for a favor or borrow class notes, with pronunciation, a dialogue, and common mistakes to avoid.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
Asking for help is one of the most practical things you can do in a new language. In Spanish, the polite way to ask for a favor is usually built with poder ('to be able to') or prestar ('to lend'). This lesson teaches you short, natural phrases for asking a classmate or friend for assistance, especially borrowing notes. You will also learn how to make the request softer with por favor and ¿me puedes...? These phrases work across Latin America, with small regional notes where usage differs.
By the end, you can…
- ask someone politely to do me a favor in Spanish.
- ask to borrow notes or a book using prestar.
- respond politely when someone asks me for help.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
¿Me puedes hacer un favor?
Could you do me a favor?
meh PWEH-dehs ah-SEHR oon fah-BOR
Standard polite request to a friend, classmate, or someone you address as tú. In Argentina and Uruguay you may hear ¿Me podés hacer un favor?
¿Me prestas tus apuntes?
Can I borrow your notes?
meh PREHS-tahs toos ah-POON-tehs
Prestar means 'to lend,' so Spanish says 'Do you lend me your notes?' Use tus for 'your' with plural apuntes. In Argentina and Uruguay: ¿Me prestás tus apuntes?
¿Me puedes ayudar con la tarea?
Can you help me with the homework?
meh PWEH-dehs ah-yoo-DAR kohn lah tah-REH-ah
A direct but polite way to ask for help with a specific task. You can replace la tarea with cualquier cosa, for example con esta pregunta.
Claro, ¿qué necesitas?
Sure, what do you need?
KLAH-roh, keh neh-seh-SEE-tahs
A friendly, common reply. Claro alone can mean 'Sure.' In more formal situations, use ¿Qué necesita? with usted.
Lo siento, no puedo.
I'm sorry, I can't.
loh SYEHN-toh, noh PWEH-doh
A polite refusal. You can add pero te puedo ayudar mañana ('but I can help you tomorrow') to soften it.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The most useful pattern is ¿Me puedes + infinitive? This means 'Can you ... me?' For example: ¿Me puedes ayudar? ('Can you help me?'), ¿Me puedes prestar tu libro? ('Can you lend me your book?'). If you want to name the thing, put it after prestar: ¿Me prestas tus apuntes? Notice that prestar means 'to lend,' not 'to borrow.' The person who receives says gracias por prestarme... The person who lends uses prestar; the person who borrows can also say pedir prestado: ¿Puedo pedir prestados tus apuntes?
When to use it
Use ¿Me puedes hacer un favor? when you need a general favor and will explain the details next. Use ¿Me prestas...? when you specifically want to borrow an object, such as apuntes, un lápiz, or un libro. Add por favor at the end for extra politeness: ¿Me prestas tus apuntes, por favor? With strangers, older people, or in formal settings, switch to usted: ¿Me puede hacer un favor? and ¿Me presta sus apuntes? In Colombia and much of Central America, usted is also common among friends, so you may hear ¿Me presta sus apuntes? even between classmates.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Oye, ¿me puedes hacer un favor?
Hey, could you do me a favor?OH-yeh, meh PWEH-dehs ah-SEHR oon fah-BORClaro, ¿qué necesitas?
Sure, what do you need?KLAH-roh, keh neh-seh-SEE-tahs¿Me prestas tus apuntes de historia? Falté ayer.
Can I borrow your history notes? I missed class yesterday.meh PREHS-tahs toos ah-POON-tehs deh ees-TOH-ryah? fahl-TEH ah-YEHRSí, pero te los presto mañana. ¿Está bien?
Yes, but I'll lend them to you tomorrow. Is that okay?see, PEH-roh teh lohs PREHS-toh mah-NYAH-nah. ehs-TAH byehnA little context goes a long way
In many Latin American countries, politeness often comes from tone and small words like por favor, disculpa, or oye rather than long sentences. Among friends, direct requests are normal. With teachers or strangers, use usted and consider Disculpe, ¿me podría hacer un favor? ('Excuse me, could you do me a favor?'). Regional forms like podés (Argentina, Uruguay) and vos are common but not universal; tú and usted are safer for beginners.
One thing to watch for
Saying ¿Puedo prestar tus apuntes? to mean 'Can I borrow your notes?'
Try this instead: Prestar means 'to lend,' so ¿Puedo prestar tus apuntes? means 'Can I lend your notes?' Use ¿Me prestas tus apuntes? or ¿Puedo pedir prestados tus apuntes? to ask to borrow them.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you politely ask a classmate, using tú, to lend you their notes?
Show a sample answer
¿Me prestas tus apuntes?
This uses prestar ('to lend') with me ('to me') and tus apuntes ('your notes'). You could also say ¿Me puedes prestar tus apuntes? or add por favor.
2A teacher asks you a question, and you want to ask for help. Which form is better: ¿Me puedes ayudar? or ¿Me puede ayudar?
Show a sample answer
¿Me puede ayudar?
With a teacher, usted is usually more appropriate, so use puede. ¿Me puedes ayudar? is fine with friends or classmates you address as tú.
3Someone asks ¿Me prestas tu libro? How can you agree politely?
Show a sample answer
Claro, aquí está.
Claro means 'Sure,' and aquí está means 'here it is.' Other valid answers include Sí, toma or Por supuesto.
To ask for help in Spanish, use ¿Me puedes hacer un favor? for a general favor and ¿Me prestas...? to borrow something. Add por favor, and switch to usted with teachers or strangers.
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