Spanish: Asking and Wanting Someone to Do Something
Learn to say 'She asked me to wait' and 'I want you to come' in Latin American Spanish using object pronouns with pedir, querer, and decir.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Spanish, when you ask or want another person to do something, you cannot simply put two verbs together the way English does. You need a small but essential word: the indirect object pronoun. This lesson teaches you the pattern with common verbs like pedir (to ask for), querer (to want), and decir (to tell). You will learn to say who is being asked or wanted, and what action they should do, using the formula verb + me/te/le/nos/les + infinitive.
By the end, you can…
- say that I want someone to do something using querer + object pronoun + infinitive.
- report that someone asked me to do something using pedir + object pronoun + infinitive.
- distinguish between 'I want to go' and 'I want you to go' in Spanish.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Ella me pidió que esperara.
She asked me to wait.
EH-yah meh pee-DYOH keh es-peh-RAH-rah
Use pedir for a request. The pronoun me comes before the verb pidió, and the request itself goes in the subjunctive: que esperara.
Quiero que vengas.
I want you to come.
KYEH-roh keh VEN-gahs
With querer, Spanish uses que + subjunctive when the person who wants is different from the person who acts. This is standard everywhere, not just Latin America.
Te pido que me escuches.
I'm asking you to listen to me.
teh PEE-doh keh meh es-KOO-chehs
Pedir que + subjunctive is another common way to ask someone to do something.
Nos dijeron que llegáramos temprano.
They told us to arrive early.
nohs dee-HEH-rohn keh yeh-GAH-rah-mohs tem-PRAH-noh
Decir que + subjunctive reports an instruction. Llegáramos is the imperfect subjunctive.
Le pedí a Ana que me ayudara.
I asked Ana to help me.
leh peh-DEE ah AH-nah keh meh ah-yoo-DAH-rah
When the person is named, use le plus a + name. This clarifies who is being asked.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is a verb of asking or wanting + indirect object pronoun + que + subjunctive, or + infinitive when there is no change of subject. Compare: Quiero ir (I want to go) versus Quiero que vayas (I want you to go). The pronoun me, te, le, nos, les tells you who is being asked or wanted. With pedir, you often see Pedí que... or Le pedí a Juan que... The subjunctive verb changes according to that person: que yo vaya, que tú vayas, que él vaya. Note that the pronoun is used even when the person is named: Le pedí a Ana que viniera.
When to use it
Use this structure when the person who wants or asks is different from the person who does the action. If both are the same, use a simple infinitive: Quiero salir (I want to go out). If they are different, use que + subjunctive: Quiero que salgas (I want you to go out). Pedir and decir commonly take this pattern for requests and instructions. The pronoun is not optional when you name the person indirectly: Le pedí a mi jefe que me diera el día libre.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Qué te pidió el profesor?
What did the teacher ask you to do?keh teh pee-DYOH el pro-feh-SOHRMe pidió que entregara la tarea el viernes.
He asked me to turn in the homework on Friday.meh pee-DYOH keh en-treh-GAH-rah lah tah-REH-ah el BYEHR-nehs¿Y tú qué quieres que yo haga?
And what do you want me to do?ee too keh KYEH-rehs keh yoh AH-gahQuiero que me avises cuando termines.
I want you to let me know when you finish.KYEH-roh keh meh ah-VEE-sehs KWAHN-doh tehr-MEE-nehsA little context goes a long way
In both Latin America and Spain, pedir que and querer que with the subjunctive are standard in everyday speech; the structure itself does not differ by region. What does vary is vocabulary and some pronoun placement, for example the tendency in Spain to attach pronouns to infinitives (pedirte) versus placing them before the conjugated verb in much of Latin America (te pido). Using the subjunctive here sounds natural and respectful; avoiding it can sound incomplete or foreign.
One thing to watch for
Quiero tú venir.
Try this instead: This is not correct Spanish. Say Quiero que vengas or Quiero que tú vengas. The verb after que must be in the subjunctive, not an infinitive, when the subjects are different.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I want you to help me' in Spanish?
Show a sample answer
Quiero que me ayudes.
Quiero que introduces a different subject (tú), so the verb ayudar becomes ayudes in the subjunctive. You may also hear Quiero que tú me ayudes, but the pronoun tú is optional.
2Translate: 'She asked us to wait.'
Show a sample answer
Ella nos pidió que esperáramos.
Nos is the indirect object pronoun for 'us'. Because the request is in the past, the subjunctive esperáramos is used. In some regions, you might hear Ella nos pidió esperar, but the que clause is more explicit.
3What is the difference between Quiero ir and Quiero que vayas?
Show a sample answer
Quiero ir means 'I want to go' (same subject). Quiero que vayas means 'I want you to go' (different subject).
When the person who wants and the person who acts are the same, use an infinitive. When they are different, use que + subjunctive. Both are correct in their own contexts.
To ask or want someone else to do something in Spanish, use a verb like pedir or querer plus an indirect object pronoun and que + subjunctive. If the subject does not change, use a simple infinitive.
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