pregúntale
/pɾeɡuntale/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'ask him' translates to Spanish as pregúntale.
This phrase is used to issue a request or command to seek information from a male person. You can also use Pídele que te informe to mean 'ask him to inform you' in informal settings.
What does it mean word for word?
The word pregúntale is composed of the imperative verb 'pregunta' (ask) and the indirect object pronoun 'le' (to him/her).
Which one should you use?
The pronoun 'le' used in pregúntale is gender-neutral and can mean 'ask him' or 'ask her'. To specify that the person being asked is male, you should add the phrase a él after the verb, resulting in pregúntale a él.
How does it change in a sentence?
The accent mark on the 'ú' in pregúntale is necessary because adding the pronoun 'le' to the imperative 'pregunta' shifts the stress and requires an orthographic accent to maintain the original pronunciation.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɾeɡuntale/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, there is a sharp distinction between preguntar, which means to ask a question, and pedir, which means to ask for a favor or an object.
- The verb preguntar shares a root with the English word 'question' through the Latin 'quaerere', which originally meant 'to seek' or 'to search'.
- If you were asking a group of people to 'ask him', the word pregúntale would change to pregúntenle in Latin America, but might remain preguntadle in parts of Spain.
Examples in context
- Pregúntale tu mismo a él.Ask him yourself.Tatoeba #6031399 by albrusgher, translation #3919928 by CH
- Pregúntale a él de nuevo.Ask him again.Tatoeba #6031412 by albrusgher, translation #3919959 by CH
- Pregúntale a él su nombre.Ask him his name.Tatoeba #6031419 by albrusgher, translation #1845520 by CK
- Por favor, solicítele al jefe de proyecto los detalles sobre el nuevo proyecto.Please ask the project manager for the details about the new project.
- Formula la pregunta a él para obtener una respuesta definitiva.Ask him the question to get a definitive answer.
- Consulta con él antes de tomar una decisión final.Check with him before making a final decision.
- Pídele que te informe sobre el progreso del proyecto.Ask him to inform you about the project's progress.
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are at home, and Javier is unsure about his schedule.
- ElenaNo sé a qué hora viene el jefe.I don't know what time the boss is coming.
- JavierPregúntale a él la hora exacta.Ask him the exact time.
- ElenaEstá bien, lo haré ahora mismo.Okay, I will do it right now.
- JavierGracias, Elena.Thanks, Elena.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
