¿me da esto?
The English phrase "can I get this" is translated into Spanish as ¿me da esto?
This phrase is a polite request used when asking a clerk or server to provide a specific item. It is commonly used in shops or restaurants when you are pointing to a product on a shelf or an item on a menu.
Which one should you use?
While English uses "can I get" to focus on the speaker's ability or permission, the Spanish phrase focuses on the server's action of giving, literally meaning "will you give me this?"
How does it change in a sentence?
In the standard phrase ¿me da esto?, the verb da is the third-person singular present indicative of dar. This is used to address the person as usted to show politeness. If you are speaking to a peer or someone younger, you can use the informal tú form by changing da to das, resulting in ¿me das esto?
Did you know?
- In Spain, people often use the phrase me pone esto instead of me da esto when ordering food or drinks, literally meaning 'put this for me'.
- The word esto is a neuter pronoun, a grammatical gender that does not exist for nouns in Spanish. It is used specifically when the speaker is pointing to something they cannot yet name or categorize.
- While ¿me da esto? is a request, in many Spanish-speaking countries it is common to start the interaction with a greeting like buenas before asking for the item to avoid seeming demanding.
Examples in context
- Disculpe, ¿me da esto?Excuse me, can I get this?
Example conversation
Alejandro is buying a snack at a small cafe.
- AlejandroHola, ¿me da esto?Hello, can I get this?
- SofíaSí, por supuesto. ¿Algo más?Yes, of course. Anything else?
- AlejandroNo, solo esto, gracias.No, just this, thanks.
- SofíaMuy bien, aquí tiene.Very well, here you go.
