¿me puedes dar agua?
In Spanish, "can I get water" is expressed as ¿me puedes dar agua?
This phrase is a polite request used to ask someone to provide a glass or bottle of water. In a restaurant setting, it is more natural to use the verb traer (to bring) and specify a vaso de agua (glass of water) by saying ¿Me puede traer un vaso de agua? In casual settings, you can also simply say Agua, por favor.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ¿me puedes dar agua? literally translates to "Can you give me water?" instead of "Can I get water?"
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the request more formal or polite when speaking to a stranger or a server, change puedes to puede to form ¿Me puede dar agua?
Did you know?
- Although agua is a feminine noun, it uses the masculine article el in the singular form to avoid a clashing sound with the stressed 'a'. This makes it a rare noun that looks masculine but remains grammatically feminine.
- If you are in a restaurant in Spain, asking ¿Me puede dar agua? might actually result in being charged. It is often better to specify agua del grifo (tap water) to ensure you receive it for free.
- The word agua shares an ancient root with the English word 'ea', an archaic term for a river or stream. Both descend from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ekʷeh₂.
Examples in context
- Tengo mucha sed, ¿me puedes dar agua?I am very thirsty, can you give me water?
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are having dinner at home.
- DanielSofía, ¿me puedes dar agua?Sofía, can you give me some water?
- SofíaSí, claro. ¿Quieres un vaso?Yes, of course. Do you want a glass?
- DanielSí, por favor.Yes, please.
- SofíaAquí tienes, Daniel.Here you go, Daniel.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agua, dar, me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
