¿me puedes traer agua?
The phrase "can you get me water" in Spanish is translated as ¿me puedes traer agua?
This phrase is used to request that someone bring a glass or bottle of water to your location. While you can ask for agua, it is often more natural in many Spanish-speaking contexts to specify un vaso de agua (a glass of water) when requesting a drink at a table.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ¿me puedes traer agua? breaks down into the indirect object pronoun me (to me), the verb puedes (you can), the infinitive traer (to bring) and agua (water).
Which one should you use?
The phrase uses the verb traer (to bring), which implies the person is moving from the water to the speaker's location.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the request more polite or formal, change the verb from puedes to puede, resulting in ¿me puede traer agua?
Did you know?
- The word agua is a feminine noun, but it uses the masculine article el or un in many contexts, such as 'el agua'. This prevents a clash between the stressed 'a' sound and the article.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, asking for agua in a restaurant might result in being served tap water at room temperature rather than chilled water with ice.
- The verb traer comes from the Latin 'trahō', which means 'to pull' or 'to drag'.
Examples in context
- Disculpe, señor. ¿Podría traerme agua, por favor?Excuse me, sir. Could you bring me water, please?
- Perdone, señora. ¿Me podría conseguir agua, por favor?Excuse me, ma'am. Could you get me water, please?
- Señorita, ¿sería tan amable de traerme agua, por favor?Miss, would you be so kind as to bring me water, please?
- Disculpe, ¿podría pedirle agua, por favor?Excuse me, could I ask you for water, please?
- Oye, ¿me traes agua, por favor?Hey, can you bring me water, please?
- ¿Puedes conseguirme agua, por favor?Can you get me water, please?
- Disculpa, ¿me haces el favor de traerme agua, por favor?Excuse me, can you do me the favor of bringing me water, please?
- Oye, ¿me puedes dar agua, por favor?Hey, can you give me water, please?
- ¿Me puedes traer agua, por favor?Can you bring me water, please?
- Tengo mucha sed, ¿me puedes traer agua?I am very thirsty, can you bring me water?
- Si vas a la cocina, ¿me puedes traer agua?If you go to the kitchen, can you bring me water?
Example conversation
Alejandro is sitting in the living room and Sofía is standing up.
- AlejandroSofía, ¿me puedes traer agua?Sofía, can you get me water?
- SofíaClaro, Alejandro. ¿La quieres fría?Sure, Alejandro. Do you want it cold?
- AlejandroSí, con hielo está bien.Yes, with ice is fine.
- SofíaPerfecto, ahora mismo te la llevo.Perfect, I'll bring it to you right now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agua, me, traer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
