¿te puedes ir, por favor?
The English phrase "can you please leave" can be translated into Spanish as ¿te puedes ir, por favor?
This phrase is used to make a polite request for someone to go away from a place.
Which one should you use?
The phrase ¿te puedes ir, por favor? is a polite request. If you omit por favor and simply ask ¿te puedes ir?, the phrase becomes a direct question and may sound more blunt or impatient.
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a group of people whom you know well, use the informal plural form ¿os podéis ir, por favor?
Did you know?
- The verb ir is a linguistic mosaic. While the infinitive comes from the Latin 'īre', the present tense form voy comes from 'vādere' and the past tense fui actually comes from the Latin verb for 'to be'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, asking someone to leave using por favor can still feel contradictory. To soften the request further, people often add si no te importa meaning 'if you don't mind'.
- Depending on the region, the choice between te puedes ir and podés irte signals a deep regional identity. The latter is a hallmark of voseo, common in Argentina and Uruguay, and changes the rhythm of the request.
Examples in context
- Señor García, ¿podría retirarse, por favor?Mr. García, could you please leave?
- Juan, ¿puedes irte, por favor?Juan, can you please leave?
- ¿Te puedes ir, por favor? Estoy muy cansada.Can you please leave? I am very tired.
- Necesito estar sola, ¿te puedes ir, por favor?I need to be alone, can you please leave?
- No quiero hablar más, ¿te puedes ir, por favor?I don't want to talk anymore, can you please leave?
Example conversation
Lucía is trying to study and Alejandro keeps bothering her.
- LucíaAlejandro, no puedo estudiar así.Alejandro, I cannot study like this.
- Alejandro¿Qué te pasa, Lucía?What is wrong with you, Lucía?
- Lucía¿Te puedes ir, por favor?Can you please leave?
- AlejandroEstá bien, me voy.Fine, I am leaving.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries favor, ir, por, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
