¡por favor!
/poɾ faˈboɾ/word by word
The English phrase "oh please" is translated into Spanish as ¡por favor!
When used as an interjection with an exclamation mark, it expresses disbelief, annoyance or sarcasm, similar to the English 'Oh, please!'
How do you pronounce it?
/poɾ faˈboɾ/
Did you know?
- In some Latin American cultures, por favor is used as a 'filler' word during an argument to highlight that the other person's claim is completely ridiculous.
- Depending on the region, a Spanish speaker might replace ¡por favor! with ¡no me digas! to convey the 'oh please' sense of skepticism.
- The essence of the word favor comes from the Latin faveō, which meant to be 'well-disposed' toward someone. This suggests that the roots of the phrase are not just about a request, but about the very attitude of being favorable to another.
Examples in context
- ¡Por Dios, no hagas eso!Oh please, don't do that!
- Ay, por favor, no me digas que lo olvidaste.Oh, please, don't tell me you forgot it.
- ¡Ay, por favor, no me digas eso!Oh, please, don't tell me that!
- ¡Por favor!, no me digas eso.Oh please, don't tell me that.
- ¿Vas a llegar tarde otra vez? ¡Por favor!Are you going to be late again? Oh please!
- ¡Por favor!, deja de actuar como un niño.Oh please, stop acting like a child.
Example conversation
Mateo claims he can run a marathon without training.
- LucíaNo creo que puedas hacerlo, Mateo.I don't think you can do it, Mateo.
- Mateo¡Claro que sí, soy muy rápido!Of course I can, I'm very fast!
- Lucía¡Por favor!, no has corrido en años.Oh please, you haven't run in years.
- MateoVerás que tengo razón.You'll see that I'm right.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (por, favor) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries favor, por, CC BY-SA 4.0.
