Por favor, tire de la cadena
To say please flush the toilet in Spanish, use Por favor, tire de la cadena.
Por favor, tire de la cadena is a polite request, often seen on signs in public restrooms. A fuller version is Por favor, tire de la cadena del inodoro. An even more polite request is Le ruego que tire de la cadena del inodoro, por favor.
What does it mean word for word?
tire de la cadena literally means pull the chain, referring to the mechanism used to flush older toilets. Por favor means please.
Which one should you use?
tire is the formal command used with someone you address politely, while tira is informal and suits friends or family, as in Por favor, tira de la cadena. Casually you can also ask Oye, ¿me haces el favor de tirar de la cadena del inodoro?, meaning hey, could you do me a favor and flush the toilet.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Por favor, tire de la cadena is formal. Por favor, tira de la cadena is informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
tira de la cadena works as a command, or as a request when you add Por favor.
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the word váter is used for the toilet. This is a direct loanword from the English word 'water', reflecting the historical influence of British plumbing systems.
- In some Latin American countries, you may hear bajar la palanca instead, which literally means to lower the lever.
- The phrase tire de la cadena is used in modern bathrooms even if there is no physical chain, as it has become a fixed idiom for flushing.
Examples in context
- Por favor, tire de la cadena del inodoro antes de salir del baño.Please flush the toilet before leaving the bathroom.
- Oye, no te olvides de tirar de la cadena, por favor.Hey, don't forget to flush the toilet, please.
- Hijo, recuerda tirar de la cadena después de usar el baño, por favor.Son, remember to flush the toilet after using the bathroom, please.
- Por favor, tire de la cadena al terminar.Please flush the toilet when you finish.
- Por favor, tire de la cadena del baño.Please flush the bathroom toilet.
Example conversation
Elena is reminding Alejandro about the house rules.
- ElenaAlejandro, por favor, tire de la cadena.Alejandro, please flush the toilet.
- AlejandroLo siento, Elena, se me olvidó.I'm sorry, Elena, I forgot.
- ElenaNo pasa nada, solo hazlo ahora.It's okay, just do it now.
- AlejandroEstá bien, ya lo hice.All right, I already did it.
