The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

Pedir vs. Preguntar

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

English has one verb for ask. Spanish has two: preguntar when you ask a question, and pedir when you ask for something.
  1. Preguntar: a question
    Le pregunté la hora.

    I asked him the time.

    Pedir: a request
    Le pedí un favor.

    I asked him for a favor.

  2. Preguntar: a question
    ¿Puedo preguntarte algo?

    Can I ask you something?

    Pedir: a request
    ¿Puedo pedirte algo?

    Can I ask you for something?

  3. Preguntar: a question
    Pregunta dónde está el baño.

    Ask where the bathroom is.

    Pedir: a request
    Pide la cuenta.

    Ask for the check.

On this page

Preguntar: asking a question

Preguntar is for questions and information. It's often followed by a question word or si (if, whether), and the person you ask is an indirect object.

  • Le pregunté a la profesora cuándo era el examen.

    I asked the teacher when the exam was.

  • Me preguntaron si hablaba inglés.

    They asked me if I spoke English.

  • Si no entiendes, pregunta.

    If you don’t understand, ask.

Pedir: asking for something

Pedir is for requests: asking for a thing, a favor, or help. It's also the verb for ordering in a restaurant. There's no word for for: pedir already includes it.

  • Voy a pedir ayuda.

    I’m going to ask for help.

  • ¿Qué vas a pedir?

    What are you going to order?

  • Te pido perdón.

    I’m asking you to forgive me.

Asking someone to do something

To ask someone to do something, use pedir que + the subjunctive. It's always pedir, never preguntar.

  • Te pido que me ayudes.

    I’m asking you to help me.

  • Mi jefe me pidió que llegara temprano.

    My boss asked me to come in early.

  • Les pedimos que no hicieran ruido.

    We asked them not to make noise.

Pido, pides, pide…

Preguntar is a regular -ar verb. Pedir stem-changes: the e becomes i in every present-tense form except nosotros and vosotros.

Present tense of pedir (to ask for, to order)
yopido
nosotrospedimos
túpides
vosotrospedís
él / ella / ustedpide
ellos / ellas / ustedespiden
pedir · to ask for, to order

The shaded forms change e to i.

Common mistakes English speakers make

  1. Using preguntar for a request

    Incorrect:Le pregunté un favor.
    Correct:Le pedí un favor.

    Asking for something is pedir.

  2. Using pedir for a question

    Incorrect:Le pedí qué hora era.
    Correct:Le pregunté qué hora era.

    Asking a question is preguntar.

  3. Adding por to pedir

    Incorrect:Pedí por la cuenta.
    Correct:Pedí la cuenta.

    Pedir already means ask for.

  4. Using preguntar que

    Incorrect:Le pregunté que me ayudara.
    Correct:Le pedí que me ayudara.

    Asking someone to do something is pedir que + the subjunctive.

  5. Forgetting the stem change

    Incorrect:Siempre pedo lo mismo.
    Correct:Siempre pido lo mismo.

    Pedir changes e to i: pido. (And pedo is a very different word you don't want to say at a restaurant.)

Questions about pedir and preguntar

What is the difference between pedir and preguntar?

Both mean "to ask." Preguntar is asking a question, for information: Le pregunté la hora. Pedir is asking for something, a request: Le pedí un favor.

How do you say "ask someone to do something" in Spanish?

Pedir que + the subjunctive: Le pedí que me ayudara ("I asked him to help me"). Never preguntar.

How do you order food in Spanish?

With pedir: ¿Qué vas a pedir? ("What are you going to order?"), Pedimos una pizza.

What does preguntar por mean?

"To ask about" or "to ask after" someone: Tu madre preguntó por ti ("Your mom asked about you").

Is pedir irregular?

It's a stem-changing verb: the e becomes i in most forms. Pido, pides, pide, pedimos, pedís, piden. In the preterite: pidió, pidieron.

Next upPero vs. sinoTwo ways to say "but": adding with pero vs. correcting with sino, sino que, and no solo… sino también.

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