Pedir or preguntar?
Pedir = to ask for something: pido un café, te pido un favor. Preguntar = to ask a question: te pregunto algo. In a restaurant: ¿qué vas a pedir? (what are you ordering?). And pedir perdón = to apologize.
Indicative tenses of pedir
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | pidoI ask for |
|---|---|
| tú | pidesyou ask for |
| él/ella/usted | pidehe/she asks for |
| nosotros/as | pedimoswe ask for |
| vosotros/as | pedísyou all ask for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pidenthey ask for |
Stem change e → i, except for nosotros and vosotros: pedimos.
Preterite indicative
| yo | pedíI asked for |
|---|---|
| tú | pedisteyou asked for |
| él/ella/usted | pidióhe/she asked for |
| nosotros/as | pedimoswe asked for |
| vosotros/as | pedisteisyou all asked for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pidieronthey asked for |
Only él/ella and ellos change: pidió, pidieron.
Imperfect indicative
| yo | pedíaI used to ask for |
|---|---|
| tú | pedíasyou used to ask for |
| él/ella/usted | pedíahe/she used to ask for |
| nosotros/as | pedíamoswe used to ask for |
| vosotros/as | pedíaisyou all used to ask for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pedíanthey used to ask for |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy pidiendoI am asking for |
|---|---|
| tú | estás pidiendoyou are asking for |
| él/ella/usted | está pidiendohe/she is asking for |
| nosotros/as | estamos pidiendowe are asking for |
| vosotros/as | estáis pidiendoyou all are asking for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están pidiendothey are asking for |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a pedirI am going to ask for |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a pediryou are going to ask for |
| él/ella/usted | va a pedirhe/she is going to ask for |
| nosotros/as | vamos a pedirwe are going to ask for |
| vosotros/as | vais a pediryou all are going to ask for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a pedirthey are going to ask for |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | pediréI will ask for |
|---|---|
| tú | pedirásyou will ask for |
| él/ella/usted | pediráhe/she will ask for |
| nosotros/as | pediremoswe will ask for |
| vosotros/as | pediréisyou all will ask for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pediránthey will ask for |
Conditional indicative
| yo | pediríaI would ask for |
|---|---|
| tú | pediríasyou would ask for |
| él/ella/usted | pediríahe/she would ask for |
| nosotros/as | pediríamoswe would ask for |
| vosotros/as | pediríaisyou all would ask for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pediríanthey would ask for |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he pedidoI have asked for |
|---|---|
| tú | has pedidoyou have asked for |
| él/ella/usted | ha pedidohe/she has asked for |
| nosotros/as | hemos pedidowe have asked for |
| vosotros/as | habéis pedidoyou all have asked for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han pedidothey have asked for |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había pedidoI had asked for |
|---|---|
| tú | habías pedidoyou had asked for |
| él/ella/usted | había pedidohe/she had asked for |
| nosotros/as | habíamos pedidowe had asked for |
| vosotros/as | habíais pedidoyou all had asked for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían pedidothey had asked for |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré pedidoI will have asked for |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás pedidoyou will have asked for |
| él/ella/usted | habrá pedidohe/she will have asked for |
| nosotros/as | habremos pedidowe will have asked for |
| vosotros/as | habréis pedidoyou all will have asked for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán pedidothey will have asked for |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría pedidoI would have asked for |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías pedidoyou would have asked for |
| él/ella/usted | habría pedidohe/she would have asked for |
| nosotros/as | habríamos pedidowe would have asked for |
| vosotros/as | habríais pedidoyou all would have asked for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían pedidothey would have asked for |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of pedir
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | pida(that) I ask for |
|---|---|
| tú | pidas(that) you ask for |
| él/ella/usted | pida(that) he/she asks for |
| nosotros/as | pidamos(that) we ask for |
| vosotros/as | pidáis(that) you all ask for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pidan(that) they ask for |
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | pidiera / pidiese(if) I asked for |
|---|---|
| tú | pidieras / pidieses(if) you asked for |
| él/ella/usted | pidiera / pidiese(if) he/she asked for |
| nosotros/as | pidiéramos / pidiésemos(if) we asked for |
| vosotros/as | pidierais / pidieseis(if) you all asked for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pidieran / pidiesen(if) they asked for |
Future subjunctive
| yo | pidiere(if) I ask for |
|---|---|
| tú | pidieres(if) you ask for |
| él/ella/usted | pidiere(if) he/she asks for |
| nosotros/as | pidiéremos(if) we ask for |
| vosotros/as | pidiereis(if) you all ask for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pidieren(if) they ask for |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya pedido(that) I have asked for |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas pedido(that) you have asked for |
| él/ella/usted | haya pedido(that) he/she has asked for |
| nosotros/as | hayamos pedido(that) we have asked for |
| vosotros/as | hayáis pedido(that) you all have asked for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan pedido(that) they have asked for |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera pedido(if) I had asked for |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras pedido(if) you had asked for |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera pedido(if) he/she had asked for |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos pedido(if) we had asked for |
| vosotros/as | hubierais pedido(if) you all had asked for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran pedido(if) they had asked for |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere pedido(if) I will have asked for |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres pedido(if) you will have asked for |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere pedido(if) he/she will have asked for |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos pedido(if) we will have asked for |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis pedido(if) you all will have asked for |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren pedido(if) they will have asked for |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of pedir
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | pideask for! |
|---|---|
| usted | pidaask for! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | pidamoslet's ask for! |
| vosotros/as | pedidask for! (you all) |
| ustedes | pidanask for! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no pidasdon't ask for! |
|---|---|
| usted | no pidadon't ask for! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no pidamoslet's not ask for! |
| vosotros/as | no pidáisdon't ask for! (you all) |
| ustedes | no pidandon't ask for! (you all, formal) |
Practice pedir
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and pedir.
How to use pedir
Voy a pedir una pizza.
I'm going to order a pizza.
Te pido un favor.
I'm asking you a favor.
Me pidió que la llamara.
She asked me to call her.
Te pido perdón.
I apologize.
Le pedí el coche a mi padre.
I asked my dad for the car.
Example sentences with pedir
- ¿Qué vas a pedir?What are you ordering?
- Pedimos la cuenta.We asked for the bill.
- Él pidió una cerveza.He ordered a beer.
- Siempre pedía lo mismo.I always used to order the same thing.
- Pediré ayuda.I'll ask for help.
- ¿Le pedirías un aumento a tu jefe?Would you ask your boss for a raise?
- Pide lo que quieras.Order whatever you want.
- No me pidas eso.Don't ask me that.
Verbs like pedir
Like pedir (pido, pidió), these verbs change e → i.
Frequently asked questions about pedir
Is pedir regular or irregular?
Pedir is a stem-changing verb: e → i in the present (pido), the preterite (pidió), the subjunctive (pida) and the gerund (pidiendo). The imperfect, future and conditional are regular.
How do you conjugate pedir in the present tense?
pido, pides, pide, pedimos, pedís, piden.
How do you conjugate pedir in the preterite?
pedí, pediste, pidió, pedimos, pedisteis, pidieron.
What is the difference between pedir and preguntar?
Pedir = to ask for something (pedir agua). Preguntar = to ask a question (preguntar la hora).
How do you order food in Spanish?
Quiero…, voy a pedir… or politely ¿me pone…? (in Spain) / ¿me trae…?
What is the past participle of pedir?
The past participle is pedido and the gerund is pidiendo. Un pedido is an order.
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