There are a number of ways to express polite requests in Spanish. For example, you can use a command, accompanied by por favor (‘please’): Traígame un café, por favor. A more polite way of making the same request, however, is to use a form of the verb querer: ¿Quiere traerme un café?; (Literally:‘do you want to bring me a coffee?’).

When you want to ask for a favor or make a polite inquiry, you can also use the verb querer: Querría hacer una llamada a los Estados Unidos (‘I would like to make a phone call’) OR Quisiera hacer una llamada a los Estados Unidos (‘I would like to make a phone call’).

Sometimes you can use the verb poder the same way: ¿Puede usted decirme? (‘Can you tell me?’) OR ¿Podría usted indicarme? (‘Could you show me?’).