English uses “ask” for both requesting a coffee and asking what time a café closes. Spanish usually separates those jobs: pedir requests something, while preguntar asks for an answer. Pido un café means “I ask for a coffee” or “I order a coffee.” Pregunto a qué hora cierran means “I ask what time they close.” Start with what you want the other person to do: provide something or answer a question.
First decide what you are asking for
At a restaurant, Voy a pedir una ensalada means “I am going to order a salad.” You want food. Voy a preguntar si tienen ensalada means “I am going to ask whether they have salad.” You want information. Both happen in the same situation, but they are different actions.
This distinction also works outside a restaurant: pedir ayuda is to ask for help; preguntar cómo funciona is to ask how something works. Information can itself be requested, so the boundary is about the construction and intended act rather than a rigid physical-object rule: pedir información is perfectly natural.
Related practice: verbs in real sentences
These chapters from our longer verb lesson offer related examples and practice. Use the written guide for the full contrast. Learn at your own pace. Pause, repeat, and try saying each example out loud. Watch on YouTube ↗
Request things with pedir
Use pedir + what you want: pedir permiso (ask for permission), pedir un favor (ask a favor), and pedir la cuenta (ask for the bill). Unlike English “ask for,” ordinary pedir does not need por before the requested item: Pido ayuda.
Name the person with a, often alongside an indirect-object pronoun: Le pido ayuda a Marta. “I ask Marta for help.” For a more conversational request, say ¿Me puedes ayudar, por favor? “Can you help me, please?” You do not need to use the verb pedir every time you make a request.
Pedir que introduces a requested action by another subject: Te pido que escuches. “I ask you to listen.” Notice escuches, a subjunctive form; do not translate English “to listen” mechanically.
Ask questions with preguntar
Use preguntar + a question or question clause: Pregunto dónde está la estación. “I ask where the station is.” Le pregunto la hora a Luis means “I ask Luis the time.” A very useful opening is ¿Te puedo hacer una pregunta? “Can I ask you a question?”
Use si for an indirect yes-or-no question: Voy a preguntar si hay entradas. “I am going to ask whether there are tickets.” Words such as dónde, cómo, and cuándo retain their accents in indirect questions: No sé cuándo empieza; voy a preguntar.
Preguntar por alguien asks about someone or asks to speak to them, depending on the situation. Preguntó por Ana does not necessarily mean the speaker requested Ana as if she were an object.
Learn the forms inside a short exchange
Preguntar is regular in the present: pregunto, preguntas, pregunta, preguntamos, preguntáis, preguntan. Pedir changes e to i in several present forms: pido, pides, pide, pedimos, pedís, piden. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the e. With vos, the present is pedís.
—Una sopa. Pero primero voy a preguntar si lleva queso.
“What are you going to order?” “A soup. But first I am going to ask whether it contains cheese.”
Notice that after voy a, both verbs stay in the infinitive: voy a pedir, voy a preguntar. Only ir is conjugated in that construction.
Practice a request and a question
Choose a form of pedir or preguntar. Then explain what the speaker wants.
- Siempre ___ un café después de comer. (yo)
- Voy a ___ cuánto cuesta.
- Le voy a ___ un favor a mi hermana.
- Ella ___ si el museo abre los lunes.
Check your answers
1. pido: I order a coffee. 2. preguntar: I want to know the price. 3. pedir: I request a favor. 4. pregunta: she asks whether the museum opens on Mondays.
For your next real conversation, prepare both parts: Quisiera pedir… and Quisiera preguntar si…. Add something you might actually need on a trip, at work, or in class.
Common questions about asking
How do I say “ask a question”?
Hacer una pregunta is the normal expression. You can also use preguntar directly: Quiero preguntarte algo. “I want to ask you something.”
Can pedir mean “order”?
Yes, when ordering food or requesting an item. It does not cover every meaning of English “order,” such as arranging a list or giving a military command.
Is preguntar por always wrong?
No. Preguntar por is useful for inquiries about people and things. The common mistake is assuming English “ask for” always translates to either preguntar por or pedir por.
Sources & further reading
Our examples and explanations are written for LSFR learners. These references provide further detail.