Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): ¿Podría usted tocar el timbre cuando llegue, por favor? - Could you please ring the doorbell when you arrive?

The conditional podría softens the request, much like “could you” vs. “can you” in English. ¿Puede…? is polite but more direct; ¿Podría…? sounds more deferential/formal. All are correct:

Formal, very polite: ¿Podría (usted) tocar el timbre…?
Formal, neutral: ¿Puede (usted) tocar el timbre…?

Do I need to include usted?

No. Spanish usually drops subject pronouns. ¿Podría tocar el timbre…? is natural. usted can be added for clarity or emphasis, especially if there could be confusion with third person (he/she).

How would I say this to a friend with tú?

Use the tú forms: ¿Podrías tocar el timbre cuando llegues, por favor?

Main verb: podrías (tú)
Time clause: llegues (tú, subjunctive)

How about plural “you” (ustedes) or voseo?

Ustedes: ¿Podrían tocar el timbre cuando lleguen, por favor?
Voseo (varies by country): commonly ¿Podés tocar el timbre cuando llegués, por favor? (In voseo areas, present: vos podés; present subjunctive often llegués; exact forms/accents vary by region.)

Why is it cuando llegue (subjunctive) and not cuando llega?

In Spanish, a time clause with cuando refers to a future/unknown event, so you use the present subjunctive: cuando llegue. Use the indicative for habitual or past:

Future/uncertain: Te llamo cuando llegue.
Habitual: Siempre toco el timbre cuando llego.
Past: Toqué el timbre cuando llegué.

Can I say cuando llegará to talk about the future?

No, not in this structure. Spanish does not use the future tense after cuando to express a future time like English does. Use the present subjunctive: cuando llegue. Note: ¿Cuándo llegará? works as an independent question meaning “When will he/she arrive?”

Can I replace cuando llegue with al llegar?

Yes: ¿Podría tocar el timbre al llegar, por favor? This is common and slightly more concise. Both mean “upon/when you arrive” with essentially the same timing.

Is tocar el timbre the standard way to say “ring the doorbell”?

Yes. Tocar el timbre = ring the doorbell. Related:

Tocar la puerta = knock on the door (common across Latin America).
Sonar el timbre = “the bell rings/sounds” (intransitive), or with a cause: hacer sonar el timbre (“make the bell ring”).
You may also hear apretar/pulsar el timbre (“press the doorbell”).

Are there regional vocabulary differences for “doorbell”?

Yes, especially for building intercoms:

Broadly in Latin America: timbre (doorbell).
For intercom/buzzer panels: citófono (Chile, Colombia, Ecuador), portero/portero eléctrico (River Plate area), intercomunicador (various). The sentence with timbre is widely understood.

Where can I put por favor? Do I need commas?

You can put it at the beginning or end:

Por favor, ¿podría…?
¿Podría… , por favor? Commas set off por favor as a parenthetical; they’re optional but common when it’s inserted mid-sentence: …cuando llegue, por favor.

Who is the subject of llegue? Can I say cuando llegue usted?

The subject is the same as the main clause: usted. You can add the pronoun for emphasis or clarity: …cuando llegue usted… It’s not required.

Is a direct command okay here?

Yes, the formal imperative is fine and more direct: Toque el timbre cuando llegue, por favor. Using por favor helps soften it. The conditional question with ¿Podría…? is usually the softest option.

Are the spellings and accents correct? Why Podría and llegue like that?

Podría has an accent to mark stress (po-DRÍ-a).
llegue uses gu to keep the hard “g” sound before e (compare: llegar → llegue, like pagar → pague).
Don’t forget the opening ¿ in Spanish questions.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

ll in llegue is often a “y” sound in much of Latin America; in parts of Argentina/Uruguay it can sound like “sh/zh.”
The r in tocar is a single flap [ɾ], not a trill.
gue in llegue sounds like “geh” with a hard g; the “u” is silent.