Por favor, agua.

the water

Breakdown of Por favor, agua.

• por favor: please

Questions & Answers about Por favor, agua.

Why can we say Por favor, agua without using a verb?

In Spanish, it’s somewhat common in casual contexts to omit the verb if the meaning is clear. Saying Por favor, agua is a shortened form of something like Por favor, ¿me da(s) agua? or ¿Podría(s) darme agua, por favor?. Native speakers understand that you’re asking/requesting water, so it sounds informal but acceptable in everyday speech.

Why don’t we use El agua here since agua is technically a feminine noun that takes the masculine article el?

Even though agua is feminine, you only use el before it when you actually include the article. If you leave the article out entirely and just say agua, there’s no conflict with a sounds, so there’s no need for el. If you did say el agua, it would be to say something like El agua fría (“The cold water”). In the short request Por favor, agua, we simply omit the article.

Is Por favor, agua considered polite enough in Spain, or should I say un vaso de agua, por favor?

In everyday, informal settings (like at a café or your friend’s kitchen), Por favor, agua will usually be understood and not considered rude. However, if you want to sound more polished or if you’re in a more formal situation, you could say Un vaso de agua, por favor or ¿Podría darme un vaso de agua, por favor?. A little extra courtesy in Spanish can go a long way in making the request sound more polite.

Why do some people place por favor at the end instead: Agua, por favor?

Word order with por favor is flexible in Spanish. You can place por favor at the beginning or at the end of the request. Both Por favor, agua and Agua, por favor convey the same idea of politely asking for water. The placement often depends on personal preference or on the rhythm of the sentence.

Should I use punctuation (like a comma) when I say Por favor, agua?

Using a comma after por favor is recommended if you write it out, because por favor functions as an introductory phrase that sets the tone for the request. In speech, intonation naturally takes care of the slight pause. You’ll often see it written as Por favor, agua or Agua, por favor with a comma.