Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Sin que tú lo pidas, la camarera trae agua gratis a la mesa. - Without you asking for it, the waitress brings free water to the table.

Because sin que introduces a hypothetical/negative event that hasn’t happened (“without X happening”), which triggers the subjunctive. Here the subjects are different (tú in the subordinate clause vs. la camarera in the main clause), so you need sin que + subjunctive. If the subjects were the same, you would use sin + infinitive instead.

Could I say Sin pedirlo instead? Does it mean the same?

No, it changes the subject. Sin pedirlo, la camarera trae… means “Without asking for it, the waitress brings…,” i.e., the waitress doesn’t ask. To say “without you asking,” you need sin que (tú) lo pidas.

Can I drop tú, or is it necessary?

You can drop it: Sin que lo pidas is perfectly natural. Including tú adds emphasis or contrast (“without you—specifically—asking”).

What does lo refer to here? Shouldn’t it be la because agua is feminine?

Here lo is a generic, catch‑all direct object pronoun meaning “it,” very common in the set phrase sin que lo pidas (“without you asking for it”). If you want to tie the pronoun directly to a specific agua, you can use la—especially when the water is definite: Sin que la pidas, la camarera trae el agua. Avoid le here; pedir takes a direct object for the thing asked for.

Why is there no article before agua? Why not el agua or un agua?

Because it’s an indefinite, uncountable amount: trae agua = “she brings (some) water.” Use an article when the noun is specific or countable: trae el agua (the water we already mentioned), trae un agua (one water—colloquially, a bottle/glass), or better, a measure phrase: una botella/vaso de agua.

If agua is feminine, why do I sometimes see el agua? How do agreement and pronouns work?

Agua is grammatically feminine, but it takes the masculine article el in the singular to avoid the clash of two stressed a‑sounds: el agua fría. Adjectives and pronouns still agree in feminine: esta agua, bébela, pídela; in the plural it’s las aguas frías. The use of lo in sin que lo pidas is the generic “it,” not agreement with agua.

Does gratis need to agree (like gratuita/gratuito), or is gratis always fine?

Gratis is invariable; it doesn’t change for gender or number: agua gratis, entradas gratis. You can also use the adjective gratuito/a (more formal): agua gratuita.

Why use trae (traer) and not lleva (llevar) or pone (poner)?

Use traer for movement toward the speaker’s or listener’s location (to your table), and llevar for movement away from that point. In Spain, servers also commonly say poner in this context: ¿Os pongo agua?, Me pones agua, which is idiomatic restaurant talk.

Why is it pedir and not preguntar?

Pedir means “to ask for, request (a thing/service),” which is what you do with water. Preguntar means “to ask a question.” You pides agua but preguntas la hora.

Is the comma after the first clause required? Can I move the clause?

When the subordinate clause comes first, a comma is standard: Sin que… , la camarera…. You can also place it at the end without a comma: La camarera trae agua gratis a la mesa sin que tú lo pidas.

How is pedir conjugated in the present subjunctive?

It’s stem‑changing e→i: pida, pidas, pida, pidamos, pidáis, pidan. Hence (tú) pidas in the sentence.

Why a la mesa and not en la mesa? Could I say a tu mesa or add te?

A la mesa marks motion toward a destination (“to the table”); en la mesa is location (“on/at the table”). You can say a tu mesa to make it personal, or add an indirect object pronoun: La camarera te trae agua a la mesa.

Is this sentence culturally natural in Spain?

Grammatically yes, but culturally it’s not the norm for Spanish restaurants to bring water automatically. Since 2022 they must offer free tap water if you ask, but bringing it without you asking is less common and depends on the establishment.

Where does the clitic lo go? Why not pidaslo?

With a conjugated verb, the clitic goes before: no lo pidas. It can attach to an infinitive/gerund/affirmative command: sin pedirlo, pídelo. Pidaslo is incorrect.

Can I change the position of gratis? Is trae agua a la mesa gratis okay?

Yes, trae agua gratis a la mesa is the most natural, but trae agua a la mesa gratis also works. Trae gratis agua a la mesa is less idiomatic.

About camarera: is that the standard word in Spain? What about gender‑neutral options?

In Spain, camarero/camarera is standard; in much of Latin America you’ll hear mesero/mesera, mozo/garzón in some regions. Spanish lacks a widely accepted gender‑neutral job noun in everyday use; you can rephrase with neutral collectives (e.g., el personal de sala) if needed.

Why does tú have an accent here?

Tú (with accent) is the subject pronoun “you.” Tu (without accent) is the possessive adjective “your.” Here you need the subject pronoun: sin que tú lo pidas.