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¿Puedes pagar en efectivo o prefieres usar la tarjeta?

¿Puedes pagar en efectivo o prefieres usar la tarjeta?
Can you pay in cash, or do you prefer to use the card?
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Questions & Answers about ¿Puedes pagar en efectivo o prefieres usar la tarjeta?

Why does the sentence start with ¿Puedes... instead of ¿Tú puedes...?
Spanish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject. Puedes = (tú) puedes. Adding tú is possible, but it adds emphasis/contrast (e.g., ¿Tú puedes pagar en efectivo? = “Can you pay in cash?” as opposed to someone else).
Is ¿Puedes pagar... ? informal? What would I say in a more formal situation in Spain?

Yes, ¿Puedes...? addresses tú, so it’s informal/polite-but-casual. A more formal version (addressing usted) is:

  • ¿Puede pagar en efectivo o prefiere usar la tarjeta? In many service situations in Spain, tú is common, but usted is also used depending on the store/region/age.
What exactly does en efectivo mean, and why is it en and not con?

En efectivo is the standard set phrase meaning in cash / cash. Spanish commonly uses en to express the mode of payment: pagar en efectivo.
You can also hear pagar con efectivo, but it’s less idiomatic than en efectivo.

Why is it prefieres and not preferes?

Because preferir is a stem-changing verb: e → ie in most present-tense forms.
So:

  • yo prefiero
  • tú prefieres
  • él/ella prefiere But:
  • nosotros preferimos (no change)
  • vosotros preferís (no change)
Why does Spanish use usar la tarjeta instead of pagar con tarjeta?

Both are correct. This sentence uses usar la tarjeta = use the card. Another very common option is:

  • ¿Puedes pagar en efectivo o prefieres pagar con tarjeta? In shops/restaurants, you’ll hear both patterns.
Why is it la tarjeta (with la)—can I drop the article?

In Spanish, articles are often used where English might omit them. Usar la tarjeta sounds natural as “use the card (to pay).”
You can say usar tarjeta, but it’s less typical in this exact context. More common article-less options are with con:

  • pagar con tarjeta (very common)
Does tarjeta always mean a bank card? What about tarjeta de crédito vs de débito?

In this context, la tarjeta usually means a bank card in general. If you need to specify:

  • tarjeta de crédito = credit card
  • tarjeta de débito = debit card
    A cashier might ask: ¿Crédito o débito?
What’s the difference between o and u in Spanish—do I ever change o here?

Spanish o (“or”) changes to u before a word that starts with an o sound (to avoid o o). Example:

  • siete u ocho (7 or 8)
  • ¿prefieres una cosa u otra? Here you keep o because prefieres doesn’t start with an o sound: ...o prefieres...
How do I pronounce ¿Puedes pagar en efectivo o prefieres usar la tarjeta? in Spain?

A Spain-oriented pronunciation guide:

  • puedes ≈ PWEH-des (the ue is like “weh”)
  • pagar ≈ pah-GAR (stress on the last syllable)
  • efectivo ≈ eh-fek-TEE-vo (stress ti)
  • prefieres ≈ preh-FYEH-res (stress fie)
  • usar ≈ oo-SAR
  • tarjeta ≈ tar-HE-ta (in much of Spain, j is a throaty h/kh sound)
Why are there upside-down punctuation marks ¿ ... ??
Spanish uses ¿ and ? to mark the beginning and end of a question. It helps show where the question starts, especially in long sentences or when only part of a sentence is a question.
Is there a shorter/more natural way to ask this in a shop?

Yes, common shorter versions in Spain include:

  • ¿Efectivo o tarjeta?
  • ¿Vas a pagar en efectivo o con tarjeta?
  • ¿Con tarjeta o en efectivo?
    Your original sentence is complete and polite; these are just more clipped, “cashier-style” options.
Does ¿Puedes...? sound like asking about ability (“Are you able to?”) rather than requesting (“Can you...?”)?

It can technically mean ability, but in everyday Spanish it’s a normal polite way to ask/request, just like English Can you…? Context (at the checkout) makes it clearly about the payment method, not your physical ability. If you want a more explicitly “preference” phrasing, you can say:

  • ¿Vas a pagar en efectivo o con tarjeta?
  • ¿Qué prefieres, efectivo o tarjeta?