Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): ¿Podría usted decirme si queda suavizante o lejía en ese pasillo? - Could you tell me whether there is any fabric softener or bleach left in that aisle?

Breakdown of ¿Podría usted decirme si queda suavizante o lejía en ese pasillo?

Why does the sentence use podría instead of puede?

Podría makes the question more polite and less direct. It works like Could you... in English, while puede is closer to Can you....

So:

Both are correct, but podría sounds more courteous, especially when speaking to a stranger, shop worker, or someone in a formal situation.

Is usted necessary here?

No. Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb already shows who the subject is.

So these are both correct:

Adding usted makes the sentence sound a bit more formal or explicit. In everyday speech, many people would simply say ¿Podría decirme...?

Why is si used in decirme si?