Questions & Answers about Mi hermano pide una hamburguesa.
Why is pide translated as "orders" instead of "asks"?
The verb pedir usually means "to ask for" or "to request". When you are in a restaurant or cafe, asking for food is the same as ordering it. Notice that you don't need a separate word for "for" after pide; the "for" is already built into the verb. Wait, why is it pide and not "pede"?
Pedir is a stem-changing verb. For many common verbs in Spanish, the vowel in the root of the word changes when you conjugate it. Here, the 'e' in pedir changes to 'i' for the he/she/it form, making it pide. Could I use preguntar instead of pedir to ask for a hamburger?
No, preguntar is only used when you are asking a question to get information, like asking for the time or someone's name. When you are asking to receive a physical thing, a favor, or a meal, you must always use pedir. Why is there a 'u' after the 'g' in hamburguesa?
In Spanish, the letter 'g' makes a rough, breathy sound (similar to an English 'h') when it comes right before an 'e' or an 'i'. To keep the hard 'g' sound, like the one in the English word "go", you have to insert a silent 'u' in between. So, gue in hamburguesa is pronounced like "geh". Learn Mi hermano pide una hamburguesa and more in Spanish
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