Learn Spanish (Spain): ¿Qué pedís vosotros?

¿Qué pedís vosotros?

What are you guys ordering?

Breakdown of ¿Qué pedís vosotros?

to ask for; to order (food or drink)

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Questions & Answers about ¿Qué pedís vosotros?

Doesn't "pedir" mean "to ask"? Why is it translated as "ordering" here?

In Spanish, pedir means "to ask for" an object, a favor, or "to order" food at a restaurant. If you want to say "to ask a question", you must use a completely different verb: preguntar.

I learned that "pedir" is a stem-changing verb (like "pido"). Why is it "pedís" instead of "pidís"?

You're right that pedir changes its "e" to an "i" in most present tense forms (like yo pido or tú pides). However, the nosotros and vosotros forms never undergo this stem change in the present tense. They keep the original vowel, so it becomes pedís.

Do I have to include the word "vosotros" here?

No, you could simply ask ¿Qué pedís?. Because the verb ending -ís is only ever used for vosotros, the pronoun is optional. Including it just adds a bit of emphasis, like saying "What are you guys ordering?"

Why use "vosotros" instead of "ustedes" for "you guys"?

In Spain, vosotros is the standard, everyday way to address a group of people informally (like friends, family, or people your own age). Ustedes is also used in Spain, but strictly for formal situations. (In Latin America, however, you would use ustedes for both).