Learn Spanish (Spain): ¿Te importaría atenderme en la embajada? - Would you mind assisting me at the embassy?

¿Te importaría atenderme en la embajada?

Would you mind assisting me at the embassy?

Breakdown of ¿Te importaría atenderme en la embajada?

in / on / by (means of transport) / about (after pensar)

to me / myself (reflexive) / me (direct object)

to you / yourself (reflexive) / you (direct object)

importar

to matter (to someone)

Questions & Answers about ¿Te importaría atenderme en la embajada?

How does importaría translate to "would you mind"?

Importaría is the conditional form of the verb importar, which literally means "to matter". So, ¿Te importaría...? translates literally to "Would it matter to you...?". In Spanish, this is the standard, polite way to ask "Would you mind...?".

Why is importaría conjugated in the "it" form instead of the "you" form?

Importar works exactly like the verb gustar. The subject of the sentence isn't "you"; it's the action of assisting me (atenderme). You are literally asking, "Would assisting me matter to you?". Since the action is the subject, the verb takes the third-person singular "it" form.

Does atenderme mean "to attend the embassy with me"?

No, this is a classic false friend! Atender means "to assist", "to help", or "to serve" a person. If you want to say "to attend" as in going to an event or place, you would use the verb asistir. Here, the speaker is politely asking to be assisted by someone at the embassy.

Why is me attached directly to the end of atender?

In Spanish, object pronouns like te or me must be attached to the end of an infinitive verb (the unconjugated dictionary form ending in -ar, -er, or -ir). Because atender is in its infinitive form here, it combines with me to create the single word atenderme.