La cortesía verbal permite cambiar la forma directa de una frase para sonar más amable, profesional o menos directo.
(Verbal politeness makes it possible to change the direct wording of a sentence so it sounds kinder, more professional, or less blunt.)
- Verbal politeness can be achieved by changing the subject: “yo” is replaced by forms such as “tú”, “uno” or structures with
“se” to generalize or avoid direct responsibility. - The conditional, the imperfect, and the subjunctive are used to make commands and requests softer and more polite.
| Cambiar sujeto (Change the subject) | Ejemplo (Example) |
| YoTú | Yo caliento la salsa y siempre se pega (I heat the sauce and it always sticks) Cuando calientas ls salsa, siempre se pega (When you heat the sauce, it always sticks) |
| YoUno | Yo hago lo que puedo (I do what I can)Uno hace lo que puede (One does what one can) |
| YoSe | He quemado la salsa (I have burned the sauce)Se ha quemado la salsa (The sauce has burned) |
| TúNosotros | Corta la manzana fino (Cut the apple thinly)Cortamos la manzana fino (We cut the apple thinly) |
| Atenuar órdenes (Soften commands) | Ejemplo (Example) |
| Imperativodeber/ tener que en condicional + infinitivo | Dora la carne (Brown the meat)Deberías dorar la carne (You should brown the meat) |
| Pretérito perfectoImperfecto de indicativo | Lo has dicho tarde (You said it late)Podías haberlo dicho antes. (You could have said it earlier.) |
| PresenteImperfecto de subjuntivo | Quiero más información (I want more information)Quisiera más información. (I would like more information.) |
Exceptions!
- Verbs such as agradecer or rogar are used to soften a formal request ⇒ Te agradecería que trajeras el bol.
- Introductory phrases are used to prepare the other person before giving an instruction or advice ⇒ ¿Puedo hacerte una pregunta?
- Words such as solo reduce the force of the message ⇒ Solo quería probar la salsa.
Exercise 1: Multiple choice
Instruction: Choose the correct answer
1. Cuando _____ el queso demasiado rápido, se te quedan grumos y luego cuesta integrarlo en la salsa.
When _____ the cheese too quickly, it forms lumps and then it’s hard to incorporate into the sauce.2. En estos talleres, _____ hace lo que puede, pero conviene preguntar antes de usar la olla a presión.
In these workshops, _____ does what you can, but it’s best to ask before using the pressure cooker.3. _____ demasiado la salsa; la próxima vez, mejor a fuego lento.
_____ the sauce; next time, better to cook it on low heat.4. Te agradecería que _____ la cebolla en dados pequeños antes de añadirla a la cazuela.
I would appreciate it if you _____ the onion into small dice before adding it to the casserole.Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases
Instruction: Rewrite each sentence so that it sounds more general, more inclusive or more polite, using a change of subject (you/one/one/ourselves) or a more mitigated verb form (conditional, imperfect, future or formal subjunctive), as indicated in the parentheses. Example: (one) I do what I can. → One does what one can.
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⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ExampleCuando tienes una presentación importante, siempre te pones nervioso.(When you have an important presentation, you always get nervous.)
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⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ExampleSe ha perdido el informe y ahora no aparece por ninguna parte.(The report has gone missing and now it can't be found anywhere.)
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⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ExampleUno hace lo que puede, pero con tan poco tiempo es difícil.(One does what one can, but with so little time it's hard.)
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⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ExampleDeberías apagar el móvil durante la reunión, por favor.(You should turn off your phone during the meeting, please.)
Exercise 3: Grammar in action
Instruction: Talk in pairs and suggest solutions with polite language.
- ¿Cómo explicarías el problema sin culpar a nadie directamente? (How would you explain the problem without blaming anyone?)
- ¿Qué pasos propones para salvar la salsa y continuar con la receta????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? (What steps do you recommend to rescue the sauce and keep following the recipe?)
- Se ha quemado la salsa; si la calientas, se pega. (The sauce has burned; if you reheat it, it will stick.)
- Podrías cocer a fuego lento en una cazuela y remover. (You could simmer it gently in a saucepan and stir.)
- Deberías dorar la cebolla antes de añadirla al bol; ralla queso y déjalo en el cuenco. (You should brown the onion before adding it to the mixture; grate the cheese and leave it in the bowl.)
- Cambiar sujeto (yo → tú/uno/se) (Shift the subject (yo → tú / uno / se))
- Atenuar órdenes con condicional e imperfecto (deberías, podías) (Soften commands with the conditional or imperfect (deberías, podrías))
- Peticiones formales con subjuntivo y verbos de cortesía (quisiera, te agradecería que) (Make formal requests using the subjunctive and polite verbs (quisiera, te agradecería que))
