Giving Advice & Recommendations — I can ask for and give simple advice or recommendations using common expressions in familiar contexts.

Why Giving Advice Matters in Spanish

Every language has developed its own unique ways to offer guidance, suggest courses of action, and help others make decisions. In Spanish, the art of dar consejos (giving advice) and hacer recomendaciones (making recommendations) draws on centuries of linguistic evolution. Spanish speakers use a rich set of grammatical structures — from the subjunctive mood to softening phrases — that reflect cultural norms of politeness and respect. Understanding these structures helps you communicate naturally and avoid sounding too blunt or too vague.

The expressions you will learn in this lesson are not random phrases; they evolved from Latin roots and were shaped by cultural expectations across the Spanish-speaking world. The timeline below highlights key moments in how advice-giving language developed in Spanish.

So why does this matter for you? Because asking for and giving advice is one of the most common real-world uses of a second language. Whether you are helping a friend choose a restaurant, recommending a movie, or asking someone what you should study, these expressions are the foundation of interpersonal communication in Spanish.

Core Expressions & Principles

Before diving into specific phrases, it helps to understand the foundational principles behind advice language in Spanish. These principles determine which verb forms you use, how direct your suggestion sounds, and how polite or casual your tone comes across. The four key ideas below serve as your guide to choosing the right expression for any situation.

Visual Map of Advice Expressions

The diagram below organizes the most common advice and recommendation expressions on a spectrum from strongest (most direct) to softest (most polite). Understanding where each phrase falls on this spectrum helps you choose the right one for any situation.

Notice how the diagram distinguishes between expressions that take an infinitive (like Deberías estudiar) and those that require the present subjunctive (like Te recomiendo que estudies). This grammatical distinction is essential: whenever you see que after an advice expression, the next verb almost always needs to be in the subjunctive form. We will explore this more in Section 4.

How the Grammar Works

There are two main grammatical patterns for giving advice in Spanish. The first uses a conjugated verb followed directly by an infinitive. The second uses a trigger expression followed by que plus a verb in the present subjunctive. Understanding which pattern to use with each expression is the key to forming natural-sounding advice.

Pattern 1: Verb + Infinitive

Pattern 2: Trigger Expression + que + Subjunctive

Quick Subjunctive Refresher

For regular verbs, forming the present subjunctive is straightforward. Start with the yo form of the present indicative, drop the -o ending, and add the "opposite" vowel endings. For -ar verbs, use -e, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. For -er / -ir verbs, use -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. For example, hablar → hablo → habl- → hables (tú form).

Formal vs. Informal Register

One of the most important skills in Spanish communication is knowing when to use informal (tú) versus formal (usted) language. This distinction affects verb conjugation, pronoun choice, and even which expressions feel appropriate. The diagram below illustrates how the same advice changes depending on the relationship between speakers.

As the diagram shows, the structure of each advice expression stays consistent between formal and informal registers. The main changes are the verb conjugation (second person tú versus third person usted) and the indirect object pronoun (te becomes le). If you can master the informal versions first, switching to formal is mostly a matter of adjusting those two elements.

Worked Example: A Conversation at School

Let's walk through a realistic scenario where two friends, Marta and Diego, have a conversation. Diego is stressed about an upcoming exam, and Marta gives him advice. We will break down each line to see how the expressions work in context.

Strengths & Pitfalls of Each Expression

Not every advice expression is interchangeable. Each one carries a different tone and level of directness. Using the wrong one can make you sound bossy, too tentative, or awkward. The table below compares the main expressions by their strengths, limitations, and best contexts.

Connection to Advanced Communication

The advice expressions you have learned in this lesson are your entry point into a much larger world of Spanish communication. As you advance, you will encounter more nuanced ways to give guidance, express opinions, and persuade others. The table below shows how these foundational structures connect to topics you will study in Spanish 3 and beyond.

The good news is that once you feel confident with the expressions in this lesson, the advanced structures are natural extensions. The present subjunctive you are practicing now is the gateway to the imperfect subjunctive, and the conditional form deberías is your first taste of the full conditional mood. Every structure you internalize now makes the next level easier.

Practice Problems

Test your understanding of advice and recommendation expressions with the five problems below. They increase in difficulty, starting with basic recall and building toward real-world application.

Lesson Summary