Spanish grammar · interactive
Pedir vs Preguntar Practice
Both translate as “to ask,” but one requests things and the other asks questions. Drill the difference with instant feedback — no signup, no setup.
This pedir vs preguntar practice untangles a pair English merges into one verb: “to ask.” Spanish splits it cleanly, and mixing them up is one of the most common learner errors. Pick the right verb in real sentences and get an explanation for every answer.
The short version: pedir is asking for something — you want an object, a favor, an action (pedir un café, pedir ayuda). Preguntar is asking about something — you want information, an answer to a question (preguntar la hora, preguntar dónde está). Request a thing: pedir. Request an answer: preguntar.
Try the pedir vs preguntar exercise
Choose the verb that fits the sentence. You’ll see why after each answer.
Voy a una pizza para cenar.
I’m going to order a pizza for dinner.
How it works
- 1
Read the sentence
A real Spanish sentence appears with the verb blanked out.
- 2
Pick pedir or preguntar
Choose the form you think fits. Instant right/wrong feedback.
- 3
Learn the why
Every answer comes with the rule behind it, so the pattern sticks.
What you’ll learn
- The core split: pedir requests things and actions, preguntar requests information
- Why favors and restaurant orders take pedir even though English “asks” for them
- The pattern pedir que + subjunctive for asking someone to do something
- Preguntar por (ask about someone) and hacer una pregunta — never “pedir una pregunta”
The rule that actually works
Instead of translating ‘ask’, look at what you want back. If the answer to your ask is an object, a service, or an action — a coffee, directions written down, someone finishing a report — you’re requesting, and that’s pedir. If the answer is words — information, a yes or no, an explanation — you’re inquiring, and that’s preguntar. The test takes one second: could the response be handed to you or done for you? Pedir. Could it only be spoken or written as an answer? Preguntar.
The grammar around each verb backs this up. Preguntar takes question material: si-clauses (preguntó si venías), question words (preguntó dónde, cuándo, por qué), or a quoted question. Pedir takes nouns and actions: a direct object (pidió la cuenta) or pedir que + subjunctive when you ask someone to do something (te pido que me escuches). If a question word or ‘si’ follows, pedir is simply unavailable.
Traps: favors, preguntar por, and “hacer una pregunta”
English is the source of every trap here, because it uses ‘ask’ for both jobs. ‘Ask a favor’ → pedir un favor (a favor is an action you want, not information). ‘Ask for help’ → pedir ayuda. ‘Ask the waiter for the check’ → pedirle la cuenta al camarero. Meanwhile ‘ask a question’ is the trap in reverse: it’s hacer una pregunta — you make a question in Spanish, you don’t request one. ‘Pedir una pregunta’ would mean you want to be given a question, like a quiz contestant.
Two more patterns are worth owning. Preguntar por + person means to ask about or after someone: ‘mi abuela siempre pregunta por ti’ (she asks how you’re doing), and at a desk, ‘pregunte por el señor Ruiz’ (ask for Mr. Ruiz). And the reflexive preguntarse means to wonder: ‘me pregunto si vendrá’ — I wonder if he’ll come. Neither has anything to do with pedir, which keeps its own idioms: pedir perdón (to apologize), pedir prestado (to borrow), and pedir la mano (to propose).
Quick reference
| Use PEDIR for | Use PREGUNTAR for |
|---|---|
| Objects & orders (pedir un café, la cuenta) | Information (preguntar la hora) |
| Favors & help (pedir un favor, ayuda) | Question clauses (preguntó si / dónde / cuándo) |
| Actions: pedir que + subjunctive | Asking about someone (preguntar por ti) |
| Apologies & loans (pedir perdón, prestado) | Wondering (preguntarse si…) |
| Never with question words | Never for objects — and it’s hacer una pregunta |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between pedir and preguntar?
Pedir means to ask for something — an object, a favor, or an action (pedir un café, pedir ayuda). Preguntar means to ask a question — to request information (preguntar la hora, preguntar dónde está). Both translate to English ‘to ask’.
Do you say ‘pedir una pregunta’ or ‘hacer una pregunta’?
‘Hacer una pregunta.’ In Spanish you ‘make’ a question, you don’t request one. ‘¿Puedo hacerte una pregunta?’ is the natural way to say ‘Can I ask you a question?’.
What does ‘preguntar por’ mean?
Preguntar por + a person means to ask about or after them — to inquire how or where they are: ‘tu madre preguntó por ti’. At a reception desk it also means to ask for someone: ‘pregunte por la doctora García’.
How do you say ‘ask someone to do something’ in Spanish?
Use pedir que + subjunctive: ‘le pedí que me ayudara’ = I asked him to help me. It’s pedir, not preguntar, because you’re requesting an action rather than information.
Make pedir vs preguntar automatic
Once you stop translating ‘ask’, the choice becomes obvious — and reps make it instant. HablaCore practices pedir vs preguntar in real AI-generated sentences with instant feedback, resurfacing the patterns you miss.
Practice pedir vs preguntar in real sentences