Pedir Conjugation: Spanish Verb Guide

When you go to a restaurant in another country, you’ll need to ask for your order, right? But how can you get what you want to eat if you don’t even know the equivalent of “to ask” in other languages?

Asking for things is a normal part of daily life. You might ask for a raise at work, ask for a favor from a friend, or simply order your favorite dish at a restaurant. The verb “to ask” is a crucial verb in any language and is used in a wide range of situations.

It works the same way In Spanish, “pedir” is used to express the idea of requesting information, getting help, or asking for things from someone.

As with any other verb that we have worked with before, being able to use this Spanish verb correctly is key for effective communication. So learning how to conjugate pedir and using it appropriately will benefit anyone learning Spanish.

What is the Spanish Verb Pedir?

In Spanish, “pedir” means “to ask” or “to request”. It is used to express the idea of asking or requesting something from someone else.

“Pedir” is an irregular verb, but only in the present tense “pido“, “pides“, “pide“, “piden“, and the preterite tense, “pidió” and “pidieron”. In other tenses, they follow the same pattern as regular verbs.

Pedir Basic Spanish Verb Conjugation

Yo pido. (I ask)

Tú pides. (You ask)

Él/ella/usted pide. (He/she/you (formal) asks)

Nosotros/nosotras pedimos. (We ask)

Vosotros/vosotras pedís. (You (Spain) ask)

Ellos/ellas/ustedes piden. (They/you (plural, formal) ask)

Other Situations Where You Can Use Pedir

In addition to asking for physical items, the “pedir” can also be used to request other types of things, such as favors, permission, or information. It’s important to understand the different ways in which “pedir” can be used to communicate effectively in Spanish.

“Pedir permiso” – to ask for permission.

“Pedir perdón” – to offer apologies or to feel sorry about something.

“Pedir un deseo” – to make a wish.

“Pedir ayuda” – to ask for help.

“Pedir comida” – to ask for food.

“Pedir un taxi” – to call a taxi.

“Pedir consejo” – ask for an advise.

“Pedir matrimonio” – ask for marriage.

TIP…

You might think… “Hey, but isn’t ‘to ask’ the equivalent of ‘preguntar’?”

Something important to keep in mind is that “pedir” isn’t the same as “preguntar”. In English, you can use “to ask” for both getting something from someone and asking a question.

But in Spanish, we use “preguntar” for asking a question and “pedir” for requesting something for someone.

Pedir Conjugation

Are you eager to learn the “pedir” conjugation like us? We’ll see the complete Spanish conjugation of one of the most important irregular verbs and provide plenty of examples to help you understand how it’s used.

Now, without further ado, let’s get into the real deal and learn how to conjugate “pedir”.

The Indicative Conjugation of Pedir

The indicative form of the Spanish “pedir” conjugation is used to express factual or real situations. It is used to describe what is actually happening or has happened, rather than what might happen or what you wish would happen.

Subject	Present	Preterite	Imperfect	Future	Conditional
Yo	*pido*	*pedí*	*pedía*	*pediré*	*pediría*
Tú	*pides*	*pediste*	*pedías*	*pedirás*	*pedirías*
Él, Ella, Usted	*pide*	*pidió*	*pedía*	*pedirá*	*pediría*
Nosotros	*pedimos*	*pedimos*	*pedíamos*	*pediremos*	*pediríamos*
Vosotras, Vosotros	*pedís*	*pedisteis*	*pedíais*	*pediréis*	*pediríais*
Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes	*piden*	*pidieron*	*pedían*	*pedirán*	*pedirían*

Present tense

Pido disculpas por llegar tarde a la reunión. – I apologize for arriving late to the meeting.

Preterite tense

El cliente pidió una ensalada de pollo y una cerveza en el restaurante. – The customer ordered a chicken salad and a beer at the restaurant.

Imperfect tense

Cada vez que íbamos al parque, mi hermano pequeño siempre pedía un helado. – Every time we went to the park, my little brother always asked for ice cream.

Future tense

Pediremos un préstamo para comprar un coche nuevo. – We will ask for a loan to buy a new car.

Conditional tense

Si no supiera dónde está el banco, pediría direcciones a alguien en la calle. – If I didn’t know where the bank is, I would ask someone on the street for directions.

Pedir Conjugation: Compound Tenses of the Indicative Mood

The compound tenses in Spanish use two verbs instead of just one to add more meaning to your sentences. The main verb in these tenses is “haber,” which means “to have,” and it helps to clarify and be more specific when talking about time and the sequence of events.

Subject	Present Perfect Tense	Pluperfect Tense (Past Perfect)	Future Perfect Tense	Conditional Perfect Tense
Yo	*he pedido*	*había pedido*	*habré pedido*	*habría pedido*
Tú	*has pedido*	*habías pedido*	*habrás pedido*	*habrías pedido*
Él, Ella, Usted	*ha pedido*	*había pedido*	*habrá pedido*	*habría pedido*
Nosotros	*hemos pedido*	*habíamos pedido*	*habremos pedido*	*habríamos pedido*
Vosotras, Vosotros	*habéis pedido*	*habíamos pedido*	*habréis pedido*	*habríais pedido*
Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes	*han pedido*	*habíamos pedido*	*habrán pedido*	*habrían pedido*

Present perfect tense

¡Me has pedido que te ayude por mucho tiempo! – You have asked me to help you for a long time!

Pluperfect tense (past perfect)

Ya habiamos pedido pizza antes de que llegaras. – We had already ordered pizza before you arrived.

Future Perfect tense

Mañana a esta hora, habré pedido la mesa en el restaurante para la cena de cumpleaños de mi madre. – By this time tomorrow, I will have asked for a table at the restaurant for my mother’s birthday dinner.

Conditional perfect tense

Si hubiera sabido que necesitaría el libro, lo habría pedido prestado a mi amigo. – If I had known that I would need the book, I would have asked my friend to borrow it.

Pedir in the Subjunctive Mood

The subjunctive mood of the “pedir” conjugation is a way of expressing doubt or uncertainty in a sentence. We use it in Spanish when we’re not sure if something is going to happen or if it’s true.

So, you might use the subjunctive mood when talking about a possibility or a wish, or when describing a hypothetical situation.

Subject	Present	Imperfect 1	Imperfect 2	Future
Yo	*pida*	*pidiera*	*pidiese*	*pidiere*
Tú	*pidas*	*pidieras*	*pidieses*	*pidieres*
Él, Ella, Usted	*pida*	*pidiera*	*pidiese*	*pidiere*
Nosotros	*pidamos*	*pidiéramos*	*pidiésemos*	*pidiéremos*
Vosotras, Vosotros	*pidáis*	*pidierais*	*pidieseis*	*pidiereis*
Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes	*pidan*	*pidieran*	*pidiesen*	*pidieren*

Present Subjunctive

Espero que pida la comida en español cuando vayamos al restaurante mexicano. – I hope she orders the food in Spanish when we go to the Mexican restaurant.

Imperfect Subjunctive

Me sorprendió que pidieran tantos requisitos para ese puesto. – I was surprised that they asked for so many requirements for that position.

Future Subjunctive

Espero que pidieres mi ayuda antes de empezar a hacer la tarea la próxima vez. – I hope you will ask for my help before starting the homework next time.

Compound Subjunctive Tenses In The Pedir Conjugation

In Spanish, we use the subjunctive mood in two different compound tenses: the present perfect tense (also called the pretérito perfecto) and the past perfect tense (also called the pluscuamperfecto).

Let’s give it a closer look!

Subject	Present Perfect Tense	Pluperfect Subjunctive 1	Pluperfect Subjunctive 2
Yo	*haya pedido*	*hubiera pedido*	*hubiese pedido*
Tú	*hayas pedido*	*hubieras pedido*	*hubieses pedido*
Él, Ella, Usted	*haya pedido*	*hubiera pedido*	*hubiese pedido*
nosotros, nosotras	*hayamos pedido*	*hubiéramos pedido*	*hubiésemos pedido*
Vosotras, Vosotros	*hayáis pedido*	*hubierais pedido*	*hubieseis pedido*
Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes	*hayan pedido*	*hubieran pedido*	*hubiesen pedido*

Present Perfect Tense

Espero que hayas pedido un taxi, llegarás tarde. – I hope you have called for a taxi, you will be late.

Pluperfect Subjunctive 1

Si me lo hubieras pedido, te habría ayudado a hacer la tarea. – If you had asked me, I would have helped you with the homework.

Pluperfect Subjunctive 2

Si hubieses pedido más tiempo, podrías haber terminado el proyecto a tiempo. – If I had asked for more time, I could have finished the project on time.

Pedir in the Imperative Mood

The imperative mood of the “pedir” conjugation is all about giving commands or orders. It can be used to tell someone to do something (affirmative commands) or to tell them not to do something (negative commands).

Subject	Affirmative	Negative
Tú	*¡pide!*	*¡no pidas!*
Usted	*¡pida!*	*¡no pida!*
Nosotros	*¡pidamos!*	*¡no pidamos!*
Vosotros	*¡pedid!*	*¡no pidáis!*
Ustedes	*¡pidan!*	*¡no pidan!*

Affirmative Imperative

¡Pide el menú al camarero antes de tomar una decisión! – Ask the waiter for the menu before making a decision!

Negative Imperative

¡No pidas pizza en ese lugar, siempre tardan demasiado en traer la comida! – Don’t order pizza at that place, they always take too long to bring the food!

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If you learn to conjugate pedir you will realize how important irregular verbs are. By understanding the pedir conjugations and seeing them used in different tenses and moods, you will be able to use them confidently in your own spoken and written Spanish.

With practice and exposure to the verb in context, you can master the “pedir” conjugations and effectively incorporate them into your Spanish communication in no time.

This Spanish conjugation is relatively easy to learn but if you think you still need help with it, you can count on SpanishVIP to watch your back! Our expert teachers will guide you through the complexities of Spanish verb conjugation and help you reach your language goals.

You can always sign up for a free Spanish lesson or take advantage of our 7-day free trial of group classes. We look forward to helping you succeed in your language-learning journey!