Lingofly¿Podría…?: the polite request and advice
Most of the time the -ía form does politeness. ¿Podría enviarme el contrato? is softer than ¿puede?, and me gustaría is softer than quiero. Advice sits here too: deberías descansar. For example: “¿Podría enviarme el contrato?” — Could you send me the contract? A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Most of the time the -ía form does politeness. ¿Podría enviarme el contrato? is softer than ¿puede?, and me gustaría is softer than quiero. Advice sits here too: deberías descansar.
By example
- ¿Podría enviarme el contrato?Could you send me the contract?
- You should talk to the boss before signing the contract
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
¿Podría…?: how does it work in Spanish?
Most of the time the -ía form does politeness. ¿Podría enviarme el contrato? is softer than ¿puede?, and me gustaría is softer than quiero. Advice sits here too: deberías descansar.
What does it look like in a Spanish example sentence?
“¿Podría enviarme el contrato?” — Could you send me the contract? A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.