Recommending Actions and Asking Someone to Change a Habit in Spanish

Recommending Actions and Asking Someone to Change a Habit in Spanish

In this lesson, you will recommend an action or ask someone to change a repeated habit. A useful message identifies the behavior, explains why it matters, proposes a practical alternative, and makes clear who is expected to act.

General recommendation with an infinitive

When no different actor needs to be named, an infinitive can express general advice.

• Recomiendo descansar más. — I recommend resting more.
• Aconsejo comparar los precios. — I advise comparing prices.
• Recomiendo hablar con el responsable. — I recommend speaking with the person in charge.

Recommendation to a specific person with que

• Te recomiendo que descanses más. — I recommend that you rest more.
• Le aconsejo que compare los precios. — I advise you formal / him / her to compare prices.
• Recomiendo que Carlos hable con el responsable. — I recommend that Carlos speak with the person in charge.

Pedir for a requested action

• Te pido que cierres la puerta. — I ask you to close the door.
• Le pedimos a Ana que llegue antes. — We ask Ana to arrive earlier.
• Les pido que no hagan ruido después de las once. — I ask you all / them not to make noise after eleven.

Identify the habit that needs to change

Instead of a vague complaint:

Siempre haces lo mismo. — You always do the same thing.

Name the concrete behavior:

Dejas los platos en la cocina toda la noche. — You leave the dishes in the kitchen all night.

Explain the reason

Me gustaría que lavaras... would require a later tense system, so at this stage use the present structures you already know.

Reason:

La cocina queda desordenada y los demás no pueden usarla bien. — The kitchen stays messy and the others cannot use it properly.

Make the request clear

Te pido que laves los platos después de cenar. — I ask you to wash the dishes after dinner.

The action is clear, the person is clear, and the time is clear.

Offer a practical alternative

Si no puedes hacerlo justo después de cenar, podrías lavarlos antes de acostarte. — If you cannot do it right after dinner, you could wash them before going to bed.

This adds flexibility without making the request vague.

Another habit-change example: noise

Problem:

Pones música muy alta por la noche. — You play music very loudly at night.

Reason:

Los demás necesitan dormir. — The others need to sleep.

Recommendation:

Te recomiendo que bajes el volumen después de las diez. — I recommend that you lower the volume after ten.

Alternative:

También podrías usar auriculares. — You could also use headphones.

For this lesson, auriculares — headphones is useful shared-living vocabulary.

Another habit-change example: shared costs

Problem:

A veces pagas tu parte muy tarde. — Sometimes you pay your share very late.

Request:

Te pido que pagues tu parte antes del día diez. — I ask you to pay your share before the tenth.

Reason:

Necesitamos pagar las facturas a tiempo. — We need to pay the bills on time.

Keep the tone focused on the behavior

Less constructive:

Eres irresponsable. — You are irresponsible.

More actionable:

Te pido que pagues tu parte antes del día diez. — I ask you to pay your share before the tenth.

The second addresses a behavior that can change.

Do not hide the action inside too much politeness

Politeness is useful, but the listener still needs to know what action is being requested.

Clear and courteous:

Por favor, te pido que cierres la puerta después de entrar. — Please, I ask you to close the door after entering.

A practical habit-change method

1. Name the specific behavior that causes the problem.
2. Explain one relevant reason.
3. Use recomendar or aconsejar for advice.
4. Use pedir when you are directly requesting an action.
5. Use an infinitive for a general recommendation or que plus subjunctive when another actor performs the target action.
6. Make the actor, action, and time clear.
7. Offer a realistic alternative when useful.
8. Focus on the behavior rather than attacking the person.

From Habit Changes to Nosotros Commands

You can now recommend a practical change and ask someone to change a habit with a clear reason. The next lesson teaches nosotros commands for proposing actions that the speaker and listener do together.