How to Say ‘Excuse me, is this chair free?’ in Spain Spanish
Perdona, ¿está libre esta silla?
pehr-DOH-nah ehs-tah LEE-breh eh-stah SEE-yah
[pehr-DOH-nah ehs-tah LEE-breh eh-stah SEE-yah]
🇪🇸 In Spain: In busy Spanish cafés, people often ask this just to carry the chair off to another table. If you mean to sit with them, your body language has to make that clear.
Phrase Breakdown
Perdona,
pehr-DOH-nah
Excuse me,
This is the informal way to get someone's attention. Stress falls on 'DO' (per-DO-na). Pause briefly after it.
Perdona, ¿qué hora es?
Excuse me, what time is it?
Words in this phrase
Perdona
[pehr-DOH-nah]
excuse me
Informal command of 'perdonar', used to politely get a stranger's attention.
Perdona, ¿tienes hora?
Excuse me, do you have the time?
¿está libre
ehs-tah LEE-breh
is it free
Your voice rises because this is a question. Stress 'TÁ' in 'está' and tap the 'r' in 'libre'.
¿Está libre la mesa?
Is the table free?
Words in this phrase
está
[ehs-tah]
is
A verb used to indicate the existence or state of something.
El libro está en la estantería.
The book is on the shelf.
libre
[LEE-breh]
free / available
Adjective meaning not occupied; used to ask if a taxi is available.
El taxi está libre.
The taxi is free.
esta silla?
eh-stah SEE-yah
this chair?
'ES-ta' means 'this'. Say 'silla' like 'SEE-ya', ending with a rising tone.
Esta silla es cómoda.
This chair is comfortable.
Words in this phrase
esta
[eh-stah]
this
Used to describe something that is near the speaker or has been mentioned before.
Esta casa es muy bonita.
This house is very beautiful.
silla
[SEE-yah]
chair
A seat with a back for one person.
Esta silla es cómoda.
This chair is comfortable.
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