How to Say ‘Excuse me, is this stool free?’ in Spain Spanish
Perdona, ¿está libre este taburete?
pehr-DOH-nah eh-STAH LEE-breh ES-teh tah-boo-REH-teh
[pehr-DOH-nah eh-STAH LEE-breh ES-teh tah-boo-REH-teh]
💬 Usage Tip: Perdona is the casual form you use with someone you'd call tú. With older or more formal strangers it becomes perdone.
🇪🇸 In Spain: In a Spanish bar, people use the casual form freely with strangers around their own age. Starting with perdone here would sound oddly stiff.
Phrase Breakdown
Perdona,
pehr-DOH-nah
Excuse me,
This is the informal 'tú' form, common in Spain even with strangers. Say 'per-DO-na'.
Perdona, ¿tienes hora?
Excuse me, do you have the time?
Words in this phrase
Perdona
[pehr-DOH-nah]
excuse me / sorry
Polite way to get a stranger's attention before saying something.
Perdona, pero tenía que decírtelo: ese abrigo te queda genial.
Excuse me, but I had to tell you: that coat looks great on you.
¿está libre
eh-STAH LEE-breh
is it free
Use 'estar' to ask whether a seat is available. Let your voice rise.
¿Está libre esta silla?
Is this chair free?
Words in this phrase
está
[eh-STAH]
is it
Form of estar used to ask if something is nearby.
¿Está cerca? No tengo mucho tiempo.
Is it near? I don't have much time.
libre
[LEE-breh]
free / available
Used for a taxi to mean unoccupied and ready to take a passenger.
Antes de subir, pregunto: «¿Está libre?».
Before getting in, I ask: “Is it free?” / “Are you available?”
este taburete?
ES-teh tah-boo-REH-teh
this stool?
'Este' (this) is used with masculine nouns. Stress 're' in 'taburete'.
Este taburete es alto.
This stool is tall.
Words in this phrase
este
[ES-teh]
this
A demonstrative word used to point to a nearby or current thing.
En este momento, quiero aprender más sobre la empresa.
At this moment, I want to learn more about the company.
taburete
[tah-boo-REH-teh]
bar stool
A tall seat without a back, typical at bar counters.
Me siento en el taburete de la barra.
I sit on the bar stool.
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