Giving Advice and Recommendations

Phrases and structures for offering advice, making recommendations, and giving suggestions.

Suggesting - Informal

Deberías... (You should...) Podrías... (You could...) ¿Por qué no...? (Why don't you...?) Yo que tú... (If I were you...) Te sugiero que... (I suggest that you...)

Deberías estudiar más. (You should study more.) ¿Por qué no descansas un poco? (Why don't you rest a bit?)

Recommending - Formal

Le recomiendo que... (I recommend that you - formal...) Le aconsejo que... (I advise that you - formal...) Sería mejor que... (It would be better if you...) Lo más conveniente sería... (The most convenient would be...)

Le recomiendo que llegue temprano. (I recommend that you arrive early.)

Strong Advice

Tienes que... (You have to...) Necesitas... (You need to...) Es importante que... (It's important that you...) Es necesario que... (It's necessary that you...) Debes... (You must...)

Tienes que ver a un médico. (You have to see a doctor.)

Gentle Suggestions

Tal vez podrías... (Maybe you could...) Quizás sería buena idea... (Perhaps it would be a good idea...) ¿Has pensado en...? (Have you thought about...?) No estaría mal... (It wouldn't be bad to...)

Tal vez podrías llamarlo. (Maybe you could call him.)

Making Recommendations

Te recomiendo... (I recommend...) Vale la pena... (It's worth...) Te conviene... (It's convenient for you to...)

Te recomiendo este restaurante. (I recommend this restaurant.) Vale la pena visitar ese museo. (It's worth visiting that museum.)

Warnings and Cautions

Ten cuidado con... (Be careful with...) Cuidado, no... (Careful, don't...) Evita... (Avoid...) No es buena idea... (It's not a good idea...)

Ten cuidado con el tráfico. (Be careful with the traffic.) No es buena idea salir ahora. (It's not a good idea to go out now.)

Asking for Advice

¿Qué me aconsejas? (What do you advise me?) ¿Qué harías tú? (What would you do?) ¿Qué opinas? (What do you think?) ¿Crees que debería...? (Do you think I should...?) Necesito tu consejo. (I need your advice.)

Conditional Advice (If I were you)

Yo en tu lugar... (If I were in your place...) Yo que tú... (If I were you...) Si fuera tú... (If I were you - more formal)

Yo en tu lugar, hablaría con él. (If I were in your place, I'd talk to him.)

Offering Options

Puedes... (You can...) Tienes varias opciones: (You have several options:) Una opción sería... (One option would be...) Por un lado... por otro lado... (On one hand... on the other hand...)

Softening Advice

En mi opinión... (In my opinion...) Creo que... (I think that...) Me parece que... (It seems to me that...) Personalmente, yo... (Personally, I...)

Responding to Advice

Gracias por el consejo. (Thanks for the advice.) Lo voy a pensar. (I'll think about it.) Tienes razón. (You're right.) Buen punto. (Good point.) Voy a intentarlo. (I'm going to try it.)

Practice