The Life Starter
Sign up
Grade 12 · lesson 4 of 4

Keep Tú and Usted Address Consistent

Tú-style requests use puedes in this practiced poder construction, while singular usted uses puede.

About 25 minutes, plus any extended practice

Download the grade pack

Supplied materials

  • Paper or a browser scratch area; no audio recording, account or private information is needed.
  • The fictional message explicitly requests respectful usted address to one person. The requested action is leer. Which complete offered question preserves both that convention and action? Candidate answers: (A) Puede leer, por favor? (B) ¿Puede bailar, por favor? (C) ¿Puede leer, por favor? (D) ¿Puedes leer, por favor?
  • The fictional message explicitly requests informal tú address to one person. The requested action is bailar. Which complete offered question preserves both that convention and action? Candidate answers: (A) Puedes bailar, por favor? (B) ¿Puede bailar, por favor? (C) ¿Puedes bailar, por favor? (D) ¿Puedes estudiar, por favor?

Learn the idea

Revision checks more than fluent appearance. A corrected message should preserve its assigned speaker, referent and intended relationship while fixing a precise agreement, accent or register problem. Use only the fictional texts supplied here. Tú-style requests use puedes in this practiced poder construction, while singular usted uses puede. An explicit address convention keeps a fictional message consistent; it does not establish one universal social hierarchy or politeness rule.

Read whether the supplied scene requests tú or usted. Select the matching poder form, retain the exact action infinitive, and keep both question marks. Compare all three constraints rather than check only the most polite-looking phrase.

Appropriate address varies by place, relationship and preference. The task supplies the convention instead of asking you to infer it from age or occupation. Ustedes and vos forms require their own context and are not judged by this singular comparison.

  1. Copy the supplied example and underline its speaker, noun, time cue or evidence words.
  2. Apply the shown language rule; keep any required ending, accent or paired punctuation.
  3. Solve the changed independent check, then explain why one offered alternative fails.
  4. Complete all three new practice cases and use the model to correct the precise word or meaning.
Worked example

See the method in action

Supplied case: The fictional message explicitly requests respectful usted address to one person. The requested action is leer. Which complete offered question preserves both that convention and action? Candidate answers: (A) Puede leer, por favor? (B) ¿Puede bailar, por favor? (C) ¿Puede leer, por favor? (D) ¿Puedes leer, por favor? Solution: The stated address convention is usted, which selects puede. Keep the activity leer and both question marks: ¿Puede leer, por favor? The alternative convention is not inherently rude/wrong, but it differs from this assigned message. Final result: ¿Puede leer, por favor? Appropriate address varies by place, relationship and preference. The task supplies the convention instead of asking you to infer it from age or occupation. Ustedes and vos forms require their own context and are not judged by this singular comparison.

Your turn

Check your reasoning

Your answer is temporary and is not saved to an account. Download your current answer before leaving or reloading. Written work on paper or in another app stays in your own file.

Helpful tips
  • Read whether the supplied scene requests tú or usted.
  • Appropriate address varies by place, relationship and preference.
The fictional message explicitly requests informal tú address to one person. The requested action is bailar. Which complete offered question preserves both that convention and action?

Feedback appears here after you check. This is practice, not a graded school assessment.

See the answer and explanation

¿Puedes bailar, por favor?

The stated address convention is tú, which selects puedes. Keep the activity bailar and both question marks: ¿Puedes bailar, por favor? The alternative convention is not inherently rude/wrong, but it differs from this assigned message.

Take it further

The fictional message explicitly requests informal tú address to one person. The requested action is cocinar. Which complete offered question preserves both that convention and action? Candidate answers: (A) Puedes cocinar, por favor? (B) ¿Puede cocinar, por favor? (C) ¿Puedes cocinar, por favor? (D) ¿Puedes leer, por favor? Expected result: ¿Puedes cocinar, por favor? The stated address convention is tú, which selects puedes. Keep the activity cocinar and both question marks: ¿Puedes cocinar, por favor? The alternative convention is not inherently rude/wrong, but it differs from this assigned message.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. The answer download includes your current choice and any checked feedback. It does not include choices from the separate More practice section. Download that section separately.

More practice: try new cases

Choose an answer for each problem. Explain your method on paper, then use the feedback to decide what to revisit.

More practice: try new cases
1. The fictional message explicitly requests respectful usted address to one person. The requested action is estudiar. Which complete offered question preserves both that convention and action?
Need a hint?
  • Read whether the supplied scene requests tú or usted.
  • Appropriate address varies by place, relationship and preference.
2. The fictional message explicitly requests informal tú address to one person. The requested action is cantar. Which complete offered question preserves both that convention and action?
Need a hint?
  • Read whether the supplied scene requests tú or usted.
  • Appropriate address varies by place, relationship and preference.
3. The fictional message explicitly requests respectful usted address to one person. The requested action is dibujar. Which complete offered question preserves both that convention and action?
Need a hint?
  • Read whether the supplied scene requests tú or usted.
  • Appropriate address varies by place, relationship and preference.

Your choices are temporary. Feedback appears after you check all the answers.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. Keep your own notes or download them before leaving. The score describes these questions; it does not certify subject mastery.

Check the subject sources

These LifeStarter passages, scenarios and exercises are authored for this Academy with AI assistance and review. External resources keep their publishers’ terms. A grade label suggests a starting level; it does not establish alignment with your school’s complete requirements.