Portuguese Phrase
Me dá uma toalha?
Meaning
Literally, ‘Give me a towel?’ It is a short, polite way to ask someone (often a waiter, lifeguard, or friend) for a towel. The tone is informal but courteous, suitable for everyday situations like the beach, a gym, or a restaurant.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need a towel in a casual setting and you are speaking to someone you can address with ‘você’. In more formal contexts you might opt for ‘Poderia me dar uma toalha, por favor?’
✦Grammar Breakdown
Medáumatoalha?
Pronome átono 'me'
‘Me’ is the unstressed indirect object pronoun meaning ‘to me’; it precedes the verb in affirmative statements and questions.
Verbo ‘dar’ – presente do indicativo
‘Dá’ is the third‑person singular form of ‘dar’ (to give) in the present indicative, used here as a polite request.
Artigo indefinido ‘uma’
‘Uma’ is the feminine singular indefinite article, matching the gender of ‘toalha’.
Interrogação com entonação
Even without a question mark, rising intonation turns the sentence into a request; the ‘?’ makes the politeness explicit.
🗨In Conversation
Me dá uma toalha?
Could you give me a towel?
Claro, aqui está.
Sure, here you go.
✕Common Mistakes
Me dá toalha?
The indefinite article ‘uma’ is required because ‘toalha’ is countable; omitting it sounds abrupt.
Me dá o toalha?
‘O’ is masculine; the correct article for ‘toalha’ is the feminine ‘uma’ or ‘a’ if you’re referring to a specific towel.
Me dá uma toalha por favor?
While not wrong, placing ‘por favor’ after the question mark is punctuation‑incorrect; it should be before the question mark or as a separate sentence.
↔Alternatives
Pode me dar uma toalha?
Can you give me a towel?
Você poderia me trazer uma toalha?
Could you bring me a towel?
Me traz uma toalha, por favor.
Bring me a towel, please.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, the construction ‘Me dá…?’ is extremely common and sounds friendly. If you’re speaking to a stranger in a very formal setting (e.g., a hotel concierge), switch to the conditional ‘Poderia me dar…?’ to avoid sounding too casual. Also, remember that ‘toalha’ can refer to a hand‑towel, a beach towel, or a kitchen towel, so context matters.