Spanish Phrase
¿Qué debería evitar?
Meaning
The speaker is asking for advice about things that might be harmful, risky, or undesirable, essentially 'What should I avoid?'. It can be used in personal, professional, or travel contexts where guidance is needed.
When to use
Use this question when you want to get recommendations about pitfalls, bad habits, or potential mistakes—e.g., before a trip, starting a new job, or adopting a new hobby.
✦Grammar Breakdown
¿Quédeberíaevitar?
¿Qué (interrogative pronoun)
Used to ask about something unknown; always carries an accent on the 'e' in questions.
debería (conditional of deber)
Expresses advice or recommendation; the -ía ending marks the conditional mood.
evitar (infinitive verb)
Means 'to avoid'; after a modal like deber, the verb stays in its infinitive form.
🗨In Conversation
¿Qué debería evitar al visitar México por primera vez?
What should I avoid when visiting Mexico for the first time?
Evita beber agua del grifo y ten cuidado al cruzar la calle sin semáforo.
Avoid drinking tap water and be careful crossing streets without a traffic light.
✕Common Mistakes
¿Qué deberia evitar?
Missing accent on the 'i' changes the word to a non‑standard form; the correct form is deberí**a**.
¿Qué debería de evitar?
Spanish does not use 'de' after deber in this construction; the infinitive follows directly.
¿Qué debería evito?
Using a conjugated form (evito, evitas…) after debería is incorrect; the verb must stay infinitive.
↔Alternatives
¿Qué no debería hacer?
What shouldn't I do?
¿Qué es mejor no hacer?
What is better not to do?
¿Qué cosas debería evitar?
What things should I avoid?
Cultural Tip
In Spanish‑speaking cultures, asking for advice with a conditional (debería) is seen as polite and shows respect for the other person's experience. Avoid sounding too direct; adding a softener like 'por favor' or a brief context makes the request even more courteous.