Spanish Phrase
¿Me puedes devolver el dinero?
Meaning
Literally, “Can you return the money to me?” It is a polite request asking someone to give back money that the speaker previously gave or lent. The use of ‘puedes’ makes it sound less demanding than a direct command.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need your money back—after lending it to a friend, receiving a refund, or any situation where the amount is owed. It works well in informal or semi‑formal contexts; for very formal settings you might switch to ‘¿Podría devolverme el dinero?’
✦Grammar Breakdown
¿Mepuedesdevolvereldinero?
Me (indirect object pronoun)
‘Me’ indicates that the action of the verb is directed toward the speaker, i.e., ‘to me’.
puedes (present of poder)
‘Puedes’ is the second‑person singular present of ‘poder’, used to ask about ability or permission.
devolver (infinitive)
The infinitive verb follows ‘poder’ and means ‘to return’ or ‘to give back’.
el dinero (direct object)
‘El dinero’ is the thing being returned; it functions as the direct object of ‘devolver’.
Question marks
Spanish uses an opening (¿) and closing (?) question mark for all interrogative sentences.
🗨In Conversation
¿Me puedes devolver el dinero que te presté la semana pasada?
Can you give me back the money I lent you last week?
Claro, te lo devuelvo mañana en efectivo.
Sure, I’ll give it back to you tomorrow in cash.
✕Common Mistakes
¿Te puedes devolver el dinero?
‘Te’ is the wrong indirect object pronoun; the speaker should use ‘me’ because the money is being returned to them.
¿Puedes devolver el dinero a mí?
While understandable, the construction is less natural; Spanish prefers the pronoun before the verb.
¿Me puedes devolver dinero?
The article ‘el’ is needed before ‘dinero’ when referring to a specific amount.
Me puedes devolver el dinero?
Missing the opening question mark (¿) makes the sentence look like a statement rather than a question.
↔Alternatives
¿Me devuelves el dinero?
Will you give me back the money?
¿Podrías devolverme el dinero?
Could you return the money to me?
¿Me puedes regresar el dinero?
Can you hand the money back to me?
Cultural Tip
Asking for money back can be a sensitive topic in many Spanish‑speaking cultures. Adding ‘por favor’ or softening the request with ‘cuando puedas’ (when you can) shows respect and helps keep the conversation friendly. In more formal contexts, use ‘¿Podría devolverme el dinero, por favor?’ to avoid sounding demanding.