Pedís

Pedís is the second-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb pedir, meaning to ask for or to request. It is used with the pronoun vosotros, the informal “you all” in Spain, and appears in contexts where this pronoun is customary. In most of Latin America, the corresponding form is piden or, more commonly, ustedes piden.

Conjugation and form notes: in the present tense of pedir, the stem vowel e changes to i in all forms: pido, pides, pide, pedimos, pedís, piden. The form pedís carries a written accent on the í to indicate the stress (the syllable division is pe-dís). Pedir is a stem-changing verb, which means the e changes to i in the present tense for all persons.

Usage and regional variation: pedir expresses a request, a desire for something to be done, or an order. It often takes a direct object (algo) or a subordinate clause (que). In Spain, you might hear “¿Qué pedís?” or “¿Qué queréis pedir?” when using vosotros. In many Latin American varieties, the vos form is uncommon and ustedes piden is used instead of pedís, e.g., “¿Qué piden?” or “¿Qué quieren pedir?”

Etymology and related notes: pedir comes from the Latin petere, meaning to seek or to request. Related common phrases include pedir permiso, pedir disculpas, and pedir prestado. In addition to the present, pedir also forms irregular preterite with pid- roots (pedí, pediste, pidió, pidieron).