A person wearing an apron placing a steaming plate of pasta on a table for a friend.

sirva

SEER-bah

verbB1irregular stem-changing (e to i) ir

serve?food, drink, or assisting someone

Also:be useful?functioning or working properly,act as?playing a specific role

Quick Reference

past Participleservido

infinitiveservir

gerundsirviendo

📝 In Action

Por favor, sirva el café a los invitados.

Please, serve the coffee to the guests.

Busco una herramienta que me sirva para abrir esto.

I am looking for a tool that is useful for opening this.

Espero que este consejo le sirva de mucho.

I hope this advice is very useful to you.

Word Connections

Synonyms

ayude (help/assist)
funcione (work/function)

Antonyms

estorbe (hinder/be in the way)
desatienda (neglect/ignore)

Common Collocations

sirva de ejemplo – serve as an example
que le sirva – may it be useful to you

Idioms & Expressions

no sirva para nada – to be completely useless

💡 Grammar Points

Using 'sirva' for Commands

Use 'sirva' when you want to politely tell someone you address as 'usted' to serve something or be helpful.

The 'Wishes and Doubts' Form

This word is used after phrases like 'I hope' (Espero que...) or 'I don't think' (No creo que...) when talking about something being useful or someone serving.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Sirva vs. Sirve

Mistake: "Using 'sirve' for a polite command."

Correction: Use 'sirva' for formal 'usted' commands. 'Sirve' is for 'he/she serves' or informal 'you serve' in some regions.

⭐ Usage Tips

Polite Dining

In a restaurant, if you are helping the waiter, you might say 'Sirva a ella primero' (Serve her first) to be polite.

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

present

ellos/ellas/ustedessirvan

vosotrossirváis

él/ella/ustedsirva

nosotrossirvamos

túsirvas

yosirva

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedessirvieran

vosotrossirvierais

él/ella/ustedsirviera

nosotrossirviéramos

túsirvieras

yosirviera

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedessirvieron

vosotrosservisteis

él/ella/ustedsirvió

nosotrosservimos

túserviste

yoserví

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesservían

vosotrosservíais

él/ella/ustedservía

nosotrosservíamos

túservías

yoservía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedessirven

vosotrosservís

él/ella/ustedsirve

nosotrosservimos

túsirves

yosirvo

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: sirva

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'sirva' as a polite command?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

servir(to serve) - verb

servicio(service) - noun

servicial(helpful) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'sirva' mean 'he serves'?

No, 'he serves' is 'él sirve'. 'Sirva' is used for formal commands ('you serve') or for situations involving hopes, doubts, or fears.