Inklingo

How to Say "i serve" in Spanish

English → Spanish

sirvo

SEER-voh/ˈsiɾβo/

verbA1general
Use 'sirvo' when you are serving food, drinks, or attending to customers in a general service capacity.
A smiling waiter wearing a clean apron holds a tray with a covered dish, ready to serve food to a customer.

Examples

Yo sirvo la cena a las siete en punto.

I serve dinner exactly at seven o'clock.

Siempre sirvo el vino en copas grandes.

I always serve the wine in large glasses.

Irregular 'Yo' Form

The 'I' form ('sirvo') is irregular! The base verb 'servir' should make 'servo,' but Spanish adds an 'i' sound, making it 'sirvo.' This is common in many 'ir' verbs.

Forgetting the Stem Change

Mistake: “Yo servo”

Correction: Yo sirvo. Remember that the 'e' in the stem often changes to 'i' in the present tense forms, except for 'nosotros' and 'vosotros'.

despacho

des-PAH-choh/desˈpatʃo/

verbA2general
Use 'despacho' when you are dispatching or sending out items, like orders or mail, or attending to a specific client's needs in a more formal or administrative way.
A person's hand is shown placing a large, sealed brown envelope into a prominent red post box.

Examples

Yo despacho todos los pedidos antes de las cinco.

I dispatch (send out) all the orders before five o'clock.

En el banco, yo despacho a los clientes que necesitan retirar efectivo.

At the bank, I serve the clients who need to withdraw cash.

Verbal Root

This form uses the regular '-ar' verb pattern. The noun 'despacho' (office) is derived directly from the action of this verb (to process/send out work).

Confusing Parts of Speech

Mistake: “Using 'yo despacho' when trying to say 'my office' (mi despacho).”

Correction: When it's the noun, it needs a definite article ('el despacho'). When it's the verb, it usually follows the subject pronoun 'yo' (I).

Serving vs. Dispatching

Learners often confuse 'sirvo' and 'despacho' by using 'sirvo' when they mean to dispatch items. Remember, 'sirvo' is for serving people or food, while 'despacho' is for sending things out or formally attending to a client.

Related Translations

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