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How to Say "may allow" in Spanish

The Spanish word formay allowis permitaB1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishB1
verbB1
Used to express wishes, doubts, or necessities (Subjunctive mood).
A person in a blue uniform stands beside a decorative wooden gate, holding it wide open while politely gesturing for a smaller person in a red outfit to walk through first.

Examples

Permita que le ayude con su equipaje, por favor.

Allow me to help you with your luggage, please.

Espero que la situación nos permita viajar pronto.

I hope the situation allows us to travel soon.

Mi jefe no quiere que yo permita ninguna excepción a la regla.

My boss does not want me to allow any exception to the rule.

Formal Commands

When you want to tell a person formally (using 'usted') to allow something, you use 'permita'. This is the same form as the 'él/ella/usted' form in the special verb mood used for wishes and influence.

Subjunctive Use

'Permita' is the form used for 'yo', 'él', 'ella', and 'usted' when the verb is in the special mood used to talk about wishes, doubts, or things that might happen, often after words like 'espero que' (I hope that) or 'no creo que' (I don't believe that).

Formal vs. Informal Command

Mistake:Using 'permite' when speaking formally to a boss or elder.

Correction: Use 'permita' for formal requests (usted command) and 'permite' for informal requests (tú command). Remember: 'permita' is always more polite.

Related Translations

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