Introduction
Learning how to tell someone to hurry in Spanish is useful for travel, daily life, and natural conversation. This article explains how to use darse prisa, including grammar, conjugation patterns, common expressions, and cultural notes to help English-speaking learners sound natural and polite.
- What is darse prisa?
- Basic conjugation and structure
- Telling someone to hurry: informal and formal commands
- Compound tenses and pronoun placement
- Alternative ways to tell someone to hurry
- Negation, politeness, and tone
- Regional differences and colloquialisms
- Common mistakes and tips for learners
- Examples in different contexts
- Short drills to internalize usage
- Common collocations and verbs often paired with darse prisa
- Common questions learners ask
- Conclusion
What is darse prisa?
Darse prisa is a pronominal verb used to express the idea of hurrying or being quick. Literally it combines dar (to give) with the reflexive pronoun se, but its meaning is idiomatic: to hurry oneself. In practice, Spanish speakers use it the way English speakers use to hurry, to rush, or to be quick.
Why use a pronominal form?
Pronominal verbs use reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os) and indicate the subject performs the action on themselves. With darse prisa, the speaker implies the subject must speed up their own actions. This shifts the focus from causing someone else to hurry to the person hurrying themselves.
Basic conjugation and structure
The verb follows regular conjugation patterns of dar, but because it is pronominal you must add the appropriate reflexive pronoun. Common present-tense forms include:
Yo me doy prisa
Tú te das prisa
Él/Ella/Usted se da prisa
Nosotros nos damos prisa
Vosotros os dais prisa
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes se dan prisa
Use the reflexive pronoun before conjugated verbs. For commands and compound tenses, attach or position the pronoun according to normal Spanish grammar rules, which we explain below.
Present tense examples
Here are everyday sentences you might hear or use:
Me doy prisa para llegar a tiempo.
Te das prisa cuando hay mucho tráfico.
Se da prisa porque tiene una cita.
Telling someone to hurry: informal and formal commands
To tell someone to hurry, you will often use imperative forms. Imperatives change depending on whether you address someone informally (tú), formally (usted), or a group (ustedes or vosotros).
Informal command (tú)
The affirmative tú command uses the third person singular present indicative form. For darse prisa, attach the reflexive pronoun to the end for affirmative commands: date prisa.
Examples:
Date prisa, que vamos a llegar tarde.
Date prisa y coge el autobús.
Negative informal command (tú)
Negative commands place the reflexive pronoun before the verb and use the present subjunctive form: no te des prisa.
Example:
No te des prisa; es mejor hacerlo con cuidado.
Formal command (usted) and plural (ustedes)
For usted and ustedes, use the present subjunctive forms and place the reflexive pronoun before the verb:
Por favor, no se dé prisa si necesita revisar.
Apúrese is another option, but using darse prisa feels less abrupt: Apúrese = Hurry up (formal), but Apúrese can sound stronger.
For ustedes: Dense prisa is possible in some dialects, but more common is Apúrense or Dense prisa depending on the region. Better: Dense prisa (Latin America) or Dense prisa / Dense prisa ustedes in casual speech. Remember to use sepan differences by region.
Compound tenses and pronoun placement
When you need past or future forms, the reflexive pronoun follows normal placement rules: before a conjugated verb or attached to an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative command. The participle forms use haber + past participle, with the reflexive pronoun before haber.
Examples in compound tenses
Present perfect:
Me he dado prisa y llegué temprano. (I hurried and arrived early.)
Future with infinitive:
Voy a darme prisa para no perder el tren. (I am going to hurry so I do not miss the train.)
Gerund form with progressive:
Estoy dándome prisa para terminar. (I am hurrying to finish.)
Alternative ways to tell someone to hurry
Spanish has several other expressions to tell someone to hurry. Knowing alternatives helps you choose tone and formality.
Common alternatives
Apurarse or apurarse de prisa: Apúrate (informal) / Apúrese (formal). These are common and sometimes stronger than darse prisa.
Date prisa and Apúrate are often interchangeable, but Apúrate can sound more urgent.
Rápido or Rápido, por favor: Short and direct. Often used when you need immediate speed.
Vamos, rápido. (Come on, quick.)
Más rápido: Used when asking someone to increase their speed.
Camina más rápido. (Walk faster.)
Choosing the right phrase
Use darse prisa to encourage someone politely to hurry themselves. Use apurarse for stronger urgency. Use rápido for short, direct prompts, especially in emergencies or instructions where brevity matters.
Negation, politeness, and tone
Politeness affects the verb form and additional words. Add por favor to soften commands. Use conditional structures or suggestions when you want to be very polite.
Polite forms
Por favor, deme un momento to be polite in requests, but for hurrying someone you can use: Por favor, apúrese.
For milder encouragement: ¿Puedes darte prisa, por favor? sounds softer than Date prisa.
Mild vs. strong tone
Short commands like Date prisa or Apúrate are direct and can sound urgent. Questions or conditional suggestions sound gentler: ¿Podrías darte prisa? or ¿Te importaría darte prisa? Use these with strangers, coworkers, or service staff to remain polite.
Regional differences and colloquialisms
Spanish varies by country. Some verbs or expressions are more popular in certain regions.
Examples by region
Spain: Date prisa and date prisa ya are common. In some areas, darse prisa might be replaced with darse prisa de verdad or darse prisa un poco.
Latin America: Apurarse and Apúrate are frequent. In Mexico, date prisa is understood but apúrate and rápido are often used.
Caribbean: Date prisa and apúrate are both used; speakers may shorten phrases to date o apúrate when speaking quickly.
Casual slang
In conversational slang you might hear expressions like Anda, date prisa or ¡Muévete! meaning Move it. These are more casual and can be abrupt, so use with friends or in informal contexts.
Common mistakes and tips for learners
Beginners often forget the reflexive pronoun or place it incorrectly. Remember that darse prisa requires the reflexive pronoun to match the subject: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Without the pronoun the meaning changes or sounds ungrammatical.
Typical errors
Incorrect: Dar prisa.
Correct: Darse prisa or Me doy prisa.
Incorrect pronoun placement: Doyme prisa.
Correct placement: Me doy prisa or Voy a darme prisa.
Practice tip
When forming sentences, start by identifying the subject pronoun, select the correct reflexive pronoun, and then conjugate dar accordingly. For infinitives and gerunds, attach the pronoun to the end: darse, dándome.
Examples in different contexts
Below are common real-life scenarios showing natural usage of darse prisa.
At home: Piggybacking a morning routine.
¡Date prisa! El autobús pasa en cinco minutos.
With friends: Casual hurry.
Apúrate, vamos a perdernos la película. or Date prisa, que empieza la fiesta.
At work: Polite and urgent.
¿Podrían darse prisa con el informe? Lo necesitamos antes de las tres.
Giving advice: Speaking generally.
Si quieres llegar a tiempo, da prisa al salir de casa. or Tienes que darte prisa si quieres coger el tren.
Short drills to internalize usage
Instead of exercises, use short mental drills during daily life. Replace English hurry phrases with darse prisa in your head. Notice reflexive pronoun placement and try different tenses mentally: me doy prisa, date prisa, me he dado prisa, voy a darme prisa.
Common collocations and verbs often paired with darse prisa
Certain verbs and phrases frequently appear with darse prisa to clarify purpose or timing.
Examples:
darse prisa para + infinitive (for purpose): Dános prisa para no perder la oportunidad.
darse prisa en + infinitive (to hurry in doing something): Se dio prisa en terminar el trabajo.
darse prisa con + noun (to hurry with): Dáme prisa con la cena, por favor.
Common questions learners ask
Is darse prisa reflexive or idiomatic? It is both: reflexive in form but idiomatic in meaning.
Can I use apurarse instead? Yes, both are common; apurarse can sound more urgent.
Do native speakers always use the reflexive pronoun? Yes, omitting it is incorrect and will sound odd.
Conclusion
Mastering darse prisa helps you tell someone to hurry politely and naturally in Spanish. Remember the reflexive pronouns, proper placement for commands and compound tenses, and regional variations like apurarse and rápido. With these patterns and examples, you can choose the right tone for friends, family, or formal situations and sound more fluent.
