What Do You Advise Me To Do In Spanish? | Say It Right

The natural Spanish translation is “¿Qué me aconsejas hacer?” or “¿Qué me recomiendas hacer?” depending on tone.

If you’re asking What Do You Advise Me To Do In Spanish?, the cleanest everyday answer is “¿Qué me aconsejas hacer?”. It sounds direct, natural, and easy to use with friends, family, classmates, or coworkers you know well.

A slightly fuller version is “¿Qué me aconsejas que haga?”. That one means “What do you advise that I do?” It sounds smooth in Spanish because que haga carries the idea of “that I do.” Both versions work, but they don’t feel identical in every setting.

What You Advise Me To Do In Spanish With Natural Choices

Spanish gives you several ways to ask for advice. The right one depends on who you’re talking to and how formal the moment feels. Aconsejar is close to “to advise.” Recomendar is close to “to recommend.” In many casual chats, they can overlap.

Use “¿Qué me aconsejas hacer?” when you want someone’s personal judgment. It feels direct and a bit more serious than asking for a casual pick. Use “¿Qué me recomiendas hacer?” when you want a suggestion that may sound softer.

The RAE entry for “aconsejar” defines the verb around giving someone advice or an opinion about what to do. That is why aconsejar fits this English sentence so well.

Best Everyday Translation

For most conversations, say:

• ¿Qué me aconsejas hacer? — What do you advise me to do?
• ¿Qué me recomiendas hacer? — What do you recommend I do?
• ¿Qué crees que debería hacer? — What do you think I should do?

The third option sounds less stiff in real speech. It doesn’t translate word for word, but it often matches what English speakers mean. If you’re asking a friend about a job, a trip, a purchase, or a tricky choice, “¿Qué crees que debería hacer?” can sound warmer.

Formal And Polite Versions

Spanish changes tone through verb endings. When speaking to someone you don’t know well, or someone in a formal setting, switch from tú to usted.

Use these forms:

• ¿Qué me aconseja hacer? — What do you advise me to do? Formal.
• ¿Qué me recomienda hacer? — What do you recommend I do? Formal.
• ¿Qué cree que debería hacer? — What do you think I should do? Formal.

These are better for a teacher, doctor, lawyer, manager, customer service worker, or older person you’ve just met. They sound respectful without being stiff.

How The Grammar Works

The phrase can be built in two main ways. One uses an infinitive, like hacer. The other uses que plus the subjunctive, like que haga.

“¿Qué me aconsejas hacer?” is short and neat. The verb hacer stays in its base form. This is common when the person getting the advice and the person doing the action are clear from context.

“¿Qué me aconsejas que haga?” uses haga, the present subjunctive form of hacer. It can sound more complete. The RAE’s usage note on “aconsejar” shows that the verb can take a structure where the advice itself is expressed after que.

Here is the plain difference:

• Infinitive: ¿Qué me aconsejas hacer?
• Subjunctive: ¿Qué me aconsejas que haga?

Both are right. The subjunctive version often sounds a touch more polished. The infinitive version feels shorter and easy to say.

Spanish Phrase	Best English Sense	When To Use It
¿Qué me aconsejas hacer?	What do you advise me to do?	Casual advice from someone you know
¿Qué me aconsejas que haga?	What do you advise that I do?	Careful, complete wording
¿Qué me recomiendas hacer?	What do you recommend I do?	Softer advice, common speech
¿Qué me recomienda hacer?	What do you recommend I do?	Formal speech with usted
¿Qué cree que debería hacer?	What do you think I should do?	Polite and natural in many settings
¿Cuál sería tu consejo?	What would your advice be?	Gentle request for an opinion
¿Tú qué harías?	What would you do?	Close, casual conversation
¿Qué debería hacer ahora?	What should I do now?	When you need the next step

Which Version Sounds Most Native?

The most natural choice is not always the most literal one. In Spanish, people often ask “¿Qué me recomiendas?” when the action is clear. If you’re choosing between restaurants, classes, hotels, phones, or routes, you may not need hacer at all.

If the decision is serious, “¿Qué me aconsejas?” has more weight. It sounds like you want judgment, not just a casual suggestion. That small shift matters.

Use “Aconsejar” For Personal Advice

Pick aconsejar when the other person’s opinion carries weight. It fits choices about work, study, family, money, timing, or a problem you’re trying to solve.

Say:

• No sé si aceptar el trabajo. ¿Qué me aconsejas hacer?
• Estoy entre dos opciones. ¿Qué me aconsejas que haga?
• ¿Me aconsejas esperar o responder hoy?

These lines sound direct but not rude. The person hears that you respect their judgment.

Use “Recomendar” For Suggestions

Pick recomendar when you’re asking for a suggestion, not deep advice. It works well for food, places, services, books, routes, or practical choices.

Say:

• ¿Qué me recomiendas hacer en Madrid?
• ¿Qué restaurante me recomiendas?
• ¿Me recomiendas llamar antes?

The RAE entry for “recomendar” lists the sense of advising something for someone’s benefit. That overlap explains why English “advise” may become either aconsejar or recomendar in Spanish.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

Many learners translate too closely from English. That can produce Spanish that is understandable but stiff. The phrase “¿Qué tú aconsejas me hacer?” is wrong because Spanish word order does not work that way.

Another mistake is skipping the pronoun me when the question is about advice for you. “¿Qué aconsejas hacer?” can make sense, but it sounds more general. “¿Qué me aconsejas hacer?” is clearer because it says the advice is for me.

Also be careful with debería. It means “should,” not “advise.” Still, “¿Qué debería hacer?” is a natural way to ask what you should do. It removes the “you advise me” part, but the meaning stays close in many chats.

Situation	Say This	Why It Fits
Friend helping with a choice	¿Qué me aconsejas hacer?	Direct and friendly
Formal meeting	¿Qué me recomienda hacer?	Respectful usted form
Serious personal decision	¿Qué me aconsejas que haga?	Fuller and more careful
Travel or food suggestion	¿Qué me recomiendas?	Short and natural
Asking what the other person would choose	¿Tú qué harías?	Casual and direct

Pronunciation Help

¿Qué me aconsejas hacer? sounds like: keh meh ah-kon-SEH-hahs ah-SEHR. The j in aconsejas is a throaty sound, close to the English h in “hot,” but stronger in many accents.

¿Qué me recomiendas hacer? sounds like: keh meh reh-koh-MYEN-dahs ah-SEHR. Stress the MYEN part in recomiendas. Keep the rhythm smooth, not word-by-word.

Text Message Versions

In a message, you can keep it short:

• ¿Qué me aconsejas?
• ¿Qué me recomiendas?
• ¿Tú qué harías?

These are the lines people actually send. Add context before the question, and the meaning becomes clear. Write: “No sé si comprarlo. ¿Qué me aconsejas?” That means, “I don’t know if I should buy it. What do you advise?”

Final Pick For Real Speech

If you want one answer to memorize, use “¿Qué me aconsejas hacer?”. It is close to the English wording, easy to understand, and natural enough for daily use.

If you want the smoother choice for many chats, use “¿Qué crees que debería hacer?”. It means “What do you think I should do?” and often sounds less formal than a word-for-word translation.

For polite speech, choose “¿Qué me recomienda hacer?”. For close friends, choose “¿Tú qué harías?”. With those four options, you can ask for advice in Spanish without sounding stiff or over-translated.