rogar
verbCEFR B1
What does “rogar” mean in English?
to beg, to kindly request
to beg, to kindly request (rogar que + subjunctive — formal register)
Example sentences
Les rogamos que guarden silencio durante la actuación y que apaguen sus dispositivos móviles.
We kindly request that you remain silent during the performance and switch off your mobile devices.
Le rogué que me diera otra oportunidad para demostrar que podía mejorar.
I begged him to give me another chance to prove I could improve.
Se ruega a los clientes que no depositen basura en las instalaciones del establecimiento.
Customers are kindly requested not to leave rubbish on the premises.
How to use it
Rogar means 'to beg' or 'to plead' and belongs to a formal-to-neutral register. It follows the volition trigger pattern: rogar que + subjunctive when subjects differ. The first-person plural 'les rogamos que' is extremely common in formal written Spanish for polite institutional requests: 'Se ruega que apaguen los móviles'. Rogar has a stem change: ruego, ruegas, ruega, rogamos, rogáis, ruegan (o→ue in stressed syllables).
Common mistake
Rogar takes que + subjunctive, not 'rogar a alguien + infinitive': *'Te ruego venir' is wrong for a different-subject request — use 'Te ruego que vengas'. Also note the stem change: rogar → ruego (not *rogo). The institutional 'les rogamos que' construction is important for formal written Spanish at B1.