Hurrying to the train platform | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. La carretera está muy transitada hoy.

   The road is really busy today.

   carretera

   road

   está

   is

   muy

   very

   transitada

   busy

   hoy

   today

   More detail

   carretera means “road” here. It is a feminine singular noun, which is why the agreeing form later is transitada, not transitado. Example: La carretera es estrecha. — “The road is narrow.” está is the third-person singular present form of estar. Spanish uses estar here for a current condition: the road is busy today. The related verb ser is used for more inherent or identifying descriptions, while estar presents a state or condition. Example: La carretera está mojada. — “The road is wet.” muy means “very” and intensifies the following description. It is used before an adjective or an adverb: muy transitada means “very busy.” Example: El tren está muy lleno. — “The train is very full.” transitada means “busy” in the sense of having a lot of traffic or people using it. It is the feminine singular form of transitado, agreeing with carretera; this form comes from transitar, “to travel along” or “to use a route.” The masculine singular form is transitado, as in un camino muy transitado — “a very busy road/path.” hoy means “today.” It is an adverb of time and does not change form. Here it limits the statement to today, rather than asserting that the road is always busy. Example: Hoy trabajo en casa. — “Today I work at home.” Together, La carretera identifies the subject, está presents its current state, muy transitada describes the high level of traffic with agreement to the feminine noun, and hoy specifies the time. The whole utterance means: “The road is really busy today.”

2. Ha empezado la hora punta.

   Rush hour has started.

   empezado

   started

   hora punta

   rush hour

   More detail

   empezado is the past participle of empezar (“to start”): empezar → empezado. Here it appears with ha, the third-person singular present form of haber, in ha empezado. Together they form the Spanish present perfect, meaning that the starting has occurred and is relevant now. The participle stays empezado in this construction; it does not change to agree with hora. Example: La película ha empezado. — “The film has started.” hora punta is the fixed noun phrase for “rush hour,” the period when traffic or public transport is especially busy. Hora means “hour,” while punta here contributes the idea of a peak or high point; the phrase is learned as a unit rather than as a literal reference to a pointed hour. Example: Evito viajar en hora punta. — “I avoid travelling during rush hour.” The whole utterance combines ha empezado (“has started”) with the subject la hora punta (“rush hour”). Thus Ha empezado la hora punta. means “Rush hour has started.”

3. ¿Todavía podemos coger el próximo tren?

   Can we still catch the next train?

   Todavía

   still

   podemos

   can; are able to

   coger

   catch

   próximo

   next

   tren

   train

   More detail

   Todavía means “still” here: it says that catching the train remains possible at this point. It commonly appears before the verb or verb phrase. Example: ¿Todavía estás aquí? — “Are you still here?” podemos is the first-person plural present form of poder (“to be able to; can”): puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden. With an infinitive, poder + infinitive expresses ability or possibility. Here, podemos coger means “can we catch.” Example: Podemos salir ahora. — “We can leave now.” coger is an infinitive meaning “to catch” in this transport context. In much of Spain, it is commonly used for catching or taking a train, bus, or other transport. Its meaning can vary by region, so the fixed translation identifies the intended sense here. Example: Quiero coger el autobús. — “I want to catch the bus.” próximo means “next” here and modifies tren. It is the masculine singular form of the adjective: próximo for a masculine singular noun, próxima for a feminine singular noun, and próximos/próximas for plural nouns. Example: la próxima parada — “the next stop.” tren means “train.” It is a masculine singular noun; its plural is trenes. In this sentence, el and masculine singular próximo agree with tren: el próximo tren — “the next train.” Together, ¿Todavía podemos coger el próximo tren? asks whether catching the next train is still possible. The question begins with todavía, then uses podemos + coger for “can we catch,” followed by the noun phrase el próximo tren. The complete meaning is: “Can we still catch the next train?”

4. Deberíamos poder. La estación está justo delante.

   We should. The station is just ahead.

   Deberíamos

   we should

   poder

   to be able to

   estación

   station

   está

   is

   justo

   just

   delante

   ahead

   More detail

   Deberíamos is the conditional form of deber for nosotros: “we should” or “we ought to.” With an infinitive, deberíamos + infinitive expresses a recommended or expected action. Example: Deberíamos salir — “We should leave.” Poder is the infinitive “to be able to” or “can.” After a conjugated modal verb such as deberíamos, the following verb stays in the infinitive: deberíamos poder — “we should be able to.” Example: Deberíamos poder llegar — “We should be able to arrive.” Estación is a feminine noun meaning “station.” Its plural is estaciones. In la estación, the article la marks this noun as singular and feminine. Está is the third-person singular present form of estar, “to be.” It is used here for the station’s location: La estación está... — “The station is...” The accent distinguishes está from esta, which is a demonstrative form meaning “this” in feminine contexts. Justo is an adverb here meaning “just” or “directly,” strengthening the location that follows. It can also be an adjective in other contexts, where it agrees with a noun: un precio justo — “a fair price.” Delante is a location word meaning “ahead” or “in front.” It can stand alone when the intended reference is clear, as here; with an explicitly named reference, Spanish commonly uses delante de: delante de la estación — “in front of the station.” Together, Deberíamos poder means “We should be able to.” La estación está justo delante means “The station is just ahead.” The complete utterance is therefore: “We should be able to. The station is just ahead.”

5. Ya puedo ver la entrada.

   I can see the entrance now.

   Ya

   now

   puedo

   I can

   ver

   see

   la entrada

   the entrance

   More detail

   Ya means “now” here and marks a change from an earlier situation: the speaker can see the entrance at this point. It can also mean “already” in other contexts, so its exact English rendering depends on the sentence. puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder, “to be able to” or “can.” The pattern poder + infinitive expresses ability or possibility: Puedo entrar. — “I can go in.” Other present forms include puedes (“you can”) and puede (“he/she/you formal can”). ver is the infinitive “to see.” After a conjugated form of poder, the second verb stays in the infinitive: puedo ver means “I can see,” not “I can sees.” la entrada means “the entrance” in this sentence. entrada is a feminine singular noun, so it takes la; its plural is las entradas. Depending on context, entrada can also refer to an entry or a ticket, but the fixed translation identifies the meaning here. Example: La entrada está aquí. — “The entrance is here.” Together, Ya + puedo ver + la entrada gives “I can see the entrance now.” The sentence states the speaker’s present ability to see that entrance, with ya placing this ability at the current point in time.

6. Vamos directamente al andén.

   Let's head straight to the platform.

   Vamos

   Let's go / let's head

   directamente

   straight / directly

   andén

   platform

   More detail

   Vamos is the first-person plural form of ir (“to go”). In this utterance, the present form is used as a proposal addressed to a group: “let’s go” or “let’s head.” The same form can also mean “we go” in another context; here, the fixed translation and the movement toward the platform support the proposal reading. directamente is an adverb meaning “directly” or “straight.” It describes how the group should go. It is related to the adjective directo (“direct”), while directamente is the form used to modify an action. Example: Ve directamente a la salida. — “Go straight to the exit.” andén is a masculine singular noun meaning “platform,” specifically the platform at a station. Its written accent is part of the observed form. In al andén, al is the contraction of a (“to”) and el (the masculine singular definite article), so the phrase means “to the platform.” Together, vamos directamente al andén means “let’s head straight to the platform”: vamos proposes going, directamente specifies the route, and al andén identifies the destination. This fits the surrounding situation in which the entrance is visible and the train is arriving.

7. El tren ya está llegando.

   The train is pulling in already.

   tren

   train

   ya

   already

   está llegando

   is arriving

   More detail

   tren means “train” here. Its base form is tren, and its plural is trenes; the noun itself is masculine, as shown by el tren. Example: El tren sale a las ocho. — “The train leaves at eight.” ya means “already” in this sentence. It places the event before the relevant reference point: the train is already arriving, rather than merely being expected to arrive. Example: Ya estoy aquí. — “I’m already here.” está llegando expresses an action in progress. Está is the third-person singular present form of estar, matching the singular subject el tren. Llegando is the gerund of llegar; llegar means “to arrive,” and estar + gerund presents the arrival as currently unfolding. Example: El autobús está llegando. — “The bus is arriving.” Together, El tren + ya + está llegando means “The train is already pulling in,” or more literally, “The train is already arriving.” The wording presents the train’s arrival as in progress at the relevant moment.

8. Quédate cerca y subiremos al tren juntos.

   Stay close, and we'll board together.

   Quédate

   Stay

   cerca

   close

   subiremos

   we will go up

   tren

   train

   juntos

   together

   More detail

   Quédate is the affirmative tú command of quedarse, “stay/remain.” The ending -te is a reflexive pronoun referring to the person being addressed: quédate = “stay.” Compare quédate (one familiar person) with quédese (one person addressed as usted) and quedaos (vosotros plural). Example: Quédate aquí. — “Stay here.” cerca means “near/close,” usually describing location or distance. In this sentence it functions adverbially with quédate: “stay close.” Example: El tren está cerca. — “The train is near.” subiremos is the first-person plural future of subir: subir → subiremos, “we will go up.” With al tren in this sentence, the intended meaning is “we will board the train.” The ending -emos marks “we” and future time; it does not by itself specify who the two or more people are. Example: Mañana subiremos al tren. — “Tomorrow we will board the train.” tren means “train.” It is a masculine noun, as shown by el in the contraction al (a + el) before it. The phrase subir al tren is a useful pattern meaning “board/get onto the train.” Example: El tren llega ahora. — “The train is arriving now.” juntos means “together,” emphasizing that the people included in “we” will board as a group. It is the masculine plural form of junto; Spanish uses masculine plural agreement for a mixed or otherwise non-feminine group, but this sentence does not identify the group’s composition. Example: Trabajaremos juntos. — “We will work together.” Together, Quédate cerca gives the request “Stay close,” and subiremos al tren juntos says “we will board the train together.” The previous context confirms that the train is arriving, while the sentence itself expresses a familiar singular request followed by a first-person-plural future plan.