Checking the platform before boarding | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. ¿A qué andén debemos ir?

   Which platform should we go to?

   ¿A qué

   which ... to?

   andén

   platform

   debemos

   should

   ir

   go

   More detail

   ¿A qué combines the preposition a with the accented interrogative qué. Here, a marks the destination, so the pattern ¿A qué + noun...? asks which place or thing someone is going to. The accent distinguishes interrogative qué from unaccented que, which commonly introduces a statement or clause. andén means “platform” here. It is a masculine noun: el andén. Its plural is los andenes; the accent is used in the singular but not in the plural. Example: El tren sale del andén dos. — “The train leaves from platform two.” debemos is the first-person plural present form of deber: debemos = “we should” or, in other contexts, “we must/owe.” With an infinitive, deber + infinitive expresses what someone should or must do. The subject is included in the verb form: debemos means “we,” while debo means “I should/must.” ir is the infinitive “to go.” It is irregular in some present-tense forms, for example voy = “I go/am going,” vas = “you go,” and vamos = “we go.” After debemos, it remains in the infinitive: debemos ir = “we should go.” Together, ¿A qué andén debemos ir? follows the reusable pattern ¿A qué + destination noun + deber + infinitive? It asks which platform the speaker and the other person or people should go to: “Which platform should we go to?”

2. El cartel señala el andén dos.

   The sign points to platform two.

   cartel

   sign

   señala

   points to

   andén

   platform

   dos

   two

   More detail

   cartel is a masculine noun meaning “sign” here. Its singular form appears with el: el cartel. The plural is carteles, as in los carteles. In this sentence, the sign is the thing doing the pointing. señala comes from señalar, “to point to” or “to indicate.” The ending -a marks the present-tense third-person singular form: él/ella/usted señala. The subject here is el cartel, so the verb is singular. Example: La flecha señala la salida. — “The arrow points to the exit.” andén is a masculine noun meaning “platform,” especially a station platform. Its plural is andenes; the accent mark is not retained in that plural form. With the singular article, it appears as el andén. dos is the cardinal number “two.” In el andén dos, it identifies the platform by its number: “platform two.” The number follows the noun in this naming pattern; it does not make andén plural, because this refers to one numbered platform. Together, el cartel is the subject, señala says what that sign does, and el andén dos is what it points to. The complete meaning is: “The sign points to platform two.”

3. No puedo leer las letras pequeñas desde aquí.

   I can't read the small letters from here.

   No puedo

   I can't

   leer

   to read

   letras

   letters

   pequeñas

   small

   desde aquí

   from here

   More detail

   No puedo means “I can’t” here. puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder (“to be able to”); no makes it negative. Spanish commonly uses poder + an infinitive to express ability or possibility: No puedo entrar means “I can’t enter.” leer is the infinitive “to read.” After a conjugated form of poder, the second verb stays in the infinitive: Puedo leer (“I can read”), No puedo leer (“I can’t read”). las letras means “the letters.” letras is the plural of letra; the feminine plural article las agrees with it. In this sentence, the phrase refers to the written letters being read, not to alphabetic symbols in an abstract discussion. pequeñas means “small” here. It is the feminine plural form of pequeño and agrees with letras: letra pequeña, letras pequeñas. The adjective follows the noun in this phrase. For comparison, más pequeñas means “smaller.” desde aquí means “from here.” desde marks the point of origin or position from which something is done, and aquí means “here.” For example, Desde aquí puedo verlo means “From here I can see it.” Together, No puedo + leer gives “I can’t read”; las letras pequeñas specifies what cannot be read; and desde aquí gives the position from which reading is not possible. The whole utterance is: “I can’t read the small letters from here.”

4. Dice que el tren sale en diez minutos.

   It says the train leaves in ten minutes.

   Dice

   says

   tren

   train

   sale

   leaves

   en diez minutos

   in ten minutes

   More detail

   Dice is the present-tense third-person singular form of decir, “to say/tell.” Here it means “says,” with the subject understood as “it” according to the translation. The reusable pattern dice que + clause introduces the content of what is said: Dice que llega pronto. = “It says that it arrives soon.” tren means “train.” It is a masculine singular noun, as shown by el tren; its plural is trenes: Los trenes salen temprano. = “The trains leave early.” sale is the third-person singular present form of salir, “to leave/go out.” Its subject here is el tren, so the singular form agrees with that noun. The present tense can describe a scheduled departure in the near future. The plural form is salen: El autobús sale a las ocho. = “The bus leaves at eight.” en diez minutos is a time expression meaning “in ten minutes,” referring here to the time until the departure. Spanish en commonly marks the interval before a future event: Vuelvo en cinco minutos. = “I’ll be back in five minutes.” Minutos is the plural of minuto, “minute,” and diez is used with the plural form: diez minutos = “ten minutes.” Together, Dice que introduces the message, el tren sale states the train’s scheduled departure, and en diez minutos gives the time until it happens. The whole utterance means: “It says the train leaves in ten minutes.”

5. Voy a usar el baño antes de subir.

   I'm going to use the restroom before we board.

   Voy a usar

   I'm going to use

   baño

   restroom

   antes de

   before

   subir

   to board

   More detail

   Voy a usar combines the present-tense form voy of ir (“I go”) with a and the infinitive usar (“to use”). This construction, ir a + infinitive, expresses a planned or imminent action: Voy a descansar means “I’m going to rest.” Voy is first-person singular, so the speaker is the person who will use the restroom. baño is a masculine singular noun meaning “restroom” in this context. The noun appears with the masculine singular article in el baño; the article agrees with baño. The same word can have other meanings in other contexts, such as “bathroom” or “bath,” but the fixed translation selects “restroom” here. antes de introduces something that happens earlier. Before an infinitive, it forms the reusable pattern antes de + infinitive: Antes de salir, cierro la puerta means “Before leaving, I close the door.” The phrase itself expresses sequence; the following action is the earlier point in the sequence. subir is the infinitive meaning “to go up” or, in this travel context, “to board.” Its infinitive form does not show person or number. Here the fixed translation identifies the intended action as boarding, and the surrounding train context supports that reading. Antes de subir therefore means “before we board” in the supplied translation; Spanish leaves the person of this infinitive implicit rather than marking it on subir. Together, Voy a usar el baño says that the speaker is going to use the restroom, and antes de subir places that action before the intended boarding. The complete utterance means “I’m going to use the restroom before we board.”

6. Me quedaré con las bolsas.

   I'll keep the bags with me.

   Me quedaré con

   I'll keep ... with me

   bolsas

   bags

   More detail

   Me quedaré con expresses the speaker’s decision or intention to keep something with them: quedarse con + noun. The form quedaré is the simple future of quedar for first-person singular (yo), and me is the reflexive pronoun that belongs with quedarse. In this construction, con introduces what the speaker will keep. Example: Me quedaré con este libro. — “I’ll keep this book.” bolsas means “bags” here. It is the plural of the feminine noun bolsa; the matching definite article is las (la bolsa → las bolsas). Example: Las bolsas están aquí. — “The bags are here.” Together, Me quedaré con + las bolsas means “I’ll keep the bags with me.” The future form presents this as the speaker’s intended action, and con las bolsas identifies what the speaker will retain.

7. Por favor, quédate cerca de este cartel.

   Please stay near this sign.

   Por favor

   please

   quédate

   stay

   cerca de

   near

   este

   this

   cartel

   sign

   More detail

   Por favor is a polite request marker meaning “please.” It does not change who performs the action or add a separate action. Example: Por favor, espera. = “Please wait.” quédate means “stay” here. It is the affirmative command for tú singular, formed from quedarse (“to stay”) with the reflexive pronoun te attached: quédate. The accent is part of the written command form. Example: Quédate aquí. = “Stay here.” The formal singular command is different: quédese. cerca de is the reusable location pattern “near” or “close to.” The noun or noun phrase after de identifies what something is near. Example: El hotel está cerca de la estación. = “The hotel is near the station.” este means “this” and is the masculine singular form of the demonstrative because it modifies cartel, a masculine singular noun. Demonstratives agree with the noun they modify; for example, esta señal means “this sign,” with the feminine form esta. cartel means “sign” in this sentence. It is a masculine singular noun, so the matching article would be el cartel. Depending on context, cartel can also refer to a poster, but “sign” is the intended meaning here. Together, quédate cerca de este cartel means “stay near this sign”: the listener is instructed to remain in a location close to the sign. Por favor makes the instruction polite, giving the complete meaning “Please stay near this sign.”

8. Miraré el panel por si cambia el andén.

   I'll watch the board in case the platform changes.

   Miraré

   I’ll watch

   el panel

   the board

   por si

   in case

   cambia

   changes

   el andén

   the platform

   More detail

   Miraré comes from mirar (“to watch/look at”) and is the first-person singular simple future: miraré = “I will watch.” The written accent is part of this future form. Compare mirar (“to watch”) with present miro (“I watch / I am watching”). Example: Miraré la puerta. — “I’ll watch the door.” el panel means “the board” here. panel is a masculine singular noun, so it appears with the masculine singular article el; its plural is los paneles. Example: El panel está encendido. — “The board is switched on.” por si introduces a precaution or contingency: “in case.” It does not mean that the change is certain. In this sentence, it links the speaker’s watching with the possible event that follows. Example: Lleva un paraguas por si llueve. — “Take an umbrella in case it rains.” cambia comes from cambiar (“to change”) and is third-person singular present indicative: “changes” or “is changing.” Here it agrees with the singular noun el andén, not with the speaker. After por si, Spanish commonly uses the present indicative for a possible condition: por si cambia. Example: Avísame por si cambia el horario. — “Let me know in case the schedule changes.” el andén means “the platform.” andén is a masculine singular noun; the accent marks the stressed final syllable. Its plural is los andenes, with the accent removed because the plural stress pattern changes. Example: El tren sale del andén dos. — “The train leaves from platform two.” Together, Miraré el panel says “I’ll watch the board,” and por si cambia el andén adds the contingency “in case the platform changes.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I’ll watch the board in case the platform changes.”