About This Lesson
Use Checking the platform before boarding to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
¿A qué andén debemos ir?
ah keh ahn-DEN deh-BEH-mohs eer Which platform should we go to?
B
El cartel señala el andén dos.
el kar-TEL seh-NYAH-lah el ahn-DEN dohs The sign points to platform two.
A
No puedo leer las letras pequeñas desde aquí.
noh PWEH-doh leh-EHR lahs LEH-trahs peh-KEH-nyahs DEHZ-deh ah-KEE I can't read the small letters from here.
B
Dice que el tren sale en diez minutos.
DEE-seh keh el trehn SAH-leh ehn dee-EHS mee-NOO-tohs It says the train leaves in ten minutes.
A
Voy a usar el baño antes de subir.
boy ah oo-SAR el BAH-nyoh AHN-tehs deh soo-BEER I'm going to use the restroom before we board.
B
Me quedaré con las bolsas.
meh keh-dah-REH kohn lahs BOL-sahs I'll keep the bags with me.
A
Por favor, quédate cerca de este cartel.
por fah-BOR KEH-dah-teh SEHR-kah deh EHS-teh kar-TEL Please stay near this sign.
B
Miraré el panel por si cambia el andén.
mee-rah-REH el pah-NEL por see KAHM-byah el ahn-DEN I'll watch the board in case the platform changes.Word by Word
A
In the question, 'a' marks the destination or direction in '¿A qué andén debemos ir?'. Together with 'qué andén' and 'ir', it asks which platform to go to. A useful pattern is 'a' + a destination.
qué
'Qué' means which in '¿A qué andén debemos ir?'. It comes directly before 'andén' to ask the listener to identify one platform. A useful question pattern is 'qué' + a noun.
andén
'Andén' means platform in this train-station dialogue. In '¿A qué andén debemos ir?', it is the place they need to reach, and in 'el andén dos' it is identified by a number. You can reuse 'ir a' with a destination such as 'a qué andén'.
debemos
'Debemos' expresses what the speakers should or must do in '¿A qué andén debemos ir?'. It is used before the action 'ir' in the pattern 'debemos' + an infinitive. This is useful when asking or stating what a group needs to do.
ir
'Ir' means go in '¿A qué andén debemos ir?'. It is the action that follows 'debemos' and is directed toward 'a qué andén'. A useful pattern is 'ir a' + a destination.
El
'El' means the before 'cartel' in 'El cartel señala el andén dos'; the same form also appears as 'el' before 'andén'. It introduces a specific singular noun in both phrases. A useful pattern is 'el' + a specific noun.
cartel
'Cartel' means sign in 'El cartel señala el andén dos'. It is the sign that indicates the platform. You can reuse it in the phrase 'el cartel señala' when a sign gives a direction or piece of information.
señala
'Señala' means points to or indicates in 'El cartel señala el andén dos'. It is followed by the thing indicated, 'el andén dos'. A useful pattern is 'señala' + a place or object.
No
'No' makes the following statement negative in 'No puedo leer las letras pequeñas desde aquí'. It shows that the speaker cannot read the letters from the current position. A common pattern is 'No' + a verb.
puedo
'Puedo' expresses ability in 'No puedo leer las letras pequeñas desde aquí'. With 'leer', it means the speaker is not able to read the letters. A useful pattern is 'poder' + an infinitive, as in 'puedo leer'.
leer
'Leer' means read in 'No puedo leer las letras pequeñas desde aquí'. It is the action the speaker cannot perform and takes 'las letras pequeñas' as its object. A useful pattern is 'leer' + written information.
las
'Las' means the before 'letras' in 'las letras pequeñas'. It introduces the specific plural noun phrase that the speaker cannot read. A useful pattern is 'las' + a specific plural noun.
letras
'Letras' means letters in 'las letras pequeñas'. It refers to the written characters on the sign. You can reuse the phrase 'las letras pequeñas' when referring to small writing.
pequeñas
'Pequeñas' means small in 'las letras pequeñas'. It describes 'letras' and helps specify which letters the speaker cannot read. A useful pattern is an adjective after a noun, as in 'letras pequeñas'.
desde
'Desde' means from in 'desde aquí'. It marks the starting point from which the speaker is trying to read. A useful pattern is 'desde' + a place, as in 'desde aquí'.
aquí
'Aquí' means here in 'No puedo leer las letras pequeñas desde aquí'. It identifies the speaker's current location as the starting point. You can reuse 'desde aquí' to mean from this place.
Dice
'Dice' means says in 'Dice que el tren sale en diez minutos'. It introduces information being reported from the sign. A useful reporting pattern is 'dice que' + a statement.
que
'Que' means that in 'Dice que el tren sale en diez minutos'. It connects 'Dice' with the information about the train. A useful pattern is 'decir que' + a clause.
tren
'Tren' means train in 'el tren sale en diez minutos'. It is the thing whose departure time is being given. You can reuse the phrase 'el tren sale' when talking about a train's departure.
sale
'Sale' means leaves or departs in 'el tren sale en diez minutos'. Here it gives the scheduled departure information about the train. A useful pattern is 'el tren sale' + a time expression.
en
'En' means in when it appears in 'en diez minutos'. It indicates the amount of time before the train leaves. A useful pattern is 'en' + an amount of time for when something will happen.
minutos
'Minutos' means minutes in 'en diez minutos'. Together with 'diez', it states how long remains before the train leaves. You can reuse a number + 'minutos' to give a time period.
Voy
'Voy' expresses the speaker's immediate intention in 'Voy a usar el baño'. It is part of the construction 'voy a' followed by the action 'usar'. A useful pattern is 'voy a' + an infinitive for something the speaker intends to do.
usar
'Usar' means use in 'Voy a usar el baño'. It names the action the speaker intends to do after 'voy a'. A useful pattern is 'usar' + an object, such as 'usar el baño'.
baño
'Baño' means restroom in this station context, in 'usar el baño'. It is the place the speaker intends to use before boarding. A useful phrase is 'usar el baño'.
antes
'Antes' means before in 'antes de subir'. It places the restroom visit earlier than the boarding action. A useful pattern is 'antes de' + an infinitive.
subir
'Subir' means board or get on in 'antes de subir'. In this train context, it refers to getting on the train. It appears after 'antes de' in the reusable pattern 'antes de subir'.
Me
'Me' marks the speaker as the person who will stay or keep something in 'Me quedaré con las bolsas'. Together with 'quedaré' and 'con las bolsas', it means the bags will remain with the speaker. A useful pattern is 'me quedaré con' + an item.
quedaré
'Quedaré' expresses that the speaker will stay with or keep something in 'Me quedaré con las bolsas'. The complete phrase identifies what the speaker will keep with them. A useful pattern is 'me quedaré con' + a person or item.
con
'Con' means with in 'Me quedaré con las bolsas'. It connects the speaker's staying or keeping with 'las bolsas'. A useful pattern is 'quedarse con' + the thing someone keeps with them.
bolsas
'Bolsas' means bags in 'Me quedaré con las bolsas'. It identifies the items the speaker will keep with them. You can reuse 'con las bolsas' when describing being or staying with the bags.
Por favor
'Por favor' politely introduces the request 'quédate cerca de este cartel'. The components 'por' and 'favor' are used together as one polite expression rather than as separate meanings here. Use 'Por favor' before a request.
quédate
'Quédate' tells one person to stay in 'Por favor, quédate cerca de este cartel'. It is followed by the location phrase 'cerca de este cartel'. A useful request pattern is 'quédate' + a location.
cerca
'Cerca' means near in 'quédate cerca de este cartel'. It describes the requested position in relation to the sign. A useful pattern is 'cerca de' + a reference point.
de
In 'cerca de este cartel', 'de' links 'cerca' to the reference point, making the phrase mean near this sign. It also appears in 'antes de subir', where it links 'antes' to the action 'subir'. Useful patterns from the dialogue are 'cerca de' + a place and 'antes de' + an action.
este
'Este' means this in 'este cartel'. It points to the particular sign that is close to the speakers. A useful pattern is 'este' + a nearby or identified noun.
Miraré
'Miraré' expresses that the speaker will watch or monitor something in 'Miraré el panel'. It states the speaker's future intention to keep checking the display. A useful pattern is 'miraré' + an object being watched.
panel
'Panel' means board or display in 'Miraré el panel'. It refers to the station display that may show a platform change. You can reuse 'mirar el panel' when checking information on a display.
por si
'Por si' means in case in 'por si cambia el andén'. The components 'por' and 'si' work together to introduce a possible situation that explains the precaution of watching the panel. A useful pattern is 'por si' + a clause.
cambia
'Cambia' means changes in 'por si cambia el andén'. It describes a possible change to the platform that the speaker is watching for. A useful pattern is 'por si cambia' + the thing that may change.
Grammar Points
deber + infinitivo
Debemos ir al andén.
deh-BEH-mohs eer ahl ahn-DENWe should go to the platform.
Spanish uses deber before an infinitive to express advice or obligation; the infinitive stays unchanged.
por si + presente
Miraré el panel por si cambia.
mee-rah-REH el pah-NEL por see KAHM-byahI’ll look at the board in case it changes.
por si introduces a possible situation; Spanish commonly uses the present after it, even when the main verb is future.
Spanish Vocabulary
andén
noun
ahn-DEN
platform
aquí
adv
ah-KEE
here
cartel
noun
kar-TEL
sign
deber
verb
deh-BEHR
should; must
debemos
decir
verb
deh-SEER
to say
dice
desde
prep
DEHZ-deh
from
ir
verb
eer
to go
leer
verb
leh-EHR
to read
letra
noun
LEH-trah
letter
letras
pequeño
adj
peh-KEH-nyoh
small
pequeñas
poder
verb
poh-DEHR
can; to be able to
puedo
señalar
verb
seh-nyah-LAR
to point to
señala
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Which platform should we go to?
Show Answer
¿A qué andén debemos ir?The sign points to platform two.
Show Answer
El cartel señala el andén dos.I'll keep the bags with me.
Show Answer
Me quedaré con las bolsas.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
letter
Show Answer
letrasshould; must
Show Answer
debemosplatform
Show Answer
andéncan; to be able to