Following the Event Sign Upstairs | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Puedo ver el cartel del evento en la pared.

   I can see the event sign on the wall.

   Puedo

   can

   ver

   see

   cartel

   sign

   evento

   event

   pared

   wall

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder (“to be able to; can”). Here it expresses present ability: “I can.” The present forms are puedo (I can), puedes (you can), and puede (he, she, or you formal can). Example: Puedo entrar. — “I can enter.” ver is the infinitive “to see.” After a conjugated form of poder, Spanish uses the infinitive: puedo ver = “I can see.” The person is marked on puedo, not on ver; ver remains unchanged. Example: ¿Puedes ver? — “Can you see?” cartel means “sign” or “poster.” In this sentence, el cartel refers to the sign being seen. It is a masculine singular noun, shown by the article el. Example: El cartel es grande. — “The sign is large.” evento means “event.” In del evento, it identifies which sign: de + el contracts to del, meaning “of the event.” Thus el cartel del evento means “the event sign” or “the sign for the event.” pared means “wall.” The phrase en la pared means “on the wall” or “on the surface of the wall.” The feminine singular article is la: la pared. Example: La foto está en la pared. — “The photo is on the wall.” Together, Puedo ver states present ability, el cartel del evento names what is visible, and en la pared gives its location. The complete meaning is: “I can see the event sign on the wall.”

2. Dice que el mostrador está arriba.

   It says the desk is upstairs.

   Dice que

   says that

   mostrador

   counter; desk

   está

   is; is located

   arriba

   upstairs; above

   More detail

   Dice que means “says that” here. Dice is the third-person singular present form of decir (“to say”): decir → dice. The fixed translation identifies the subject here as “it,” although dice itself only marks third-person singular and does not specify the subject. Que introduces the content of what is said. Example: Ana dice que viene. — “Ana says that she is coming.” mostrador is a masculine noun meaning “counter” or “desk” in this context. Its article is el: el mostrador. Example: El mostrador está cerca. — “The counter is nearby.” está is the third-person singular present form of estar, used here for location: estar → está. The accent mark is part of the spelling. Spanish commonly uses estar for a current location or state, while ser is used for identity or essential description. Example: El libro está arriba. — “The book is upstairs.” arriba is an adverb meaning “upstairs” or “above.” It does not change for gender or number and can stand without an article. Example: La oficina está arriba. — “The office is upstairs.” Together, Dice que introduces a statement, el mostrador is the located subject, and está arriba states its location. The whole utterance means: “It says the desk is upstairs.”

3. Es fácil seguir el camino hacia arriba.

   The way upstairs is easy to follow.

   Es fácil

   It is easy

   seguir

   to follow

   camino

   way

   hacia arriba

   upward

   More detail

   Es fácil means “is easy.” Es is the third-person singular present form of ser, used here with the adjective fácil in an impersonal evaluation: “it is easy.” The following infinitive identifies what is easy to do. The adjective fácil means “easy”; its opposite is difícil (“difficult”). Example: Es fácil aprender. — “It is easy to learn.” seguir means “to follow.” This is the infinitive, the form used after expressions such as es fácil when describing an action generally. Its present forms include sigo (“I follow”) and sigue (“he/she follows” or the formal command “follow”). Example: Es fácil seguir las instrucciones. — “It is easy to follow the instructions.” camino means “way” or “path” here. It is the singular noun; its plural is caminos. The article el before it marks it as masculine singular, but the noun itself is camino. Example: El camino es largo. — “The path is long.” hacia arriba means “upward” or “toward a higher place.” Hacia introduces a direction, while arriba means “up” or “above.” Together they specify the direction of el camino; they do not mean that the path itself is easy because it is physically short. Example: Mira hacia arriba. — “Look upward.” Together, Es fácil seguir el camino hacia arriba says that the way leading upward is easy to follow: “The way upstairs is easy to follow.” The infinitive phrase seguir el camino hacia arriba is what is described as easy.

4. El cartel ayuda mucho.

   The sign helps a lot.

   cartel

   sign

   ayuda

   helps

   mucho

   a lot

   More detail

   cartel means “sign” here. It is a masculine noun, as shown by el cartel; the noun itself stays cartel in the singular. Its plural is carteles. Example: El cartel está allí. — “The sign is there.” ayuda is the present-tense form of ayudar (“to help”). Here it is third-person singular because the subject is the singular noun el cartel: El cartel ayuda. The same form can also mean “he/she helps” when the context supplies a person, so the subject determines the meaning here. Example: La guía ayuda mucho. — “The guide helps a lot.” mucho means “a lot” in this sentence. It is an adverb modifying ayuda, so it expresses the degree of helping and does not change to agree with cartel. As an adjective, mucho can agree with a noun, as in muchos carteles (“many signs”), but that is a different use. Together, El cartel identifies the sign as the subject, ayuda says what it does, and mucho adds the degree: “The sign helps a lot.”

5. El rellano está justo delante.

   The landing is just ahead.

   rellano

   landing

   está

   is; is located

   justo

   just; right

   delante

   ahead; in front

   More detail

   rellano means “landing,” usually a level area at the top of or between flights of stairs. It is a masculine singular noun: el rellano. Example: El rellano está vacío. — “The landing is empty.” está is the third-person singular present form of estar (“to be”). Here it expresses location, so El rellano está... means “The landing is...” rather than identifying what the landing is. The subject el rellano is singular, which matches this form. Other present forms include estoy (“I am”) and estás (“you are,” singular informal). justo means “just” or “right” here. In this sentence it is an adverb modifying the location phrase, indicating that the landing is directly ahead; it is not an adjective agreeing with rellano. Example: La entrada está justo allí. — “The entrance is right there.” Here justo also remains unchanged because it is an adverb. delante is a location word meaning “ahead” or “in front.” It can be used alone when the reference point is understood, as here, or in delante de + a noun or pronoun: El ascensor está delante de nosotros. — “The elevator is in front of us.” Together, El rellano identifies the location being described, está links it to a location, and justo delante specifies that location as directly ahead. The whole utterance therefore means: “The landing is just ahead.”

6. Entonces, el mostrador de registro debería estar cerca.

   Then the registration desk should be close.

   Entonces

   Then

   mostrador

   counter or desk

   registro

   registration

   debería

   should

   estar

   be

   cerca

   nearby

   More detail

   Entonces means “then” here, linking this statement to what was just established. It can also introduce a conclusion: Entonces, vamos = “Then, let’s go.” mostrador is a counter or service desk. It is a masculine noun: el mostrador. A useful related contrast is mesa (“table”), which is not normally a service counter. Example: El mostrador está allí. — “The counter is over there.” registro means “registration” here. In mostrador de registro, de connects the desk with its function: it is the desk for registration. Registro can have other meanings in other contexts, such as “record” or “log,” but the fixed translation supports the registration meaning here. debería is the third-person singular conditional form of deber, used here for “should” or “ought to.” Its subject is el mostrador, so the singular form fits. The conditional presents the location as an expectation or inference rather than a firm statement. The useful contrast is debe estar (“must be / has to be”) versus debería estar (“should be / is expected to be”). estar is the infinitive “to be,” used for a temporary or locational state. After the conjugated form debería, Spanish uses the infinitive: debería estar = “should be.” Example: La entrada debería estar abierta. — “The entrance should be open.” cerca is the adverb “near” or “nearby.” It describes location and does not change for gender or number. With a stated reference point, Spanish commonly uses cerca de: El mostrador está cerca de la entrada. — “The counter is near the entrance.” In the fixed sentence, the reference point is left implicit; the sentence simply says that the desk is expected to be nearby. Together, el mostrador de registro identifies the registration desk, debería estar expresses an expectation about its location, and cerca supplies that location. The whole utterance therefore means: “Then the registration desk should be close.”

7. Vamos antes de que la fila se haga más larga.

   Let's go before the line gets longer.

   Vamos

   Let's go

   antes de que

   before

   fila

   line

   se haga

   gets / becomes

   más larga

   longer

   More detail

   Vamos comes from ir (“to go”). Here it is the first-person plural form used as an exhortation: “let’s go,” including the speaker and at least one other person. The same form can also be the present-tense statement “we go,” so the surrounding context gives it the exhortative reading here. antes de que is a reusable conjunction meaning “before.” It introduces an event that has not happened yet, so Spanish normally uses the subjunctive in the following clause. Compare antes de salir (“before leaving”) when the subject is not expressed separately. fila means “line” or “queue.” It is a feminine noun, so a describing adjective agrees with it in the feminine singular: una fila larga (“a long line”). se haga comes from hacerse, “to become” or “to get” in a change-of-state expression. haga is the third-person singular present subjunctive form of hacer; se is part of the pronominal construction hacerse, not a separate translation of “itself” here. The singular form fits la fila as the subject: the line becomes something. Example: El día se hace corto. — “The day gets short.” más larga means “longer.” más marks comparison, and larga is the feminine singular comparative adjective agreeing with fila; its base form is larga (“long”). The comparison is with the line’s current or expected length, not necessarily with a separately named line. Example: La espera es más larga hoy. — “The wait is longer today.” Together, la fila se haga más larga means “the line gets longer.” With antes de que, the complete utterance is: “Let’s go before the line gets longer.”

8. Tendré el formulario listo.

   I will keep the form ready.

   Tendré

   I will have

   formulario

   form

   listo

   ready

   More detail

   Tendré is the first-person singular future form of tener (“to have”). The future stem is irregular: tener → tendré, tendrás, tendrá. On its own here, it contributes “I will have”; together with el formulario listo, the construction means “I will keep the form ready.” formulario is a masculine singular noun meaning “form.” Its plural is formularios. The masculine singular article el and the adjective listo agree with it in el formulario listo. listo is the masculine singular form of the adjective meaning “ready.” It changes to lista, listos, or listas to agree with the noun: la solicitud lista = “the request ready.” In this sentence, it describes the state of the form. Together, Tendré el formulario listo means “I will keep the form ready.” The subject is understood from tendré as “I.”