Understanding a lesson question | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. No entiendo esta parte de la lección.

   I don't understand this part of the lesson.

   No entiendo

   I don't understand

   esta

   this

   parte

   part

   lección

   lesson

   More detail

   No entiendo means “I don’t understand” here. entiendo is the first-person singular present form of entender (“to understand”): entiendo = “I understand.” The separate word no negates it. A useful pattern is No entiendo + noun or No entiendo + clause, for example: No entiendo la pregunta. — “I don’t understand the question.” esta means “this” and is the feminine singular demonstrative form. It agrees with the feminine singular noun parte; it does not itself identify what “this” refers to beyond the supported context. Do not confuse esta (“this,” demonstrative) with está (“is,” a form of estar”): Esta parte es difícil.` — “This part is difficult.” parte means “part” or “section.” It is a feminine noun, as shown by esta parte and the article in la parte. The phrase parte de + noun means “part of + noun”; here, de la lección specifies what the part belongs to. lección means “lesson.” It is a feminine noun, so the phrase is la lección, “the lesson.” The written accent on ó is part of the spelling and pronunciation. Example: La lección empieza ahora. — “The lesson starts now.” Together, No entiendo supplies the negated first-person statement, esta parte identifies the part being discussed, and de la lección specifies that it belongs to the lesson. The complete meaning is: “I don’t understand this part of the lesson.”

2. ¿Qué pregunta te cuesta?

   Which question is giving you trouble?

   ¿Qué

   which

   pregunta

   question

   te cuesta

   gives you trouble

   More detail

   ¿Qué asks which item is being identified. Before a noun, it is an interrogative determiner: ¿Qué pregunta...? means “Which question...?” The accent distinguishes interrogative qué from the unstressed relative/conjunction que. Example: ¿Qué libro lees? — “Which book are you reading?” pregunta means “question” here. It is the feminine singular noun pregunta; its plural is preguntas. The same written form can also be a verb form meaning “asks,” but in this sentence the noun reading is shown by its role after qué: qué pregunta is the question being identified. Example: La pregunta es difícil. — “The question is difficult.” te cuesta expresses that something is difficult for you. cuesta is the present form of costar for a third-person singular subject, and te marks the person experiencing the difficulty. In this sentence, pregunta is the subject grammatically, so the singular verb form agrees with it: “the question costs you [effort].” The more natural English meaning is “the question gives you trouble.” With a plural subject, the verb changes: ¿Qué preguntas te cuestan? — “Which questions are difficult for you?” Together, ¿Qué pregunta asks the listener to identify one question, and te cuesta says that this question is difficult for that person. The complete utterance is: “Which question is giving you trouble?”

3. Esta respuesta no tiene sentido para mí.

   The answer here doesn't make sense to me.

   Esta

   this

   respuesta

   answer

   tiene sentido

   makes sense

   para mí

   to me

   More detail

   Esta means “this” and is the feminine singular form of the demonstrative. It agrees with the feminine singular noun respuesta: este is masculine singular, estos masculine plural, estas feminine plural. Here, the translation identifies the referent as the answer being discussed. respuesta means “answer.” It is a feminine singular noun; its plural is respuestas. The related verb responder means “to answer,” but respuesta names the answer itself. Example: La respuesta es correcta. — “The answer is correct.” Tiene sentido is the reusable expression “makes sense” or, in a negative sentence, “doesn't make sense.” Tiene is the third-person singular present form of tener (“to have”): tener → tiene. Spanish uses tener sentido literally as “to have sense” for the idea of being logical or understandable. Example: Esta explicación tiene sentido. — “This explanation makes sense.” Para mí means “to me” or “for me.” Mí is the stressed first-person pronoun used after a preposition such as para; the accent distinguishes it from mi, the possessive word meaning “my,” as in mi respuesta (“my answer”). Example: Es difícil para mí. — “It is difficult for me.” The separate word no negates the verb phrase. Thus Esta respuesta no tiene sentido says that this answer does not make sense, while para mí specifies the person from whose perspective that judgment applies. Together, the utterance means: “The answer here doesn't make sense to me.”

4. Primero, vamos a leer la oración.

   Let's read the sentence first.

   Primero

   first

   vamos a

   we are going to

   leer

   read

   oración

   sentence

   More detail

   Primero is an adverb meaning “first” or “at first.” Here it marks the order of the activity and appears at the beginning of the utterance. Example: Primero, escucha. — “First, listen.” vamos a is the first-person plural form of ir plus a, used here with an infinitive to express a planned or immediate future action: ir + a + infinitive. Vamos agrees with nosotros/nosotras, so the construction means “we are going to …” in this use. It is not the motion meaning of ir here. Example: Vamos a estudiar. — “We are going to study.” leer is the infinitive “to read.” After vamos a, it stays in the infinitive rather than changing for person. Its present-tense forms include leo (“I read”), lees (“you read”), and lee (“he/she reads” or formal “you read”). oración is a feminine noun meaning “sentence” here. The article la matches this noun in gender and number: la oración. The written accent on ó is part of the word. Example: Leo la oración. — “I read the sentence.” Together, vamos a leer expresses the planned action “we are going to read,” and la oración identifies what will be read: “the sentence.” With Primero setting the order, the whole utterance means “Let’s read the sentence first.”

5. Después, revisa la respuesta.

   Then check the answer.

   Después

   then; afterward

   revisa

   check; review

   respuesta

   answer

   More detail

   Después means “then” or “afterward” and places this action after an earlier one. A useful contrast is antes (“before”): Primero lee; después, revisa. — “First read; then check.” revisa is the affirmative command form of revisar for singular tú: “check” or “review.” It addresses one person informally; the corresponding usted form is revise. The same written form can also be a present-tense form meaning “you check/review,” but here it functions as a command in this directive sequence. respuesta is a feminine singular noun meaning “answer” or “response.” In the full phrase, the article la agrees with it: la respuesta. For example, la pregunta y la respuesta means “the question and the answer.” Together, Después + revisa + la respuesta means “Then check the answer.” The implied subject of the command is one tú listener, and la respuesta is the direct object being checked. The sentence presents this as the next action after the earlier reading activity.

6. ¿Puedes leer la oración en voz alta?

   Can you read the sentence aloud?

   Puedes

   can you

   leer

   read

   oración

   sentence

   en voz alta

   aloud

   More detail

   Puedes is the second-person singular present form of poder, “to be able to” or “can.” In this question, it asks one person whether they are able to do the action; in context, this form can also make the question function as a request. It does not by itself specify a formal or informal register. Compare puedo “I can” and puede “he/she can” or “you can” with usted. Leer means “to read.” It is the infinitive used after the conjugated verb puedes: ¿Puedes leer ...? means “Can you read ...?” The same pattern is reusable with another infinitive, for example, ¿Puedes escribir? — “Can you write?” Oración means “sentence” here. It is a feminine noun, so the article is la: la oración. Its written accent on ó is part of the word. In other contexts, oración can also mean “prayer”; here, the fixed translation selects “sentence.” En voz alta is a fixed expression meaning “aloud” or “out loud.” It describes how the reading is performed, not necessarily that the voice is loud. A reusable contrast is leer en voz alta “read aloud” versus leer en silencio “read silently.” Together, ¿Puedes + leer forms a question asking one person whether they can perform the action. La oración is the thing being read, and en voz alta specifies that it should be read aloud. The whole utterance therefore means “Can you read the sentence aloud?” The following context’s leerla (“read it”) is compatible with la oración: la is the feminine singular direct-object clitic matching oración.

7. Voy a leerla despacio.

   I'll read it slowly.

   Voy a

   I’m going to

   leerla

   read it

   despacio

   slowly

   More detail

   Voy a expresses a planned or imminent action. Voy is the first-person singular present form of ir (“to go”); in the reusable pattern ir a + infinitive, it forms a near-future meaning: voy a estudiar = “I’m going to study.” Here, a introduces the infinitive leer, rather than expressing movement to a place. leerla combines leer (“to read”) with the direct-object pronoun la. The infinitive stays leer, and la is attached to it in this form. Here, la refers to the sentence mentioned in the preceding context: la oración. Because oración is feminine singular, the matching direct-object pronoun is la; compare leerlo for a masculine singular object and leerlas for feminine plural objects. Example: Voy a leer la carta. → “I’m going to read the letter.” This can also be expressed with the pronoun before the conjugated verb: La voy a leer. → “I’m going to read it.” Despacio is an adverb meaning “slowly.” It describes how the reading will be done and does not change for gender or number. Example: Habla despacio. → “Speak slowly.” Together, voy a marks the planned action, leerla identifies reading the previously mentioned sentence, and despacio describes the manner. The complete meaning is: “I’m going to read it slowly.”

8. Voy a escribir las palabras clave en mi cuaderno.

   I'll write the key words in my notebook.

   Voy a

   I'm going to

   escribir

   to write

   palabras

   words

   clave

   key

   cuaderno

   notebook

   More detail

   Voy a expresses a near-future plan: ir in the first-person singular present (voy) + a + an infinitive. It means “I am going to …” here. The subject is the speaker, and the following infinitive supplies the planned action. Example: Voy a estudiar. — “I’m going to study.” escribir is the infinitive “to write.” After voy a, the verb stays in the infinitive rather than being conjugated again. Its present forms include escribo “I write” and escribes “you write.” palabras is the plural of palabra, “word.” The article las agrees with it as feminine plural. Spanish adjectives commonly agree with the noun in number and, when relevant, gender; here clave follows the noun and means “key” in the sense of important or essential. clave has the same singular form with masculine and feminine nouns, while its plural is claves: una palabra clave, dos palabras clave. cuaderno means “notebook” and is masculine singular; its plural is cuadernos. In mi cuaderno, mi means “my” and is the singular possessive form used with either masculine or feminine singular nouns. en means “in,” marking the location. Together, las palabras clave means “the key words,” and en mi cuaderno means “in my notebook.” The complete utterance is Voy a escribir las palabras clave en mi cuaderno. — “I’ll write the key words in my notebook.”

9. Entonces, intentemos responder otra vez.

   Then let's try the answer again.

   Entonces

   then

   intentemos

   let’s try

   responder

   to answer

   otra vez

   again

   More detail

   Entonces means “then” here. It links this sentence to what came before and presents the attempt as the next step. It can also mean “so” in other contexts, but “then” is the supported meaning here. intentemos comes from intentar, “to try.” The ending -emos marks first-person plural in this form. Here, the form is used as an exhortation: “let’s try.” Compare intentamos, which can mean “we try” or “we tried” depending on context; intentemos presents the trying as a proposal or desired action. responder is the infinitive “to answer” or “to respond.” After intentar, Spanish uses the infinitive: intentar + infinitive means “to try to do something.” For example, Intento responder means “I try to answer.” otra vez is the reusable adverbial expression “again,” literally referring to another time. It tells us that the answering should happen one more time, without changing who is included in intentemos. Together, intentemos responder means “let’s try to answer,” and otra vez adds “again.” With Entonces at the beginning, the complete utterance means: “Then let’s try to answer again.”