Borrowing and using a ladder safely | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: In a shared space, two adults borrow a ladder to reach a high shelf and talk about using it safely..

EN → ES / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Borrowing and using a ladder safely to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

¿Puedo pedirte prestada tu escalera?

PWEH-doh pee-DEER-teh preh-STAH-dah too eh-skah-LEH-rah Can I borrow your ladder?
B

Claro, pero ten cuidado con ella.

KLAH-roh, PEH-roh ten kwee-DAH-doh kohn EH-yah Sure, but please be careful with it.
A

Necesito alcanzar un estante alto.

neh-seh-SEE-toh ahl-kahn-SAR oon eh-STAHN-teh AHL-toh I need to reach a high shelf.
B

Puedo sujetarla bien para ti.

PWEH-doh soo-heh-TAR-lah byen PAH-rah tee I can hold it steady for you.
A

Eso ayudaría mucho.

EH-soh ah-yoo-dah-REE-ah MOO-choh That would help a lot.
B

No te subas al peldaño más alto.

noh teh SOO-bahs ahl pehl-DAH-nyoh mahs AHL-toh Stay off the top step.
A

Me quedaré en un peldaño más bajo.

meh keh-dah-REH en oon pehl-DAH-nyoh mahs BAH-hoh I will stay on a lower step.
B

Devuélvela cuando termines.

deh-BWEL-beh-lah KWAHN-doh tehr-MEE-nehs Bring it back when you finish.

Word by Word

Puedo “Puedo” means “I can” here, expressing the speaker’s ability or permission to ask for the ladder. It is the first-person form of poder and is commonly followed by an infinitive, as in “Puedo alcanzar...” in a new example.
pedirte “Pedirte” means “to ask you” in “pedirte prestada”, referring to asking the other person to lend the ladder. It combines pedir with te, and a common pattern is “Quiero pedirte...” in a new example.
prestada In “pedirte prestada”, “prestada” describes the ladder as something lent for temporary use. It agrees with the feminine noun “escalera”; the same pattern can be used with another feminine object that someone lends.
tu “Tu” means “your” and identifies the ladder as belonging to or being provided by the person addressed. It comes directly before the noun in “tu escalera”, and the same word order is used in “tu libro” in a new example.
escalera “Escalera” means “ladder” here, the object being borrowed and held steady. It is used with “tu” in “tu escalera”, and it can name the object in a request such as “Necesito una escalera” in a new example.
Claro “Claro” means “sure” or “of course” here, accepting the request to borrow the ladder. It can be used by itself as a brief affirmative reply to a request.
pero “Pero” means “but” and introduces a condition or caution after agreeing. It links “Claro” with the warning “ten cuidado con ella”, and the same word commonly connects agreement with a limitation.
ten In “ten cuidado”, “ten” contributes the meaning “take” or “have” in the expression “take care”. It is used with “cuidado” to give a direct warning, as in “Ten cuidado aquí” in a new example.
cuidado “Cuidado” means “care” or “caution” in “ten cuidado con ella”, telling the listener to handle the ladder safely. The reusable expression is “tener cuidado” or the direct warning “ten cuidado” followed by a place or object.
con “Con” means “with” and connects “cuidado” to the ladder in “cuidado con ella”. The pattern “tener cuidado con...” is used to warn someone to be careful with a person, object, or situation.
ella “Ella” means “it” here and refers back to the feminine noun “escalera”. In “con ella”, it identifies the ladder as the object requiring care; the same pronoun can refer to a previously mentioned feminine noun.
Necesito “Necesito” means “I need” here, stating that the speaker requires something in order to reach the shelf. It is followed by the infinitive “alcanzar” in “Necesito alcanzar...”, a common way to state a necessary action.
alcanzar “Alcanzar” means “to reach” in “alcanzar un estante alto”. It remains in the infinitive after “Necesito”, and the same pattern can describe reaching another object in a new example.
un “Un” means “a” or “an” and introduces one unspecified shelf in “un estante alto”. It appears directly before the noun, as in “un libro” in a new example.
estante “Estante” means “shelf”, the object the speaker wants to reach. It is modified by “un” and “alto” in “un estante alto”, and it can be used for a shelf in a room or shared space.
alto “Alto” means “high” in “un estante alto”, describing the shelf’s position. It follows the noun here, and the same pattern can describe another high object in a new example.
sujetarla “Sujetarla” means “to hold it”, referring to holding the ladder steady for the other person. It combines sujetar with la, which refers to “escalera”; a common pattern is “Puedo sujetarla...” when offering to hold a feminine object.
bien “Bien” means “well” here and indicates that the ladder will be held securely or steadily in “sujetarla bien”. It commonly follows a verb to describe how an action is carried out.
para “Para” means “for” and introduces the person who benefits from the action in “para ti”. The pattern “hacer algo para alguien” is used when an action is done for another person.
ti “Ti” means “you” in “para ti”, identifying the person who will benefit from the help. It follows the preposition “para”; “para ti” is a common phrase for “for you”.
Eso “Eso” means “that” and refers to the offer to hold the ladder steady. It appears as the subject of “Eso ayudaría mucho”, and it can refer to a previously mentioned action or idea.
ayudaría “Ayudaría” means “would help” here, expressing that the other person’s offer would be very useful. It is the conditional form related to ayudar and commonly appears with “mucho” to describe the degree of help.
mucho “Mucho” means “a lot” in “ayudaría mucho”, emphasizing how helpful the action would be. It commonly follows a verb to express a large degree, as in “Me gusta mucho” in a new example.
No “No” means “do not” here and makes “No te subas...” a negative instruction. It comes before the rest of the verb expression when giving this warning.
te In “No te subas”, “te” identifies the person addressed as the one who must not climb onto the top step. It belongs with “subas” in this instruction; a common pattern is “No te...” followed by an action the listener should avoid.
subas In “No te subas al peldaño más alto”, “subas” means “climb” or “go up” as the action being prohibited. Together with “No te”, it gives a direct safety warning, and the same expression can be followed by a place or object.
al “Al” means “to the” in “al peldaño”, introducing the step toward which the climbing action would be directed. It is the fixed contraction of a and el, used before a masculine singular noun.
peldaño “Peldaño” means “step” or “rung” of the ladder. In “el peldaño más alto”, it identifies the particular part of the ladder that the warning concerns; it can be used for an individual step on a ladder or staircase.
más “Más” means “most” in “el peldaño más alto”, forming the highest-degree description of the step. It comes before “alto” in this pattern, “el/la ... más + adjective”.
Me In “Me quedaré”, “me” identifies the speaker as the person who will stay on the lower step. It is part of the verb expression “me quedaré” and commonly appears before the conjugated verb in this use.
quedaré “Quedaré” means “I will stay” in “Me quedaré en un peldaño más bajo”. It is the future form related to quedar and is used with “me” here to state where the speaker will remain.
en “En” means “on” in “en un peldaño más bajo”, indicating the step where the speaker will remain. It commonly introduces the place or position of someone or something.
bajo “Bajo” means “lower” in “un peldaño más bajo”, describing a step that is below the highest one. It follows the noun here and can describe the relative position of another object.
Devuélvela “Devuélvela” means “return it”, referring to returning the ladder after use. It combines the command form related to devolver with la, which refers to “escalera”; a common pattern is “Devuélvela cuando...” when asking someone to return a feminine object.
cuando “Cuando” means “when” and introduces the time condition in “cuando termines”. It connects the requested return with the moment the listener finishes using the ladder.
termines “Termines” means “you finish” in “cuando termines”, referring to finishing the task or use of the ladder. It follows “cuando” to state when the return should happen; the same pattern can be used with another completed activity in a new example.

Grammar Points

Imperativo + pronombre: devuélvela

Devuélvela.

deh-BWEL-beh-lah

Return it.

In a command, the direct-object pronoun attaches to the verb; the accent preserves the original stress.

Condicional: ayudaría

Ayudaría mucho.

ah-yoo-dah-REE-ah MOO-choh

It would help a lot.

The conditional ending expresses a hypothetical or polite result: ayudar + -ía.

Spanish Vocabulary

alcanzar verb
ahl-kahn-SAR to reach
alto adj
AHL-toh high
ayudar verb
ah-yoo-DAHR to help ayudaría
bien adv
byen well; steadily
claro intj
KLAH-roh sure
escalera noun
eh-skah-LEH-rah ladder
estante noun
eh-STAHN-teh shelf
necesitar verb
neh-seh-see-TAR to need necesito
pedir prestada phrase
peh-DEER preh-STAH-dah to borrow pedirte prestada
poder verb
poh-DEHR can; to be able to puedo
sujetar verb
soo-heh-TAR to hold sujetarla
tener cuidado phrase
teh-NEHR kwee-DAH-doh to be careful ten cuidado

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Can I borrow your ladder?

Show Answer¿Puedo pedirte prestada tu escalera?

Sure, but please be careful with it.

Show AnswerClaro, pero ten cuidado con ella.

I need to reach a high shelf.

Show AnswerNecesito alcanzar un estante alto.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

ladder

Show Answerescalera

sure

Show Answerclaro

to need

Show Answernecesito

to reach

Show Answeralcanzar