Cleaning a Small Stain | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: At a table, two adults clean a small stain with a sponge and a little soap..

EN → ES / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Cleaning a Small Stain to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Hay una mancha en la mesa.

eye OO-nah MAHN-chah en lah MEH-sah There is a stain on the table.
B

Puedo verla cerca de la taza.

PWEH-doh BEHR-lah SEHR-kah deh lah TAH-sah I can see it near the cup.
A

¿Tenemos una esponja limpia?

teh-NEH-mohs OO-nah ehs-POHN-hah LEEM-pyah Do we have a clean sponge?
B

La esponja está junto al fregadero.

lah ehs-POHN-hah ehs-TAH HOON-toh ahl freh-gah-DEH-roh The sponge is by the sink.
A

¿Uso un poco de jabón?

OO-soh oon POH-koh deh hah-BOHN Should I use some soap?
B

Pon un poco de jabón en la esponja.

pohn oon POH-koh deh hah-BOHN en lah ehs-POHN-hah Put a little soap on the sponge.
A

La mancha casi se ha ido.

lah MAHN-chah KAH-see seh ah EE-doh The stain is almost gone.
B

La mesa se ve limpia.

lah MEH-sah seh beh LEEM-pyah The table looks clean.

Word by Word

Hay “Hay” means “there is” here, introducing the stain as something that exists on the table. It is commonly used in Hay una... or Hay un... to say that something is present. A new example is Hay una taza en la mesa.
una “Una” means “a” or “one” before “mancha” in Hay una mancha en la mesa. It introduces one feminine-named thing and matches mancha. It is reused in patterns such as una taza or una esponja.
mancha “Mancha” means “stain” in Hay una mancha en la mesa. It names the mark that the speakers are cleaning. A new example is una mancha pequeña.
en “En” means “on” in en la mesa, showing where the stain is. It is commonly used before a place or surface, as in en la mesa. A new example is en la taza.
la “La” means “the” before mesa in en la mesa. It points to the specific table already understood in the situation. It is reused before a feminine-named object, such as la taza.
mesa “Mesa” means “table” in en la mesa. It identifies the surface where the stain is and which later looks clean. A new example is La mesa está limpia.
Puedo “Puedo” means “I can” in Puedo verla, expressing the speaker’s ability to see the stain. It is commonly followed by another verb form, as in Puedo verla. A new example is Puedo limpiar la mesa.
verla “Verla” means “see it” in Puedo verla cerca de la taza, referring to the stain. The form combines ver, “to see,” with la, “it,” attached to the verb form after Puedo. A new example is Puedo verla aquí.
cerca “Cerca” means “near” in cerca de la taza, locating the stain close to the cup. The reliable pattern is cerca de followed by the thing used as the reference point. A new example is cerca de la mesa.
de “De” means “of” in the location expression cerca de la taza, linking cerca with the reference point. In cerca de, it helps express nearness to something. A new example is cerca de la puerta.
taza “Taza” means “cup” in cerca de la taza, the object used to locate the stain. With la, it refers to a specific cup in the scene. A new example is una taza limpia.
Tenemos “Tenemos” means “we have” in ¿Tenemos una esponja limpia?, asking whether a clean sponge is available. It is commonly followed by the thing that someone has or can use, as in Tenemos una esponja. A new example is Tenemos jabón.
esponja “Esponja” means “sponge” in una esponja limpia. It names the cleaning tool the speakers look for and then use. A new example is La esponja está aquí.
limpia “Limpia” means “clean” in una esponja limpia, describing the sponge. It agrees with the feminine-named word esponja in this expression. A new example is una mesa limpia.
está “Está” means “is located” in La esponja está junto al fregadero, giving the sponge’s location. It is commonly used with a place expression to say where something is. A new example is La taza está en la mesa.
junto “Junto” means “next to” or “beside” in junto al fregadero. Together with al fregadero, it places the sponge beside the sink. A new example is junto a la mesa.
al “Al” means “to the” or “by the” in junto al fregadero. It is the fixed combination of a and el, used here before fregadero in the location expression junto al fregadero. A new example is cerca del fregadero.
fregadero “Fregadero” means “sink” in junto al fregadero, the place beside which the sponge is located. It is used after al in this location expression. A new example is El fregadero está aquí.
Uso “Uso” means “I use” in ¿Uso un poco de jabón?, where the speaker asks whether to use soap. It is commonly followed by the item being used, as in Uso jabón. A new example is Uso una esponja.
un “Un” means “a” or “one” before poco in un poco de jabón. The expression un poco de indicates a small amount of something. A new example is un poco de agua.
poco “Poco” means “a little” in un poco de jabón, referring to a small amount. The reusable pattern is un poco de followed by a substance or other uncounted material. A new example is un poco de agua.
jabón “Jabón” means “soap” in un poco de jabón. It names the cleaning substance placed on the sponge. A new example is El jabón está junto al fregadero.
Pon “Pon” means “put” in Pon un poco de jabón en la esponja, giving a direct instruction to place the soap on the sponge. The useful pattern is Pon [thing] en [place or object]. A new example is Pon la taza en la mesa.
casi “Casi” means “almost” in La mancha casi se ha ido, showing that the stain has nearly disappeared but the change is not presented as complete. It commonly comes before the expression or action that is nearly finished. A new example is casi limpio.
se “Se” is part of se ha ido and marks the stain’s going away or disappearing in this dialogue. Its meaning is understood together with ha ido, not as a separate translation of the whole expression. A new example is El agua se ha ido.
ha “Ha” is the auxiliary “has” in se ha ido. Together with ido, it presents the stain as having gone away. A new example is La taza se ha roto.
ido “Ido” contributes the idea of “gone” in se ha ido, describing the stain as having gone away. It is used together with ha in this expression rather than as a complete statement by itself. A new example is El agua se ha ido.
ve “Ve” means “looks” or “appears” in La mesa se ve limpia, describing how the table appears after cleaning. The reusable pattern is se ve + description, as in se ve limpia. A new example is La esponja se ve limpia.

Grammar Points

hay + sustantivo

Hay una mancha en la mesa.

eye OO-nah MAHN-chah en lah MEH-sah

There is a stain on the table.

Hay significa “there is” o “there are” y no cambia según si el sustantivo es singular o plural.

verse + adjetivo

La mesa se ve limpia.

lah MEH-sah seh beh LEEM-pyah

The table looks clean.

Se ve significa “looks” o “appears”. El adjetivo concuerda con el sustantivo: mesa es femenino, por eso limpia.

Spanish Vocabulary

cerca adv
SEHR-kah near
esponja noun
ehs-POHN-hah sponge
estar verb
ehs-TAHR to be está
hay verb
eye there is / there are
junto a prep
HOON-toh ah next to / by
limpio adj
LEEM-pyoh clean limpia
mancha noun
MAHN-chah stain
mesa noun
MEH-sah table
poder verb
poh-DEHR can / to be able to puedo
taza noun
TAH-sah cup
tener verb
teh-NEHR to have tenemos
ver verb
behr to see verla

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

There is a stain on the table.

Show AnswerHay una mancha en la mesa.

I can see it near the cup.

Show AnswerPuedo verla cerca de la taza.

Do we have a clean sponge?

Show Answer¿Tenemos una esponja limpia?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

cup

Show Answertaza

stain

Show Answermancha

to see

Show Answerverla

table

Show Answermesa