Finding and saving a missing screw | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: In a room, two adults find a small screw near a chair and keep it safe so they can finish fixing a shelf..

EN → ES / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Finding and saving a missing screw to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Perdí un tornillo pequeño.

per-DEE oon tor-NEE-yoh peh-KEH-nyoh I lost a small screw.
B

Mira debajo de la silla.

MEE-rah deh-BAH-hoh deh lah SEE-yah Check under the chair.
A

Estaba junto a la pata de la silla.

eh-STAH-bah HOON-toh ah lah PAH-tah deh lah SEE-yah It was by the chair leg.
B

Recógelo con cuidado.

reh-KOH-heh-loh kohn kwee-DAH-doh Pick it up carefully.
A

Es muy pequeño.

ehs mwee peh-KEH-nyoh It is tiny.
B

Sujétalo en la palma de tu mano para que no vuelva a rodar.

soo-HEH-tah-loh ehn lah PAHL-mah deh too MAH-noh PAH-rah keh noh BWEHL-bah ah roh-DAHR Hold it in your palm so it does not roll away again.
A

Lo necesitamos para arreglar el estante.

loh neh-seh-see-TAH-mohs pah-rah ah-rreh-GLAHR ehl ehs-TAHN-teh We need it to fix the shelf.
B

Entonces podemos terminar de arreglarlo.

ehn-TOHN-sehs poh-DEH-mohs tehr-mee-NAHR deh ah-rreh-GLAHR-loh Then we can finish fixing it.

Word by Word

Perdí Perdí says that the speaker lost a small screw. The citation form is perder, and this exact form refers to the speaker’s past loss. Use it when telling someone that you no longer have an object.
un Un introduces one unspecified screw in un tornillo pequeño. It can mean “a” or emphasize one item before a noun. Use un before a singular noun when introducing an item.
tornillo Tornillo means screw here, the small object that was lost and found. It is the noun in tornillo pequeño. Use it when talking about a screw as a repair object.
pequeño Pequeño describes the screw as small in tornillo pequeño. It appears after the noun it describes in this dialogue. Use it after a noun when describing something as small.
Mira Mira tells the listener to look or check under the chair. The citation form is mirar. Use this form when directing someone’s attention to a place or object.
debajo Debajo gives the location “under” in debajo de la silla. The following de connects the location with the chair. Use it in a location expression when something is below another object.
de De links debajo with the object that is above the missing screw in debajo de la silla. Here it helps form the location expression “under the chair.” Use de after debajo to identify what something is under.
la La identifies silla as the chair being checked in la silla. It appears directly before the noun. Use la before a known noun when referring to a specific item.
silla Silla means chair, specifically the chair under which the screw is checked. It appears in debajo de la silla and later in la pata de la silla. Use it when referring to a chair in a room or another setting.
Estaba Estaba says where the screw was located: next to the chair leg. The citation form is estar, and this exact form describes a past location. Use it when explaining where something was.
junto Junto gives the “next to” relationship in junto a la pata de la silla. Together with a, it places the screw beside the chair leg. Use junto a when locating something beside another object.
a A links junto with the object that the screw was beside in junto a la pata de la silla. Together, junto a means “next to.” Use it after junto when naming the nearby object.
pata Pata means leg here, specifically the leg of the chair in pata de la silla. The phrase identifies which part of the chair was near the screw. Use it when referring to a leg of furniture or another object.
Recógelo Recógelo tells the listener to pick the screw up. The citation form is recoger, and lo is attached to this form to refer to the object. Use this form when asking someone to pick up a known object.
con Con contributes “with” in con cuidado. Together with cuidado, it describes how the listener should pick up the screw. Use con to connect an action with something accompanying or describing it.
cuidado Cuidado means care in con cuidado, and the whole phrase means “carefully.” It tells the listener to handle the tiny screw gently. Use con cuidado when asking someone to do something cautiously.
Es Es says that the screw is very small in Es muy pequeño. The citation form is ser. Use it to identify or describe something, followed here by a description of its size.
muy Muy strengthens the description pequeño, making the screw “very small” in Es muy pequeño. It comes directly before the word it intensifies. Use it before a description when you want to make that quality stronger.
Sujétalo Sujétalo tells the listener to hold the screw in the palm. The citation form is sujetar, and lo is attached to refer to the screw. Use this form when telling someone to keep a known object securely in place.
en En locates the screw in the palm in en la palma de tu mano. It shows where the object should be held. Use en before a place or surface to show where something is.
palma Palma means palm in la palma de tu mano. It identifies the part of the hand where the screw should be held. Use it with de tu mano when specifying the palm of someone’s hand.
tu Tu means “your” in tu mano. It identifies whose hand is meant. It comes before mano in this possessive expression.
mano Mano means hand in la palma de tu mano. It identifies the body part whose palm is mentioned. Use it when referring to a hand or to an action involving the hand.
para Para introduces the purpose of needing the screw in para arreglar el estante. It links the need to the action of fixing the shelf. Use para before an infinitive when stating the purpose of an action.
que Que connects para with the clause describing the intended result in para que no vuelva a rodar. It helps introduce what should not happen to the screw. Use it after para when the purpose is followed by a clause rather than a single infinitive.
no No makes the intended result negative in no vuelva a rodar: the screw should not roll again. It appears directly before vuelva. Use no before the verb or verb phrase that you want to negate.
vuelva Vuelva refers to the screw returning to the action in vuelva a rodar, so it should not roll again. The citation form is volver. Here it works with a rodar to refer to repeating the rolling action.
rodar Rodar names the action of rolling in vuelva a rodar. The screw is being kept in the palm so it will not perform this action again. Use it when describing an object moving by rolling.
Lo Lo means “it” in Lo necesitamos and refers to the screw. It is placed before necesitamos as the object of the verb. Use lo before a verb when referring to a known object.
necesitamos Necesitamos says that the speakers need the screw in Lo necesitamos. The citation form is necesitar. Use it when saying that we need a particular object or thing for a task.
arreglar Arreglar means to fix or repair in para arreglar el estante. The citation form is arreglar, and it follows para to name the purpose. Use it when describing the repair of an object.
el El identifies estante as the specific shelf to be fixed in el estante. It appears directly before the noun. Use el before a known noun when referring to a particular item.
estante Estante means shelf, the object that the speakers need the screw to fix. It appears in para arreglar el estante. Use it when referring to a shelf used for holding things.
Entonces Entonces introduces the next step or result in Entonces podemos terminar de arreglarlo. It connects having the screw with being able to finish the repair. Use it at the beginning of a sentence when moving from one situation to its consequence or next action.
podemos Podemos says that the speakers can finish the repair in Entonces podemos terminar de arreglarlo. The citation form is poder. Use it before an infinitive to express ability or possibility.
terminar Terminar means finish in terminar de arreglarlo. It marks the completion of the fixing task. Use it with de and an infinitive when saying that an activity is completed.
arreglarlo Arreglarlo means “fix it” in terminar de arreglarlo, referring to the shelf already mentioned. The citation form is arreglar, with lo attached to refer to the object. Use this form when the object being fixed is already known.

Grammar Points

Imperativo + pronombre de objeto: recógelo, sujétalo

Recógelo con cuidado.

reh-KOH-heh-loh kohn kwee-DAH-doh

Pick it up carefully.

In Spanish, object pronouns can attach to affirmative commands and are written as one word: recoge + lo = recógelo.

para que + subjuntivo

Sujétalo para que vuelva.

soo-HEH-tah-loh PAH-rah keh BWEHL-bah

Hold it so that it returns.

After para que, Spanish uses the subjunctive. Vuelva is the subjunctive form used for a desired result.

Spanish Vocabulary

con cuidado phrase
kohn kwee-DAH-doh carefully

Recógelo con cuidado.

debajo de prep
deh-BAH-hoh deh under; underneath

debajo de la silla

estaba verb
eh-STAH-bah was

Estaba junto a la pata de la silla.

junto a prep
HOON-toh ah next to; beside

junto a la pata de la silla

mira verb
MEE-rah look; check

Mira debajo de la silla.

muy adv
mwee very

Es muy pequeño.

pata noun
PAH-tah leg

la pata de la silla

pequeño adj
peh-KEH-nyoh small; little

un tornillo pequeño

perdí verb
per-DEE I lost

Perdí un tornillo pequeño.

recógelo verb
reh-KOH-heh-loh pick it up

Recógelo con cuidado.

silla noun
SEE-yah chair

la silla

tornillo noun
tor-NEE-yoh screw

un tornillo pequeño

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I lost a small screw.

Show AnswerPerdí un tornillo pequeño.

Check under the chair.

Show AnswerMira debajo de la silla.

Pick it up carefully.

Show AnswerRecógelo con cuidado.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

was

Show Answerestaba

look; check

Show Answermira

small; little

Show Answerpequeño

leg

Show Answerpata