Fixing a Loose Chair | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Esta silla está floja.

   This chair feels loose.

   Esta

   this

   silla

   chair

   está

   is; is in a current state

   floja

   loose

   More detail

   Esta means “this” and is the feminine singular demonstrative form. It agrees with the feminine singular noun silla; the form would be este with a masculine singular noun, such as este libro. Here, esta identifies the chair as the thing being described. Silla means “chair.” It is a feminine noun, so related adjectives and demonstratives normally use feminine singular forms when they describe this noun. Está is the third-person singular present form of estar, used here to present the chair’s current physical condition. Spanish commonly uses estar for a temporary or changeable state, while ser is used for identity or classification. Example: La puerta está abierta. — “The door is open.” The word está itself means “is” here; the natural English wording “feels loose” comes from the complete description, not from está alone. Floja means “loose” or “not firmly attached.” Its base form is the adjective flojo; floja is the feminine singular form agreeing with silla. The masculine singular form is flojo, as in El tornillo está flojo. — “The screw is loose.” Together, Esta silla means “this chair,” and está floja describes its present condition. The complete utterance is therefore “This chair feels loose.”

2. ¿Qué parte se mueve?

   Which part is moving?

   Qué

   which/what

   parte

   part

   se mueve

   is moving

   More detail

   Qué is the accented interrogative form used in a question. Here it asks which one and modifies parte; it is not the unaccented conjunction que. A reusable pattern is ¿Qué + noun + verb...?, for example: ¿Qué libro lees? — “Which book are you reading?” Parte means “part” and is a feminine singular noun. Its base form is parte; the plural is partes. In this question, it identifies the kind of thing being selected without specifying which part. Example: Esta parte está floja. — “This part is loose.” Se mueve means “is moving” here. The verb is mover, and mueve is the present-tense third-person singular form, matching the singular subject parte. In this use, se mueve describes movement or wobbling; it does not necessarily mean that the part moves itself intentionally. Compare La pata se mueve. — “The leg moves.” For a plural subject, use se mueven: Las patas se mueven. — “The legs move.” Together, ¿Qué parte se mueve? asks which part is moving or wobbling. The question leaves the specific part unidentified; the following context gives La pata trasera (“the back leg”) as the part that moves a little. The pattern ¿Qué + singular noun + third-person singular verb...? can be reused to ask which singular item has a stated action or condition.

3. La pata trasera se mueve un poco.

   The back leg wobbles a little.

   pata

   leg

   trasera

   back; rear

   se mueve

   wobbles; moves

   un poco

   a little

   More detail

   pata means “leg” here, as confirmed by the fixed translation. Spanish pata is feminine, so a describing adjective referring to it takes the feminine singular form. Depending on context, pata can also refer to an animal’s leg or paw, but this sentence specifically presents it as a leg. trasera means “back” or “rear” and describes pata. It is the feminine singular form of trasero, matching pata; the masculine form would be used with a masculine noun. The reusable pattern is noun + adjective: la pata trasera = “the back leg.” se mueve comes from moverse, “to move.” mueve is the present-tense third-person singular form, agreeing with la pata. Here se is part of the pronominal verb moverse; together, se mueve describes the leg’s movement, rendered naturally as “wobbles” in the fixed translation. Compare: La puerta se mueve. — “The door moves.” un poco means “a little” and limits the degree of the movement. It is a reusable quantity expression: El brazo tiembla un poco. — “The arm shakes a little.” Together, La pata trasera se mueve un poco means “The back leg wobbles a little.” La pata trasera identifies the moving part, se mueve states its present movement, and un poco indicates that the movement is slight.

4. Debemos arreglarla antes de que alguien la use.

   We should fix it before anyone uses it.

   Debemos

   we should; we must

   arreglarla

   fix it

   antes de que

   before

   alguien

   someone; anyone

   la

   it

   use

   uses

   More detail

   Debemos is the first-person plural present form of deber (“to have to; should”). It expresses that the speaker and at least one other person have the obligation or recommendation to do something; the subject is understood as nosotros, “we.” Compare Debo arreglarlo (“I should fix it”) with Debemos arreglarlo (“We should fix it”). arreglarla combines the infinitive arreglar (“to fix; repair”) with the direct-object pronoun la. The pronoun is attached to the infinitive: arreglar + la → arreglarla. In the supplied context, la refers to the back leg mentioned previously, and the combined form means “to fix it.” The feminine singular la agrees with that understood feminine singular object. With a masculine singular object, Spanish uses arreglarlo, as in Debemos arreglarlo (“We should fix it”). antes de que introduces an event that must happen earlier than another event: “before.” After this expression, Spanish commonly uses the subjunctive because the later event is viewed as pending rather than asserted as an established fact. For example, Sal antes de que llueva means “Leave before it rains.” alguien means “someone” or, in a negative or precautionary context such as this one, “anyone.” It refers to an unspecified person and is grammatically singular, which is why the following verb is singular. Alguien llama means “Someone is calling.” The separate la is another feminine singular direct-object pronoun, meaning “it” here. It is the object of use, and it refers to the same understood feminine singular item as the la attached to arreglarla. Spanish object pronouns agree with the noun they replace: lo for a masculine singular object, la for a feminine singular object, and los or las for plural objects. use is the third-person singular present subjunctive form of usar (“to use”). The form is singular because its subject is alguien; the subjunctive is selected in the clause introduced by antes de que. Compare antes de que alguien la use (“before anyone uses it”) with antes de que ellos la usen (“before they use it”). Together, Debemos arreglarla says “we should fix it,” and antes de que alguien la use adds the time condition “before anyone uses it.” The complete meaning is: “We should fix it before anyone uses it.”

5. ¿Me siento en otro sitio?

   Should I sit somewhere else?

   Me siento

   I sit down

   otro

   another; different

   sitio

   place; spot

   More detail

   Me siento is the first-person singular present form of sentarse (“to sit down”): me siento = “I sit down” or, in a question, “Should I sit down?” Spanish uses the reflexive pronoun me with this verb for the person sitting. The same form can also belong to sentirse (“to feel”), but the reference to a place makes the sitting meaning clear here. Example: Me siento aquí. — “I sit here.” otro means “another” or “different.” It is a masculine singular adjective because it describes sitio, which is masculine singular. Its feminine singular form is otra, as in otra silla (“another chair”); the form agrees with the noun it describes, not with the speaker. sitio is a masculine noun meaning “place” or “spot.” In this utterance it means a place to sit. Example: Este sitio está libre. — “This spot is free.” Together, Me siento + en otro sitio means “I sit down in another place.” With the opening question mark and question intonation, the whole utterance asks whether the speaker should sit somewhere else: “Should I sit somewhere else?”

6. Usa otra silla por ahora.

   Use another chair for now.

   Usa

   use

   otra

   another

   silla

   chair

   por ahora

   for now

   More detail

   Usa is the affirmative command form of usar for tú singular: “use” when addressing one person informally. The same spelling can also be a present-tense form meaning “he/she/you formal uses,” but the fixed English translation identifies the command reading here. For a formal singular command, Spanish uses use; for a plural command, usen (ustedes) or usad (vosotros). otra means “another” and agrees with the noun it describes. Its base form is otro; here the feminine singular form otra matches silla. It presents a different chair, without stating a numeric count. Example: Quiero otra taza. — “I want another cup.” silla means “chair.” It is a feminine singular noun, as shown by otra silla. Its plural is sillas. Example: La silla está libre. — “The chair is free.” por ahora is a time expression meaning “for now” or “for the time being.” por here helps frame the temporary time period, while ahora means “now”; together they form a reusable expression rather than a literal instruction to do something “through now.” Example: Quédate aquí por ahora. — “Stay here for now.” In source order, Usa gives the command, otra silla specifies what to use, and por ahora limits the recommendation to the present situation. Together, Usa otra silla por ahora. means “Use another chair for now.”

7. Voy a apartar esta silla.

   I will move this one away.

   Voy a

   I am going to

   apartar

   move away

   esta

   this

   silla

   chair

   More detail

   Voy a combines the present form voy of ir with a and an infinitive to express a planned or imminent future: “I am going to …”. Here, voy is first-person singular, so the speaker is the person who will perform the action. This pattern is reusable: Voy a estudiar = “I am going to study.” apartar is an infinitive meaning “to move something aside or away.” After voy a, Spanish uses the infinitive, not a conjugated verb. The same verb can be used with different objects: Voy a apartar la mesa = “I am going to move the table aside.” esta means “this” and is the feminine singular demonstrative form. It agrees with the feminine singular noun silla; it is not the form that carries the verb’s person or tense. The masculine singular counterpart is este, as in este libro (“this book”). silla means “chair.” Its plural is sillas, as in dos sillas (“two chairs”). Together, Voy a + apartar says that the speaker plans to move something away, and esta silla identifies the object as this chair. The complete utterance means: “I will move this one away.”

8. Ponla contra la pared para dejar libre el paso.

   Put it against the wall so the walkway stays clear.

   Ponla

   put it

   pared

   wall

   dejar

   leave; let

   libre

   clear; free

   paso

   way; passage

   More detail

   Ponla is the affirmative tú command of poner (“to put/place”) plus the direct-object pronoun la. Here la refers to the feminine singular object understood from the context: esta silla (“this chair”). The command therefore means “put it,” with the chair as the object. Compare ponlo for a masculine singular object and ponga for an usted command. Example: Ponla aquí. — “Put it here.” pared means “wall.” In contra la pared, contra marks contact or position against something: “against the wall.” The article la agrees with feminine singular pared; it does not identify the object referred to by la in Ponla. dejar is the infinitive “to leave” or “to let.” After para, the infinitive expresses purpose: para dejar... means “so as to leave...” or, naturally here, “so that ... stays.” Example: Mueve la caja para dejar libre la entrada. — “Move the box so the entrance stays clear.” libre is an adjective meaning “clear” here: unobstructed and available for passage. It has the same form with a singular masculine or feminine noun; its plural is libres. In this sentence it describes el paso, not the chair. paso means “passage,” “way,” or “walkway” here. el paso is the passage that should remain unobstructed. The adjective-noun group dejar libre el paso means “leave the passage clear.” Together, Ponla contra la pared gives the action and destination: “Put it against the wall.” para dejar libre el paso gives the purpose: “so the walkway stays clear.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Put it against the wall so the walkway stays clear.”