About This Lesson
Use Finding the back of the line to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
¿Dónde está el final de esta fila?
DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl fee-NAHL deh EHS-tah FEE-lah. Where is the end of this line?
B
El final está junto a la puerta.
ehl fee-NAHL ehs-TAH HOON-toh ah lah PWEHR-tah. The end is over by the door.
A
¿Debo esperar allí?
DEH-boh ehs-peh-RAHR ah-YEE. Should I wait there?
B
Ponte detrás de la última persona.
POHN-teh deh-TRAHS deh lah OOL-tee-mah pehr-SOH-nah. Stand behind the last person.
A
No vi el cartel.
noh bee ehl kahr-TEHL. I missed the sign.
B
El cartel está puesto junto a la puerta.
ehl kahr-TEHL ehs-TAH PWEHS-toh HOON-toh ah lah PWEHR-tah. It is posted next to the door.
A
Yo iré al final.
yoh ee-REH ahl fee-NAHL. I will head to the back.
B
Ahí se une la gente.
ah-EE seh OO-neh lah HEN-teh. That is where people are joining.Word by Word
Dónde
“Dónde” means “where” in the question “¿Dónde está el final de esta fila?”. Its accent marks it as the question word here. A useful pattern is “¿Dónde está...?” when asking where something is.
está
“Está” means “is” here and locates the end of the line. It is a form of estar used with a place or location. You can reuse it in “¿Dónde está...?” and “...está junto a...”.
el
“El” is the article meaning “the” before the masculine singular noun “final”. It helps form “el final”, meaning “the end”. Reuse it before a masculine singular noun when referring to a specific thing.
final
“Final” means “end” here, specifically the back or end of the line. In “el final de esta fila”, “de esta fila” identifies which end is meant. A useful pattern is “el final de...” for the end of something.
de
“De” links “el final” with “esta fila” and means “of” in “el final de esta fila”. It shows what the end belongs to or relates to. Reuse “de” in the pattern “el final de...”.
esta
“Esta” means “this” before “fila”, so “esta fila” means “this line”. Its form matches the feminine noun “fila”. Reuse it before a nearby feminine noun when identifying one specific thing.
fila
“Fila” means “line” or “queue” in this dialogue. It appears in “esta fila”, referring to the line where people are waiting. A useful pattern is “estar en una fila” for being in a line.
junto
“Junto” contributes the meaning “next to” in the complete expression “junto a la puerta”. Together, the expression locates the end beside the door. Reuse “junto a” before the place or object that something is next to.
a
In “junto a la puerta”, “a” completes the expression meaning “next to the door”. Its meaning here comes from the whole construction “junto a”, not from “a” alone. Reuse “junto a” before a noun for a nearby location.
la
“La” is the article meaning “the” before the feminine singular noun “puerta”. It forms “la puerta”, meaning “the door”. Reuse it before a specific feminine singular noun.
puerta
“Puerta” means “door” in “junto a la puerta”. The door is the location used to explain where the end of the line is. You can reuse “la puerta” when referring to a particular door.
Debo
“Debo” means “should” or “must” in the question “¿Debo esperar allí?”. It expresses that the speaker is asking whether waiting there is required or appropriate. It is a form of deber and commonly comes before an infinitive such as “esperar”.
esperar
“Esperar” means “to wait” in “¿Debo esperar allí?”. It stays in this form after “Debo” to name the action the speaker is asking about. Reuse “debo” plus an infinitive when asking whether you should do something.
allí
“Allí” means “there”, referring to the place already identified near the door. In “¿Debo esperar allí?”, it specifies where the speaker would wait. Reuse it to point to a particular place that is not right next to the speaker.
Ponte
“Ponte” tells one person to position themselves or stand somewhere, here behind the last person. It is a form of ponerse used as a direct instruction. A useful pattern is “Ponte detrás de...” when telling someone where to stand.
detrás
“Detrás” means “behind” in the expression “detrás de la última persona”. It describes the position the speaker should take in relation to the last person. Reuse “detrás de” before the person or object that is in front.
última
“Última” means “last” in “la última persona”, identifying the person at the back of the line. Its form matches the feminine noun “persona”. Reuse it before a feminine noun when identifying the final one in an order or group.
persona
“Persona” means “person” in “la última persona”. Here it refers to the person currently at the back of the line. Reuse “una persona” or “la persona” when referring to an individual.
No
“No” makes the statement negative in “No vi el cartel”, meaning the speaker did not see the sign. It appears directly before the verb. Reuse “no” before a verb to say that an action did not happen or is not happening.
vi
“Vi” means “I saw” in “No vi el cartel”. It describes the speaker’s failure to notice the sign. It is a form of ver, and “no vi” is a useful pattern for saying that you did not see something.
cartel
“Cartel” means “sign” or “posted notice” in this dialogue. In “No vi el cartel”, it is the notice the speaker missed, and in “El cartel está puesto...” it is the notice by the door. Reuse “ver el cartel” when talking about seeing a sign.
puesto
“Puesto” describes the cartel as put up or posted in “El cartel está puesto junto a la puerta”. Its meaning comes with “está puesto”, which says that the sign is in place. Reuse “está puesto” to describe something that has been put somewhere.
Yo
“Yo” means “I” and explicitly identifies the speaker in “Yo iré al final”. Spanish often leaves this pronoun unstated, but it is included here for emphasis or clarity. Reuse it before a verb when you want to make the speaker’s role explicit.
iré
“Iré” means “I will go” or “I will head” in “Yo iré al final”. It expresses the speaker’s planned movement to the back of the line. It is a form of ir, and a useful pattern is “iré a...” or “iré al...” for saying where you will go.
al
“Al” means “to the” in “iré al final”. It is the combined form of a and el, used before “final”. Reuse “al” when movement is directed to a masculine singular place or destination.
Ahí
“Ahí” means “there” and points to the place where people are joining the line. In “Ahí se une la gente”, it refers back to the back or end just mentioned. Reuse it to indicate a specific place that has already been identified.
se
In “se une la gente”, “se” is part of the Spanish expression for people joining the line. Learn it together with “une” and “la gente” in this sentence rather than assigning the whole meaning to “se” alone. A useful pattern from this dialogue is “Ahí se une la gente”, meaning that people join there.
une
“Une” means “joins” in “se une la gente”, describing people joining the line. It is a form of unir and appears with the singular expression “la gente”. Reuse “se une la gente” to say that people join or line up at a particular place.
gente
“Gente” means “people” in “la gente”. Here it refers generally to the people joining the line, not to one named individual. Reuse “la gente” when referring to people as a group.
Grammar Points
Ponte + preposición de lugar
Ponte detrás de la última persona.
POHN-teh deh-TRAHS deh lah OOL-tee-mah pehr-SOH-nah.Stand behind the last person.
Ponte is the tú imperative of ponerse. The reflexive pronoun te is attached to the command.
iré + lugar
Iré al final de la fila.
ee-REH ahl fee-NAHL deh lah FEE-lah.I will go to the back of the line.
Iré is the first-person singular future of ir, used to say what the speaker will do.
Spanish Vocabulary
allí
adv
ah-YEE
there
¿Debo esperar allí?
detrás de
phrase
deh-TRAHS deh
behind
Ponte detrás de la última persona.
dónde
adv
DOHN-deh
where
¿Dónde está el final de esta fila?
esperar
verb
ehs-peh-RAHR
to wait
¿Debo esperar allí?
estar
verb
ehs-TAR
to be
está
El final está junto a la puerta.
fila
noun
FEE-lah
line; queue
¿Dónde está el final de esta fila?
final
noun
fee-NAHL
end; back
¿Dónde está el final de esta fila?
junto a
phrase
HOON-toh ah
next to; beside
El final está junto a la puerta.
persona
noun
pehr-SOH-nah
person
Ponte detrás de la última persona.
ponerse
verb
poh-NEHR-seh
to stand; to put oneself
ponte
Ponte detrás de la última persona.
puerta
noun
PWEHR-tah
door
El final está junto a la puerta.
último
adj
OOL-tee-moh
last
última
Ponte detrás de la última persona.
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Should I wait there?
Show Answer
¿Debo esperar allí?Stand behind the last person.
Show Answer
Ponte detrás de la última persona.I missed the sign.
Show Answer
No vi el cartel.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
end; back
Show Answer
finalline; queue
Show Answer
filato stand; to put oneself
Show Answer
ponteto be