Deciding the Next Task | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: At work, two adults decide how to split a short list before reviewing a file..

EN → ES / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Deciding the Next Task to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

¿Qué debemos hacer ahora?

keh deh-BEH-mohs ah-SEHR ah-OH-rah? What should we do now?
B

Empecemos con la lista corta.

em-peh-SEH-mohs kohn lah LEES-tah KOR-tah. Let's start with the short list.
A

¿Debemos terminarla antes de revisar el archivo?

deh-BEH-mohs tehr-mee-NAR-lah AHN-tehs deh reh-bee-SAR ehl ar-CHEE-boh? Should we finish it before reviewing the file?
B

Podemos terminarla rápido si dividimos el trabajo.

poh-DEH-mohs tehr-mee-NAR-lah RRAH-pee-doh see dee-bee-DEE-mohs ehl trah-BAH-hoh. We can get through it quickly if we split the work.
A

Entonces, yo haré la primera parte.

en-TOHN-sehs yoh ah-REH lah pree-MEH-rah PAR-teh. Then I'll take the first part.
B

Yo haré el resto.

yoh ah-REH ehl REHS-toh. I'll handle the rest.
A

Después de eso, podemos revisar cualquier cosa que no esté clara.

dehs-PWEHS deh EH-soh, poh-DEH-mohs reh-bee-SAR kwal-KYEHR KOH-sah keh noh ehs-TEH KLAH-rah. After that, we can review anything unclear.
B

Abriré el archivo cuando terminemos la lista.

ah-bree-REH ehl ar-CHEE-boh KWAHN-doh tehr-mee-NEH-mohs lah LEES-tah. I'll open the file when the list is done.

Word by Word

Qué “Qué” asks for the thing or action being discussed in “¿Qué debemos hacer ahora?”. It is useful in questions such as “¿Qué necesitas?” when asking what someone needs.
debemos “Debemos” expresses what we should or must do together in “¿Qué debemos hacer ahora?”. It is used with an infinitive, as in “debemos hacer”, to state a shared obligation or plan.
hacer “Hacer” means to do in “¿Qué debemos hacer ahora?”. It follows “debemos” in the pattern “deber + infinitive” to name the action that should be done.
ahora “Ahora” means now and asks about the action for the present moment in “¿Qué debemos hacer ahora?”. It can be placed after the verb phrase to specify when something should happen.
Empecemos “Empecemos” proposes that the speakers start together with something, here “Empecemos con la lista corta.”. It is useful when suggesting the first step of a shared task.
con “Con” connects the action of starting to the item used as the starting point in “Empecemos con la lista corta.”. A common pattern is “empezar con + thing” when naming what comes first.
la “La” means the and introduces the specific feminine noun “lista” in “la lista corta.”. It is used before a known or specific feminine noun.
lista “Lista” means list in “la lista corta.”, referring to the short set of items the speakers will work on. It can be used after “la” when referring to a particular list.
corta “Corta” describes the list as short in “la lista corta.”. It comes after “lista” here and matches the noun in the expression “lista corta”.
terminarla “Terminarla” means to finish it, referring back to the list in “¿Debemos terminarla antes de revisar el archivo?”. It combines the action “terminar” with “la” for the thing being finished, and it is useful after a modal expression such as “debemos”.
antes “Antes” places one action earlier than another in “antes de revisar el archivo”. Here, finishing the list comes earlier than reviewing the file; the common pattern is “antes de + infinitive”.
de In “antes de revisar”, “de” links “antes” to the infinitive “revisar” and forms the time expression meaning before reviewing. This pattern is used after “antes” when the following action is expressed with an infinitive.
revisar “Revisar” means to review in “antes de revisar el archivo.”. It is an infinitive used after “antes de” to name the action that happens later.
el “El” means the and introduces the specific masculine noun “archivo” in “el archivo.”. It is used before a known or specific masculine noun.
archivo “Archivo” means file in “revisar el archivo” and refers to the file the speakers will review. It can be used after “el” when naming a particular file.
Podemos “Podemos” says that the speakers are able or permitted to finish the task in “Podemos terminarla rápido”. It is followed by an infinitive to state what they can do, as in “podemos revisar”.
rápido “Rápido” describes how quickly the speakers can finish the list in “terminarla rápido”. It is placed after the action to express the speed of completing it.
si “Si” introduces the condition for finishing the list quickly in “si dividimos el trabajo.”. It is useful for connecting a possible condition with its result, such as “si hacemos esto, podemos terminar”.
dividimos “Dividimos” expresses the shared action of splitting the work in “si dividimos el trabajo.”. It is used with the object “el trabajo” to say what is being divided.
trabajo “Trabajo” means work in “dividimos el trabajo.”, referring to the work that the speakers will share. The common pattern here is “dividir el trabajo” when assigning parts of a task.
Entonces “Entonces” means then and marks the speakers’ next decision in “Entonces, yo haré la primera parte.”. It is useful when drawing a practical conclusion from what was just agreed.
yo “Yo” means I and explicitly identifies the person who will do the first part in “yo haré la primera parte.”. It can be used before the verb when the speaker wants to make the responsible person clear.
haré “Haré” means I will do or take in “yo haré la primera parte.”, where it refers to taking responsibility for that part. It is used with a task or object such as “la primera parte” to state a future commitment.
primera “Primera” means first in “la primera parte.” and identifies the part that comes at the beginning of the divided work. It is placed before “parte” in this expression.
parte “Parte” means part in “la primera parte.”, referring to one section of the work. It is useful when a larger task is divided into separate sections.
resto “Resto” means the rest in “Yo haré el resto.”, referring to everything remaining after the other speaker takes the first part. The pattern “hacer el resto” is useful when accepting responsibility for what remains.
Después “Después” means after that and places the next action after the earlier work in “Después de eso, podemos revisar cualquier cosa que no esté clara.”. It can introduce a later step when organizing tasks in sequence.
eso “Eso” means that and refers to the task or event just mentioned in “Después de eso”. Together, “después de eso” means after that and is used to move to the next step.
cualquier “Cualquier” means any in “cualquier cosa que no esté clara”, referring to an unspecified item that may need review. It appears before the noun “cosa” in this expression.
cosa “Cosa” means thing in “cualquier cosa que no esté clara”, referring to any item that is not clear. It can be followed by “que” to describe which things are meant.
que In “cualquier cosa que no esté clara”, “que” links “cosa” with the clause describing it. This pattern is useful when adding information about the thing being discussed.
no “No” makes the clause negative in “que no esté clara”, indicating that the thing is not clear. It is placed directly before the verb or verb phrase being negated.
esté “Esté” describes the possible state of something in “que no esté clara”: the item may not be clear. It is used after “que” in this description of anything needing review.
clara “Clara” means clear in “que no esté clara”, describing the information or item that may not be understandable. It follows the form “esté” in the expression “no esté clara”.
Abriré “Abriré” means I will open in “Abriré el archivo cuando terminemos la lista.”. It is useful for stating a future action that the speaker commits to doing.
cuando “Cuando” means when and introduces the time condition for opening the file in “cuando terminemos la lista.”. It is useful for connecting a future action with the event that must happen first.
terminemos “Terminemos” means we finish in “cuando terminemos la lista”, identifying the point at which the list will be complete. It is used after “cuando” to state the event that determines when the other action happens.

Grammar Points

Empecemos / terminemos + infinitivo

Empecemos ahora y terminemos la lista.

em-peh-SEH-mohs ah-OH-rah ee tehr-mee-NEH-mohs lah LEES-tah.

Let’s start now and finish the list.

The first-person plural present subjunctive expresses a suggestion or proposal: “Let’s …”

Haré / abriré + infinitivo or object

Yo haré la primera parte y abriré el archivo.

yoh ah-REH lah pree-MEH-rah PAR-teh ee ah-bree-REH ehl ar-CHEE-boh.

I will do the first part and open the file.

The simple future expresses a planned or promised action. The ending -é means “I will …”

Spanish Vocabulary

ahora adv
ah-OH-rah now

¿Qué debemos hacer ahora?

antes de prep
AHN-tehs deh before

¿Debemos terminarla antes de revisar el archivo?

archivo noun
ar-CHEE-boh file

¿Debemos terminarla antes de revisar el archivo?

corto adj
KOR-toh short corta

Empecemos con la lista corta.

empezar verb
em-peh-SAR to start; to begin empecemos

Empecemos con la lista corta.

hacer verb
ah-SEHR to do; to make

¿Qué debemos hacer ahora?

lista noun
LEES-tah list

Empecemos con la lista corta.

qué pron
keh what

¿Qué debemos hacer ahora?

rápido adv
RRAH-pee-doh quickly; fast

Podemos terminarla rápido si dividimos el trabajo.

revisar verb
reh-bee-SAR to review

¿Debemos terminarla antes de revisar el archivo?

si conj
see if

Podemos terminarla rápido si dividimos el trabajo.

terminar verb
tehr-mee-NAR to finish; to complete terminarla

¿Debemos terminarla antes de revisar el archivo?

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

What should we do now?

Show Answer¿Qué debemos hacer ahora?

Let's start with the short list.

Show AnswerEmpecemos con la lista corta.

Then I'll take the first part.

Show AnswerEntonces, yo haré la primera parte.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to finish; to complete

Show Answerterminarla

now

Show Answerahora

to review

Show Answerrevisar

list

Show Answerlista