Deciding the Next Task | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. ¿Qué debemos hacer ahora?

   What should we do now?

   ¿Qué

   what

   debemos

   should

   hacer

   do

   ahora

   now

   More detail

   ¿Qué asks for information about a thing or action. Here it introduces the action being requested: “what”. The accent mark distinguishes interrogative qué from unaccented que, which commonly introduces a clause or links words. Example: ¿Qué necesitas? — “What do you need?” debemos comes from deber. It is the present-tense first-person plural form: debemos = “we should” or “we must,” depending on context. In this question, it expresses the action that the speaker and at least one other person are expected to take. deber is followed by an infinitive for this pattern: debemos + infinitive. Example: Debemos esperar. — “We should wait.” hacer is the infinitive “to do” or “to make.” After debemos, it stays in the infinitive rather than being separately conjugated: debemos hacer = “we should do.” Its meaning here is the general action of doing something, not specifically making an object. Example: ¿Qué debemos preparar? — “What should we prepare?” ahora means “now” and places the proposed action at the present time. It is an adverb, so it does not change for person or number. Example: Debemos salir ahora. — “We should leave now.” Together, ¿Qué asks which action is intended, debemos supplies the first-person plural “should,” hacer names that action as “do,” and ahora specifies the time. The complete utterance means “What should we do now?” The following context’s suggestion to start with the short list is compatible with this question.

2. Empecemos con la lista corta.

   Let's start with the short list.

   Empecemos

   Let's start

   lista

   list

   corta

   short

   More detail

   Empecemos is the first-person plural form used here to make a suggestion or invitation: “let’s start.” It comes from empezar, “to start/begin.” The form addresses a group that includes the speaker; it is not the singular command empieza (“start!” to tú). Compare Empezamos (“we start” as a statement) with Empecemos (“let’s start” as a proposal). Example: Empecemos ahora. — “Let’s start now.” lista means “list” here. It is a feminine singular noun, which is why it appears with la and is modified by the feminine singular form corta. The plural is listas, as in las listas (“the lists”). corta means “short” here and describes lista. It is the feminine singular form of corto; the masculine singular form is corto, and the plural forms are cortos and cortas. Its useful opposite is larga (“long”) when describing a feminine singular noun. The pattern empezar con + noun means “to start with + noun.” Thus, Empecemos con la lista corta combines the invitation “let’s start” with “with the short list.” The whole utterance means “Let’s start with the short list.”

3. ¿Debemos terminarla antes de revisar el archivo?

   Should we finish it before reviewing the file?

   Debemos

   we should / we must

   terminarla

   finish it

   antes de

   before

   revisar

   review

   archivo

   file

   More detail

   Debemos is the first-person plural present form of deber: debemos can mean “we should” or “we must,” depending on the strength of the obligation. In this question, the fixed translation supports “should.” The verb form is used with a first-person plural subject; Spanish does not show the subject’s gender in this verb form. terminarla combines the infinitive terminar (“to finish”) with the attached direct-object clitic la. Here la is feminine singular, while the English “it” does not reveal the object’s grammatical gender. The fixed sentence does not uniquely identify which object it refers to. With a masculine singular object, Spanish uses terminarlo; with plural objects, terminarlos or terminarlas. Example: Debemos terminarlo hoy. — “We should finish it today.” Here lo replaces a masculine singular object. Antes de introduces an action that happens earlier than another action. Before an infinitive, the reusable pattern is antes de + infinitive: antes de salir = “before leaving.” Revisar is the infinitive meaning “to review” or “to check.” Its base form is revisar; a conjugated example is revisamos, which can mean “we review” or “we reviewed,” depending on context. Here it names the action that occurs after finishing the object. Archivo is a masculine singular noun meaning “file.” Its usual singular article is el: el archivo; its plural is los archivos. Thus revisar el archivo means “reviewing the file.” Together, Debemos terminarla asks whether the speakers should finish the feminine-singular object, and antes de revisar el archivo places that finishing action before reviewing the file. The complete meaning is: “Should we finish it before reviewing the file?”

4. Podemos terminarla rápido si dividimos el trabajo.

   We can get through it quickly if we split the work.

   Podemos

   we can

   terminarla

   finish it

   rápido

   quickly

   si

   if

   dividimos

   we split

   trabajo

   work

   More detail

   Podemos is the first-person plural present form of poder (“can, be able to”): podemos = “we can.” Spanish uses this form for the speaker together with at least one other person. Here it introduces the action that the group is able to carry out. Example: Podemos empezar. — “We can start.” terminarla combines terminar (“to finish”) with the attached direct-object pronoun la (“it”). The verb remains in the infinitive, and la is feminine singular; it refers to the thing being finished without the supplied texts identifying that thing by name. The pronoun’s form must match that object: terminarlo would refer to a masculine singular object, while terminarlas would refer to feminine plural objects. Example: Necesitamos terminarla hoy. — “We need to finish it today.” rápido means “quickly” here. Although this form is also the masculine singular adjective “quick,” Spanish can use it adverbially to describe how an action happens. The sentence therefore says that finishing it will be quick, not that the object itself is quick. Example: El tren avanza rápido. — “The train moves quickly.” si introduces the condition “if.” It connects the possible action in the first part with the condition that follows. Do not confuse this conjunction with sí, which means “yes” and has an accent mark. Example: Podemos salir si termina la lluvia. — “We can leave if the rain stops.” dividimos is the first-person plural present indicative form of dividir (“to divide, split”): “we split.” In this sentence, the present form appears in the si-clause to state the condition. It agrees with the same “we” expressed by podemos. Example: Dividimos la tarea en dos partes. — “We split the task into two parts.” trabajo is the masculine singular noun “work.” With the article in the sentence, el trabajo means “the work”; the selected quote contains only the noun, while el is a separate preceding word. The noun can refer to work as a task or body of work, as it does here. Example: El trabajo es importante. — “The work is important.” Together, Podemos terminarla says “we can finish it,” and rápido describes the speed of that action. si dividimos el trabajo adds the condition “if we split the work.” The complete meaning is: “We can get through it quickly if we split the work.”

5. Entonces, yo haré la primera parte.

   Then I'll take the first part.

   Entonces

   Then

   yo

   I

   haré

   will do; will handle

   primera

   first

   parte

   part

   More detail

   Entonces means “then” here, linking this statement to what has just been established. It can mark a consequence or the next step in a sequence. yo is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” Spanish often omits this pronoun because the verb ending identifies the subject. Including yo makes the division of responsibility explicit or adds emphasis: Yo haré la primera parte. — “I’ll do the first part.” haré is the first-person singular future form of hacer, “to do” or “to make.” The useful chain is hacer → haré (“I will do/make”). The future ending here identifies “I” and presents the action as future. In this sentence, the suitable meaning is “I’ll handle/take,” referring to responsibility for the task, not necessarily literal physical making. primera is the feminine singular ordinal form of primero, “first.” It agrees with the feminine singular noun parte: la primera parte. Ordinals identify position in an ordered set; they are different from primer, the shortened form used before a masculine singular noun, as in el primer día (“the first day”). parte is a feminine noun meaning “part” or “portion.” In this sentence it refers to one division of the work. A reusable pattern is la primera parte (“the first part”); for example, Leo la primera parte. — “I’m reading the first part.” Together, Entonces, yo haré la primera parte. means “Then I’ll take the first part.” Entonces sets this as the next step, yo haré assigns the future responsibility to the speaker, and la primera parte identifies which division of the work the speaker will handle.

6. Yo haré el resto.

   I'll handle the rest.

   haré

   I will do; I will handle

   el resto

   the rest

   More detail

   haré is the first-person singular future of hacer (“to do” or “to make”). The future form is irregular: hacer → haré, not a form built from the full infinitive. Here, haré means “I will handle/do,” with yo as its subject. The ending -é marks the first-person singular future in this verb. Example: Yo haré la cena. — “I will make dinner.” el resto means “the rest,” that is, the remaining part or parts of something already understood. resto is a masculine singular noun, so it appears with the masculine singular article el. In this utterance, the phrase refers generally to what remains, without specifying each remaining task. Example: El resto puede esperar. — “The rest can wait.” Together, Yo haré el resto means “I’ll handle the rest.” Yo identifies the speaker, haré states that the speaker will take care of it in the future, and el resto identifies the remaining part of the work or matter. The sentence is a direct, neutral way to volunteer responsibility for what remains.

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

   After that, we can review anything unclear.

   Después de eso

   After that

   podemos

   we can

   revisar

   review

   cualquier

   any

   cosa

   thing

   esté

   is

   clara

   clear

   More detail

   Después de eso places the action after an already identified event or situation: después de means “after,” and eso is a neutral demonstrative meaning “that.” Here it establishes the next step in the sequence; it does not identify a new participant. Example: Después de eso, descansamos. — “After that, we rest.” podemos is the first-person plural present indicative form of poder: puedo, puedes, puede, podemos. In this sentence, it means “we can,” with an understood nosotros subject. The form expresses the group’s ability or possibility, while revisar supplies the action. Example: Podemos empezar ahora. — “We can start now.” revisar is the infinitive “to review” or “to check.” After podemos, Spanish uses an infinitive: podemos revisar, “we can review.” The infinitive does not show the subject or tense itself; podemos carries the first-person plural present marking. Example: Podemos revisar el documento. — “We can review the document.” cualquier is the form of cualquiera used immediately before a singular noun. It means “any” in the sense of an unspecified member of a group, not a stated quantity. It agrees in number with the singular noun here, but it does not mark masculine or feminine gender in this position. Example: cualquier pregunta — “any question.” cosa means “thing.” It is a feminine singular noun, which is why the related adjective later appears as clara. The sequence cualquier cosa means “anything” or literally “any thing”; cualquier modifies cosa rather than replacing it. Example: una cosa importante — “an important thing.” esté is the third-person singular present subjunctive form of estar; its base form is estar. In que no esté clara, it agrees in person and number with singular cosa, not in gender. The subjunctive is useful here because cualquier cosa refers to an unspecified thing that may or may not be identified as unclear. No reverses the clause’s polarity: no esté clara means “is not clear.” Example: Busco algo que esté cerca. — “I’m looking for something that is nearby.” clara is the feminine singular form of the adjective claro, “clear.” It agrees with the feminine singular noun cosa; the gender marking is on the adjective, while esté marks person and number for estar. In this sentence, clara describes whether the thing is understandable or sufficiently clear. Example: La instrucción está clara. — “The instruction is clear.” Together, cualquier cosa que no esté clara means “anything that is not clear.” The relative clause que no esté clara specifies the kind of thing to review, while cualquier keeps the reference open rather than identifying one particular item. The full utterance combines the time link Después de eso, the ability pattern podemos + infinitive, and the object phrase: “After that, we can review anything unclear.”

8. Abriré el archivo cuando terminemos la lista.

   I'll open the file when the list is done.

   Abriré

   I will open

   archivo

   file

   terminemos

   we finish

   lista

   list

   More detail

   Abriré is the first-person singular future of abrir (“to open”): abrir → abriré (“I will open”). The ending -é identifies “I” in this future form. Example: Mañana abriré la puerta. — “Tomorrow I will open the door.” archivo means “file.” With the masculine singular article el, el archivo means “the file.” The noun is masculine singular here; the article agrees with it. Example: El archivo está listo. — “The file is ready.” terminemos is the first-person plural present subjunctive of terminar (“to finish”). After cuando, Spanish uses the subjunctive when the finishing is a future event viewed as pending: cuando terminemos — “when we finish.” Compare the indicative in a known or habitual situation: Cuando terminamos, descansamos. — “When we finish, we rest.” lista means “list.” With the feminine singular article la, la lista means “the list”; la agrees with the noun’s grammatical gender and number. Example: La lista es breve. — “The list is short.” Together, Abriré el archivo means “I will open the file,” and cuando terminemos la lista means “when we finish the list.” The complete utterance is: “I’ll open the file when the list is done.” Spanish expresses the same timing with the subject we inside terminemos: literally, “when we finish the list.”