Using a Shared Meeting Room | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: In a shared meeting room, two adults talk about using a table and leaving the room clean for the next group..

EN → ES / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Using a Shared Meeting Room to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

¿Podemos usar la sala de reuniones compartida?

poh-DEH-mohs oo-SAR lah SAH-lah deh reh-oo-NYOH-nehs kohm-par-TEE-dah Can we use the shared meeting room?
B

Puedes usarla, pero mantenla ordenada para otras personas.

PWEH-dehs oo-SAR-lah, PEH-roh mahn-TEHN-lah or-den-AH-dah PAH-rah OH-trahs pehr-SOH-nahs You can, but keep it tidy for other people.
A

¿Está libre esta mesa?

ehs-TAH LEE-breh EH-stah MEH-sah Is this table free?
B

Está disponible ahora.

ehs-TAH dees-poh-NEE-bleh ah-OH-rah It is available now.
A

Pondré mi bolso junto a la pared.

pohn-DREH mee BOHL-soh HOON-toh ah lah pah-REHD I will put my bag by the wall.
B

Por favor, deja la mesa despejada.

pohr fah-VOHR, DEH-hah lah MEH-sah dehs-peh-HAH-dah Please keep the table clear.
A

Dejaremos la sala limpia cuando terminemos.

deh-hah-REH-mohs lah SAH-lah LEEM-pyah KWAHN-doh tehr-mee-NEH-mohs We will leave the room clean when we finish.
B

Eso ayuda al siguiente grupo.

EH-soh ah-YOO-dah ahl see-GYEN-teh GROO-poh That helps the next group.

Word by Word

Podemos “Podemos” means “can” here, as A asks whether they are allowed or able to use the room. It is used with an infinitive in the question “Podemos usar...?”.
usar “usar” means “to use” in “Podemos usar la sala...”. After “Podemos”, it names the action that is possible or permitted.
la “la” means “the” before “sala” in “la sala de reuniones compartida”. It is used before this feminine singular noun; a useful pattern is “la” plus a noun.
sala “sala” means “room” here, specifically the room being used for meetings. In “la sala de reuniones”, it identifies the place being discussed.
de “de” links “sala” with “reuniones” in “sala de reuniones”, identifying the room by its purpose. A common pattern is a noun followed by “de” and another noun.
reuniones “reuniones” means “meetings” in “sala de reuniones”. Together with “sala de”, it identifies a room intended for meetings.
compartida “compartida” means “shared” and describes “sala” in “la sala de reuniones compartida”. It shows that the room is used by more than one group or set of people.
Puedes “Puedes” means “you can” in B’s reply “Puedes usarla”. It addresses one person and is followed here by an action, “usarla”.
usarla “usarla” means “use it”, referring to the shared meeting room. In “Puedes usarla”, “usar” gives the action and “la” refers back to “la sala”; the same pattern can be used with “Puedes” plus an action and an object pronoun.
pero “pero” means “but” and contrasts permission to use the room with the request to keep it tidy. It connects the two parts of “Puedes usarla, pero mantenla...”.
mantenla “mantenla” tells the listener to keep the room tidy. In “mantenla ordenada”, “la” refers to “la sala”, and the form combines the instruction with that object.
ordenada “ordenada” means “tidy” or “orderly” in “mantenla ordenada”. It describes the condition the room should remain in and agrees with the feminine noun “sala”.
para “para” means “for” in “para otras personas”, showing who should benefit from the room being kept tidy. A useful pattern is “para” followed by the people who are considered.
otras “otras” means “other” in “otras personas”. It describes several feminine people and appears before the noun it modifies.
personas “personas” means “people” in “para otras personas”. The phrase identifies the other people who may use or benefit from the shared room.
Está “Está” means “is” in “Está disponible ahora”, describing the table’s current availability. It is also used in the dialogue in “Está libre” to describe its present state.
libre “libre” means “free” or “unoccupied” in “¿Está libre esta mesa?”. The pattern “estar libre” is useful when asking whether a place or object is available for use.
esta “esta” means “this” in “esta mesa”, pointing to the particular table being considered. It appears directly before the feminine singular noun “mesa”.
mesa “mesa” means “table” in “esta mesa” and “la mesa”. It is the table that is available and should later be kept clear.
disponible “disponible” means “available” in “Está disponible ahora”. It describes something that can be used at the present time, and the pattern “estar disponible” is useful for checking availability.
ahora “ahora” means “now” and specifies that the table is available at this moment. It commonly appears with a statement about current availability, as in “Está disponible ahora”.
Pondré “Pondré” means “I will put” in “Pondré mi bolso junto a la pared”. It describes a planned future placement, and the pattern “Pondré” followed by an object and a location can be reused.
mi “mi” means “my” in “mi bolso”, showing who the bag belongs to. It is placed before the noun it identifies, as in “mi” plus a personal object.
bolso “bolso” means “bag” in “mi bolso”. Here it is the object that will be placed beside the wall.
junto “junto” means “next to” in the expression “junto a la pared”. The complete location pattern “junto a” identifies something as being beside a particular place or object.
a “a” is part of the location expression “junto a la pared”, which means “next to the wall”. Here it links “junto” with the place used as the reference point.
pared “pared” means “wall” in “junto a la pared”. It is the reference point for where the bag will be placed.
Por favor “Por favor” means “please” and makes “deja la mesa despejada” a polite request. “Por” and “favor” are the two components of this fixed polite expression, which works together before or around a request.
deja “deja” tells the listener to leave or keep the table in a certain condition in “deja la mesa despejada”. It introduces the requested action and is followed by the object “la mesa”.
despejada “despejada” means “clear” or “free of items” in “deja la mesa despejada”. It describes the condition the table should have after the requested action.
Dejaremos “Dejaremos” means “we will leave” in “Dejaremos la sala limpia”. It describes what the speakers plan to do with the room, followed by the object and its resulting condition.
limpia “limpia” means “clean” in “Dejaremos la sala limpia”. It describes the condition in which the room will be left; the pattern “dejar” plus an object plus an adjective expresses the resulting state.
cuando “cuando” means “when” and introduces the time of the action in “cuando terminemos”. A useful pattern is “cuando” followed by a clause that says when something happens.
terminemos “terminemos” means “we finish” in “cuando terminemos”. It states the action that marks the time for leaving the room clean.
Eso “Eso” means “that” and refers back to the action of leaving the room clean. In “Eso ayuda...”, it turns the previous action into the subject of the next statement.
ayuda “ayuda” means “helps” in “Eso ayuda al siguiente grupo”. It expresses a benefit for someone, and a useful pattern is “ayuda a” followed by the person or group that benefits.
al “al” means “to the” in “al siguiente grupo”. It is the combined form of “a” and “el” and marks the group that benefits from the action.
siguiente “siguiente” means “next” in “al siguiente grupo”. It identifies the group that will use the room after the current group.
grupo “grupo” means “group” in “al siguiente grupo”. It names the people who will use the shared room next and benefit from it being left clean.

Grammar Points

poder + infinitivo

Podemos usar la sala compartida.

poh-DEH-mohs oo-SAR lah SAH-lah kohm-par-TEE-dah

We can use the shared room.

After conjugated poder, the following verb stays in the infinitive: podemos usar.

Imperativo afirmativo + pronombre

Mantenla ordenada, por favor.

mahn-TEHN-lah or-den-AH-dah, pohr fah-VOHR

Keep it tidy, please.

In an affirmative command, the object pronoun attaches to the verb: mantén + la = mantenla.

Spanish Vocabulary

compartido adj
kohm-par-TEE-doh shared compartida

¿Podemos usar la sala de reuniones compartida?

disponible adj
dees-poh-NEE-bleh available

Está disponible ahora.

libre adj
LEE-breh free; available

¿Está libre esta mesa?

mantener verb
mahn-teh-NEHR to keep; to maintain mantenla

Puedes usarla, pero mantenla ordenada para otras personas.

mesa noun
MEH-sah table

¿Está libre esta mesa?

ordenado adj
or-deh-NAH-doh tidy; neat ordenada

Puedes usarla, pero mantenla ordenada para otras personas.

otro adj
OH-troh other; another otras

Puedes usarla, pero mantenla ordenada para otras personas.

persona noun
pehr-SOH-nah person personas

Puedes usarla, pero mantenla ordenada para otras personas.

poder verb
poh-DEHR can; to be able to podemos

¿Podemos usar la sala de reuniones compartida?

reunión noun
reh-oo-NYOHN meeting reuniones

¿Podemos usar la sala de reuniones compartida?

sala noun
SAH-lah room

¿Podemos usar la sala de reuniones compartida?

usar verb
oo-SAR to use

¿Podemos usar la sala de reuniones compartida?

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Is this table free?

Show Answer¿Está libre esta mesa?

It is available now.

Show AnswerEstá disponible ahora.

Please keep the table clear.

Show AnswerPor favor, deja la mesa despejada.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to keep; to maintain

Show Answermantenla

other; another

Show Answerotras

shared

Show Answercompartida

meeting

Show Answerreuniones