Using a Shared Meeting Room | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. ¿Podemos usar la sala de reuniones compartida?

   Can we use the shared meeting room?

   Podemos

   can we

   usar

   use

   sala

   room

   reuniones

   meetings

   compartida

   shared

   More detail

   Podemos is the first-person plural present form of poder (“to be able to; can”). With a question mark, ¿Podemos ...? asks whether we can do something: ¿Podemos entrar? — “Can we come in?” The form includes the speaker and at least one other person; it does not identify who the other people are. usar means “to use.” It is an infinitive, and it follows podemos because poder is followed by another verb in the infinitive: Podemos usar... — “We can use...” The same pattern works with other verbs: Podemos esperar. — “We can wait.” sala means “room” or “hall.” It is a feminine singular noun, as shown here by la sala. A useful contrast is el cuarto — “the room,” using a different masculine noun; grammatical gender is a property of each Spanish noun, not a claim about the real-world object. reuniones means “meetings.” It is the plural of reunión; the final -es marks the plural because the singular ends in a consonant. In sala de reuniones, de reuniones specifies the type or purpose of the room: “meeting room.” Example: Tenemos dos reuniones. — “We have two meetings.” compartida means “shared.” It is the feminine singular form of the adjective compartido, agreeing with sala. Compare un espacio compartido — “a shared space,” where the adjective is masculine singular because espacio is masculine. The adjective describes the room as shared; it does not change the number of meetings. Together, ¿Podemos usar la sala de reuniones compartida? asks, “Can we use the shared meeting room?” The structure is ¿Podemos + infinitive usar + the noun phrase la sala de reuniones compartida: “Can we use” + “the shared meeting room?”

2. Puedes usarla, pero mantenla ordenada para otras personas.

   You can, but keep it tidy for other people.

   Puedes

   you can

   usarla

   use it

   mantenla

   keep it

   ordenada

   tidy

   otras

   other

   personas

   people

   More detail

   Puedes is the tú-singular present form of poder (“can” or “be able to”). Here it expresses permission or practical ability: “you can.” The infinitive pattern puedes + infinitive is reusable: Puedes entrar means “You can enter.” usarla combines the infinitive usar (“to use”) with the attached direct-object pronoun la (“it”). In this context, la refers to the feminine singular shared meeting room mentioned in the preceding sentence. With a masculine singular object, the corresponding form would be usarlo; the pronoun changes to match the object, not the person who uses it. mantenla combines the tú-singular affirmative command of mantener (“to keep” or “to maintain”) with the attached direct-object pronoun la. The exact command form is for one familiar or informally addressed person: “keep it.” In an affirmative command, the pronoun is attached to the verb: Mantenla limpia means “Keep it clean.” ordenada is the feminine singular form of the adjective ordenado (“tidy” or “organized”). It agrees with the feminine singular object represented by la, the room. The masculine singular form is ordenado, and plural forms include ordenadas for feminine plural nouns and ordenados for masculine or mixed plural nouns. otras is the feminine plural form of otro (“other” or “another”). It agrees with the plural feminine noun personas. In otras personas, it means people other than the person or people already in focus; it does not mean “instead of” them. personas is the plural of persona (“person” or “people”). Although persona is grammatically feminine in Spanish, it can refer to people of any gender; the adjective or determiner agrees with the noun’s grammatical gender. The sentence first gives permission with Puedes usarla: “You can use it.” pero introduces a condition or accompanying request, and mantenla ordenada means “keep it tidy.” The final phrase, para otras personas, gives the purpose or beneficiaries: the tidiness is for other people. Together: “You can, but keep it tidy for other people.”

3. ¿Está libre esta mesa?

   Is this table free?

   Está

   is

   libre

   free; available

   esta

   this

   mesa

   table

   More detail

   Está is the third-person singular present form of estar (“to be”). The accent distinguishes está from esta: está is the verb, while esta is the demonstrative later in the question. Here it asks about the table’s current state or availability. libre means “free” here, in the sense of available for use. It is an adjective, and this form does not change for masculine or feminine; its plural is libres. Example: La silla está libre. — “The chair is free.” esta means “this” and is the feminine singular demonstrative. It agrees with the feminine singular noun mesa, rather than with the speaker or listener. The masculine singular counterpart is este; plural forms include estos and estas. mesa means “table.” It is a feminine singular noun, so the matching demonstrative is esta. Example: Esta mesa está limpia. — “This table is clean.” Together, esta mesa means “this table,” and está libre asks whether it is available. Spanish commonly forms a yes-or-no question with the same word order as a statement, using question marks and intonation: ¿Está libre esta mesa? means “Is this table free?”

4. Está disponible ahora.

   It is available now.

   Está

   is

   disponible

   available

   ahora

   now

   More detail

   Está is the present-tense form of estar for a third-person singular subject. Here it expresses a current state: “is.” Estar is used for a state or condition, while ser is used for different kinds of identity or classification. The subject is understood from the situation; the form itself marks singular number. disponible means “available” here. It is an adjective and has the same singular form with masculine and feminine singular nouns; its plural form is disponibles. For example: La silla está disponible. — “The chair is available.” ahora means “now” and places the state in the present time. It can be moved for emphasis: Ahora está disponible. — “It is available now.” Together, Está disponible ahora. means “It is available now”: está states the current condition, disponible names that condition, and ahora specifies when it holds. This is a neutral, reusable way to say that something can currently be used, obtained, or chosen, depending on the context.

5. Pondré mi bolso junto a la pared.

   I will put my bag by the wall.

   Pondré

   I will put

   mi

   my

   bolso

   bag

   junto a

   beside; by

   pared

   wall

   More detail

   Pondré means “I will put” here. It is the first-person singular future of poner (“to put”): poner → pondré. The future ending and the form itself identify the speaker as “I”; the accent belongs to this written form. Example: Pondré el libro aquí. — “I will put the book here.” mi means “my” and indicates possession. It is the possessive form used with a singular noun; here it accompanies bolso. Do not confuse it with mí, the stressed pronoun meaning “me” after certain prepositions: para mí — “for me.” bolso means “bag” here, specifically the noun for a bag or handbag. It is a masculine noun, as shown in forms such as el bolso; its plural is bolsos. Example: Mi bolso está aquí. — “My bag is here.” junto a is a reusable location pattern meaning “beside,” “next to,” or “by.” It introduces the place adjacent to something: La silla está junto a la mesa. — “The chair is next to the table.” pared means “wall.” It is a feminine noun: la pared, plural las paredes. In the sentence, la marks the specific wall referred to by the fixed translation; the noun itself is pared. Together, Pondré mi bolso junto a la pared means “I will put my bag by the wall.” The future verb expresses the speaker’s planned or intended action; mi bolso is the thing being put, and junto a la pared specifies its destination or location beside the wall.

6. Por favor, deja la mesa despejada.

   Please keep the table clear.

   Por favor

   please

   deja

   leave; keep

   mesa

   table

   despejada

   clear

   More detail

   Por favor is a polite way to frame a request. It does not itself specify who must act; the form deja supplies that information here. deja means “leave” or “keep” in this sentence. Here it is the affirmative command form for tú singular: dejar → deja. The construction deja + object + adjective asks the listener to leave or keep the object in the state described by the adjective. For example: Deja la puerta abierta. — “Leave the door open.” mesa means “table.” It is a feminine singular noun, so the article and any agreeing adjective use feminine singular forms: la mesa. despejada means “clear” here, in the sense of having nothing obstructing or cluttering the table. It is the feminine singular form of the adjective despejado, agreeing with mesa. For example: La mesa está despejada. — “The table is clear.” Together, deja la mesa despejada means “keep the table clear” or literally “leave the table clear.” With Por favor, the complete utterance is a polite request: “Please keep the table clear.”

7. Dejaremos la sala limpia cuando terminemos.

   We will leave the room clean when we finish.

   Dejaremos

   we will leave

   sala

   room

   limpia

   clean

   terminemos

   we finish

   More detail

   Dejaremos is the first-person plural future form of dejar: dejar → dejaremos, “we will leave.” The subject is implicit nosotros/nosotras, so the form refers to the speaker together with at least one other person. In this sentence, dejar takes la sala as its object and limpia describes the condition in which it will be left. Example: Dejaremos la puerta abierta. — “We will leave the door open.” sala means “room” here. Its useful base form is the feminine singular noun sala; the article la agrees with it. Example: La sala es grande. — “The room is large.” limpia means “clean” here. It is the feminine singular form of the adjective limpio, agreeing with sala, not a form of the noun. The adjective describes the resulting state of the room after the leaving action. Compare El cuarto queda limpio — “The room remains clean,” where masculine singular limpio agrees with cuarto. terminemos is the first-person plural present subjunctive form of terminar: terminar → terminemos. After cuando, Spanish uses the subjunctive when the clause refers to a future event that has not happened yet: “when we finish.” It is not a command here. Compare Cuando terminamos, salimos — “When we finish/finished, we leave/left,” where the indicative presents the event as established or habitual rather than pending in this future frame. Together, Dejaremos la sala limpia says that we will leave the room in a clean state. cuando terminemos adds the time condition “when we finish,” with the same implicit first-person plural subject understood in both clauses. The complete meaning is: “We will leave the room clean when we finish.”

8. Eso ayuda al siguiente grupo.

   That helps the next group.

   Eso

   That

   ayuda

   helps

   siguiente

   next

   grupo

   group

   More detail

   Eso means “that” here and functions as the subject. It is the neuter demonstrative pronoun, commonly used for an idea, situation, or previously mentioned matter rather than for a specifically identified masculine or feminine noun. Unlike este/esta and ese/esa, eso does not change for masculine or feminine agreement. ayuda is the present-tense form of ayudar for a third-person singular subject: eso ayuda = “that helps.” The same form can mean “he helps,” “she helps,” or “it helps” when the subject is different. Example: La explicación ayuda. — “The explanation helps.” al is the contraction of a + el. With ayudar, a introduces the person or group that receives the benefit, so al siguiente grupo means “the next group.” siguiente describes grupo and means “next” or “following.” It does not change for masculine versus feminine gender: el siguiente grupo and la siguiente tarea both use siguiente. It does change for number: los siguientes grupos means “the next groups.” grupo is a masculine singular noun meaning “group.” Its plural is grupos. The article in al contains masculine singular el, giving el siguiente grupo. Together, Eso is the subject, ayuda states the action, and al siguiente grupo identifies the recipient of that help. The complete utterance means “That helps the next group.”