About This Lesson
Use Using a Shared Fridge to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
¿Puedo usar el refrigerador compartido?
PWEH-doh oo-SAR el reh-free-heh-rah-DOR kohm-par-TEE-doh? Can I use the shared fridge?
B
Ponle una etiqueta a tu comida antes de meterla.
POHN-leh OO-nah eh-tee-KEH-tah ah too koh-MEE-dah AHN-tehs deh meh-TEHR-lah. Label your food before you put it in.
A
¿Dónde puedo encontrar una etiqueta?
DOHN-deh PWEH-doh en-kohn-TRAR OO-nah eh-tee-KEH-tah? Where can I find a label?
B
Hay etiquetas junto al refrigerador.
Eye eh-tee-KEH-tahs HOON-toh al reh-free-heh-rah-DOR. There are labels beside the fridge.
A
¿Hay suficiente espacio adentro?
Eye soo-fee-SYEN-teh eh-SPAH-syoh ah-DEN-troh? Is there enough space inside?
B
Usa el estante de arriba; hay espacio allí.
OO-sah el eh-STAN-teh deh ah-RREE-bah; eye eh-SPAH-syoh ah-YEE. Use the top shelf; there is room there.
A
Sacaré mi comida más tarde.
Sah-kah-REH mee koh-MEE-dah mahs TAR-deh. I will take my food out later.
B
Eso deja espacio libre para otras personas.
EH-soh DEH-hah eh-SPAH-syoh LEE-breh PAH-rah OH-trahs pehr-SOH-nahs. That keeps space open for other people.Word by Word
Puedo
In Puedo usar el refrigerador compartido, Puedo means “can I” and asks for permission to use something. It is a form of poder used before an infinitive. A reusable pattern is Puedo + infinitive, as in Puedo usar.
usar
In Puedo usar, usar means “to use” and names the action that is possible or permitted. It follows Puedo in this question. The reusable pattern is Puedo + infinitive.
el
In el refrigerador, el means “the” and identifies a specific refrigerator. It is used directly before refrigerador in this dialogue. A reusable pattern is el + noun.
refrigerador
Refrigerador means “refrigerator” or “fridge” here. In el refrigerador compartido, it names the shared appliance being discussed. A reusable phrase is usar el refrigerador.
compartido
In el refrigerador compartido, compartido means “shared” and describes the refrigerator as being used by more than one person. It follows the noun in this dialogue. A reusable pattern is noun + compartido.
Ponle
Ponle is an instruction to put something on or with the relevant item; in Ponle una etiqueta a tu comida, the thing put on the food is una etiqueta. The form includes the command to put and le, which connects the action to the item receiving it. A reusable pattern is Ponle + thing + a + item.
una
In una etiqueta, una means “a” and introduces one label. It appears directly before the feminine noun etiqueta. A reusable pattern is una + noun.
etiqueta
Etiqueta means “label” in una etiqueta and refers to the label placed on the food. The reusable phrase una etiqueta names one label, while Hay etiquetas refers to multiple labels.
a
In Ponle una etiqueta a tu comida, a links the label to tu comida, identifying the food that receives it. It is part of the reusable pattern ponerle una etiqueta a + item. Here the exact phrase is a tu comida.
tu
In tu comida, tu means “your” and identifies the food as belonging to the person being addressed. It comes directly before comida. A reusable pattern is tu + noun.
comida
Comida means “food” in tu comida and refers to the food that should receive a label. A reusable phrase is ponerle una etiqueta a tu comida.
antes
In antes de meterla, antes means “before” and places the labeling action before putting the food inside. It is used with de before the following action. A reusable pattern is antes de + infinitive.
de
In antes de meterla, de introduces the action that happens afterward: putting the food in. Together with antes, it forms the time pattern antes de + infinitive. The exact dialogue phrase is antes de meterla.
meterla
In antes de meterla, meterla means “to put it in”; la refers back to comida. The pronoun is attached to the infinitive meter in this exact form. A reusable pattern is antes de + meterla when the item being put in is already understood.
Dónde
Dónde means “where” in Dónde puedo encontrar una etiqueta and asks about a location. The accent marks it as a question word. A reusable pattern is Dónde + puedo + infinitive.
encontrar
In puedo encontrar una etiqueta, encontrar means “to find” and names the action the speaker wants to carry out. It follows puedo as an infinitive. A reusable pattern is puedo encontrar + object.
Hay
Hay means “there is” or “there are” when introducing something that exists or is available. In Hay etiquetas, it introduces multiple labels, and in hay espacio it introduces available room. A reusable pattern is hay + noun.
etiquetas
Etiquetas means “labels” in Hay etiquetas beside the fridge. The plural form names more than one label. A reusable pattern is hay + plural noun, as in Hay etiquetas.
junto
In junto al refrigerador, junto means “beside” or “next to” and describes the labels’ location. It is used in the location expression junto a + place or object. The exact dialogue phrase is junto al refrigerador.
al
In junto al refrigerador, al means “next to the” as part of the location phrase. It combines the preposition a with the article el before refrigerador. A reusable pattern is junto al + noun.
suficiente
In suficiente espacio, suficiente means “enough” and indicates that the amount of room may meet the need. It comes before espacio in this dialogue. A reusable pattern is suficiente + noun.
espacio
Espacio means “space” or “room” in suficiente espacio and hay espacio allí. It refers to available room inside the shared fridge. A reusable phrase is hay espacio.
adentro
Adentro means “inside” in ¿Hay suficiente espacio adentro? and locates the space within the refrigerator. It can be added after hay suficiente espacio to specify the location. The exact phrase is espacio adentro.
Usa
Usa is an instruction meaning “use” in Usa el estante de arriba. It tells the person addressed which shelf to use. A reusable pattern is Usa + noun.
estante
Estante means “shelf” in el estante de arriba and identifies the place where the food should go. A reusable phrase is Usa el estante de arriba.
arriba
In el estante de arriba, arriba means “above” or “up” and helps identify the upper shelf. It follows de in this description. A reusable pattern is estante de arriba.
allí
Allí means “there” in hay espacio allí and points to the place just mentioned, the upper shelf. It can follow a statement about available space to refer back to that location. The exact pattern is hay espacio allí.
Sacaré
Sacaré means “I will take out” in Sacaré mi comida más tarde and expresses the speaker’s future plan. It is a form of sacar used for the speaker’s action. A reusable pattern is Sacaré + object + time expression.
mi
In mi comida, mi means “my” and identifies the food as belonging to the speaker. It comes directly before comida. A reusable pattern is mi + noun.
más
In más tarde, más helps move the time to a later point; the full expression means “later,” not más by itself. It comes before tarde in this dialogue. A reusable pattern is más + time or quantity expression when indicating an increased amount or later point.
tarde
In más tarde, tarde contributes to the time expression meaning “later.” The expression refers to a time after the present moment, when the speaker will take out the food. A reusable pattern is más tarde for a later action.
Eso
Eso means “that” in Eso deja espacio libre and refers to the action just mentioned, taking the food out later. It functions as the subject of the following statement. A reusable pattern is Eso + verb.
deja
In Eso deja espacio libre, deja means “leaves” or “keeps” and describes the result of the action: space remains available. It is used with the object espacio libre. A reusable pattern is deja + object + description.
libre
In espacio libre, libre means “free” or “open” and describes space that remains available for use. It follows espacio in this phrase. A reusable pattern is espacio libre.
para
In para otras personas, para means “for” and marks who will benefit from the open space. It introduces the people who can use it. A reusable pattern is espacio libre para + person or group.
otras
In otras personas, otras means “other” and distinguishes these people from the speaker or people already using the fridge. It comes before the plural noun personas. A reusable pattern is otras + plural noun.
personas
Personas means “people” in para otras personas and identifies who can use the space that remains open. It follows otras in this phrase. A reusable pattern is para otras personas.
Grammar Points
Imperativo + pronombre: ponle, meterla
Ponle una etiqueta antes de meterla.
POHN-leh OO-nah eh-tee-KEH-tah AHN-tehs deh meh-TEHR-lah.Put a label on it before putting it in.
In Spanish, object pronouns attach to affirmative commands and infinitives: ponle and meterla.
Futuro simple: sacaré
Sacaré la comida más tarde.
Sah-kah-REH lah koh-MEE-dah mahs TAR-deh.I will take the food out later.
The ending -é marks the first-person singular future: sacaré means “I will take out.”
Spanish Vocabulary
antes
adv
AHN-tehs
before
antes de meterla
comida
noun
koh-MEE-dah
food
tu comida
compartido
adj
kohm-par-TEE-doh
shared
el refrigerador compartido
dónde
adv
DOHN-deh
where
¿Dónde puedo encontrar una etiqueta?
encontrar
verb
en-kohn-TRAR
to find
etiqueta
noun
eh-tee-KEH-tah
label
Ponle una etiqueta a tu comida antes de meterla.
junto a
prep
HOON-toh ah
beside; next to
junto al refrigerador
meter
verb
meh-TEHR
to put in; to insert
meterla
antes de meterla
poder
verb
poh-DEHR
can; to be able to
puedo
¿Puedo usar el refrigerador compartido?
poner
verb
poh-NEHR
to put; to place
Ponle
Ponle una etiqueta a tu comida antes de meterla.
refrigerador
noun
reh-free-heh-rah-DOR
refrigerator; fridge
¿Puedo usar el refrigerador compartido?
usar
verb
oo-SAR
to use
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Can I use the shared fridge?
Show Answer
¿Puedo usar el refrigerador compartido?Where can I find a label?
Show Answer
¿Dónde puedo encontrar una etiqueta?There are labels beside the fridge.
Show Answer
Hay etiquetas junto al refrigerador.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
to put in; to insert
Show Answer
meterlabefore
Show Answer
antesto put; to place
Show Answer
Ponlefood