Tidying the living room | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: At home, two adults tidy the living room, put things away, and prepare before guests arrive..

EN → ES / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Tidying the living room to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Nuestros invitados vienen pronto.

NWEHS-tros een-bee-TAH-dos BYEH-nen PROHN-toh. Our guests are coming soon.
B

Entonces deberíamos ordenar la sala de estar antes de que lleguen.

en-TOHN-sehs deh-beh-REE-ah-mos or-deh-NAR lah SAH-lah deh ehs-TAR AHN-tehs deh keh YEH-ghen. Then we should clear the living room before they arrive.
A

Volveré a poner los libros en la estantería.

bol-beh-REH ah poh-NEHR lohs LEE-brohs en lah ehs-tahn-teh-REE-ah. I'll put the books back on the shelf.
B

Acomodaré los cojines del sofá.

ah-koh-moh-dah-REH lohs koh-HEE-nehs dehl soh-FAH. I'll straighten the cushions on the sofa.
A

¿Deberíamos aspirar también la alfombra?

deh-beh-REE-ah-mos ahs-pee-RAR tahm-BYEHN lah ahl-FOHM-brah? Should we vacuum the rug as well?
B

Pasar la aspiradora ayudaría, sobre todo cerca de la puerta.

pah-SAR lah ahs-pee-rah-DOH-rah ah-yoo-dah-REE-ah, SOH-breh TOH-doh SEHR-kah deh lah PWEHR-tah. Vacuuming would help, especially near the doorway.
A

La habitación ya se siente más cómoda.

lah ah-bee-tah-SYOHN yah seh SYEHN-teh mahs KOH-moh-dah. The room already feels more comfortable.
B

Hagamos té cuando todo esté listo.

ah-GAH-mos teh KWAHN-doh TOH-doh ehs-TEH LEE-stoh. Let's make tea once everything is ready.

Word by Word

Nuestros In “Nuestros invitados”, “Nuestros” means “our” and identifies the guests as belonging to or being connected with us. It is the masculine plural form of nuestro because it accompanies invitados. Reuse it before a masculine plural noun, such as in nuestros libros.
invitados “invitados” means “guests” here, referring to the people who are coming to the home. It is the plural form of invitado. Use it for people invited to a home or event, as in nuestros invitados.
vienen “vienen” means “are coming” in “Nuestros invitados vienen pronto.” It is the present form of venir used with the plural subject nuestros invitados. Reuse venir with a destination or time expression, such as vienen a casa.
pronto “pronto” means “soon” and shows that the guests’ arrival is expected in the near future. It is an adverb and can be placed after the verb, as in vienen pronto. Use it when referring to an event that will happen shortly.
Entonces “Entonces” means “then” and connects this response to the guests coming soon. Here it introduces the resulting suggestion to tidy the room. Reuse it at the beginning of a sentence to show a consequence, such as Entonces, vamos a empezar.
deberíamos “deberíamos” means “we should” in “Entonces deberíamos ordenar”. It is the conditional form of deber used to make a suggestion about what would be sensible to do. Reuse deberíamos + infinitive, such as deberíamos limpiar la mesa.
ordenar “ordenar” means “to tidy” or “to put in order” in “ordenar la sala de estar”. It is the infinitive that follows deberíamos and names the suggested action. Reuse ordenar with a place or group of objects, such as ordenar la habitación.
la “la” means “the” before the feminine singular noun sala. It marks the specific room being discussed in “la sala de estar”. Reuse la before a feminine singular noun when referring to a specific thing.
sala de estar “sala de estar” means “living room” as a whole. In this expression, sala means “room”, de links the parts, and estar specifies the room for living or staying; together they name the room in the home. Reuse the complete expression when referring to a living room, as in limpiar la sala de estar.
antes “antes” means “before” and places the tidying before the guests’ arrival in “antes de que lleguen”. It is part of the time expression antes de que rather than a complete clause by itself here. Reuse antes de + a noun or antes de que + a clause for an earlier action or event.
de In “antes de que lleguen”, “de” is the linking word that completes the expression antes de que. It connects the idea of “before” with the following clause. Reuse it in the pattern antes de + noun or antes de que + clause.
que In “antes de que lleguen”, “que” introduces the clause describing the event that must happen later. Together with antes de, it links the preparation to the guests’ arrival. Reuse que after expressions that introduce a complete clause, such as antes de que lleguen.
lleguen “lleguen” means “arrive” in “antes de que lleguen”, referring to the guests reaching the home. It is the form of llegar used in this anticipated event after antes de que. Reuse antes de que with a clause about an event that has not happened yet.
Volveré “Volveré” contributes the idea of doing something again or putting something back in “Volveré a poner los libros”. It is the future form of volver used by the speaker for a planned action. Reuse volver a + infinitive when an action is repeated, such as volver a leer el libro.
a In “Volveré a poner”, “a” links volveré with the following infinitive poner. Together, volver a poner means “put back” in this context. Reuse a after volver when introducing the action that will be done again.
poner “poner” means “to put” in “poner los libros en la estantería”. It is the infinitive naming the action after a. Reuse poner X en Y to say that something is put in or on a particular place.
los “los” means “the” before the masculine plural noun libros. It refers to specific books that are being put back. Reuse los before a specific masculine plural noun.
libros “libros” means “books” and is the object being put back on the shelf. It is the plural form of libro. Reuse it after verbs such as leer, comprar, or poner, as in poner los libros en la estantería.
en In “en la estantería”, “en” shows the location where the books are put; here it is naturally understood as “on”. Reuse poner X en Y to connect an object with its destination or location.
estantería “estantería” means “shelf” or “bookcase” and is the place where the books are put back. The exact meaning depends on the furniture being referred to, but here it is the storage place for the books. Reuse it with en when describing where something is placed.
Acomodaré “Acomodaré” means “I will straighten” or “I will arrange” in “Acomodaré los cojines”. It is the future form of acomodar used for a planned tidying action. Reuse acomodar with the object being arranged, such as acomodar los cojines.
cojines “cojines” means “cushions” and refers to the soft furnishings on the sofa. It is the plural form of cojín. Reuse it with verbs for arranging or moving objects, as in acomodar los cojines.
del “del” means “of the” in “los cojines del sofá”. It shows that the sofa is the thing associated with or containing the cushions. It is the contraction of de and el, and it is reused before a masculine singular noun, as in la puerta del salón.
sofá “sofá” means “sofa” and identifies the furniture whose cushions are being straightened. It is a masculine singular noun. Reuse it after el or del when referring to a specific sofa, as in sentarse en el sofá.
aspirar “aspirar” means “to vacuum” in “deberíamos aspirar también la alfombra”. It is the infinitive naming another possible cleaning action after deberíamos. Reuse aspirar with the surface or area being cleaned, such as aspirar la alfombra.
también “también” means “also” or “as well” and adds vacuuming to the other tidying tasks. It commonly appears near the verb or at the end of the clause, as in aspirar también la alfombra. Use it when adding a similar action or fact.
alfombra “alfombra” means “rug” or “carpet” and is the surface to be vacuumed. The word can refer to a floor covering in the room. Reuse it as the object of cleaning verbs, such as limpiar la alfombra.
Pasar la aspiradora “Pasar la aspiradora” means “to vacuum” or “vacuuming” as a whole. Pasar means “pass” or “run”, la is “the”, and aspiradora is “vacuum cleaner”; together they describe using the vacuum cleaner. Reuse the complete expression with an area, such as pasar la aspiradora en la sala.
ayudaría “ayudaría” means “would help” in “Pasar la aspiradora ayudaría”. It presents vacuuming as an action that would improve the situation. Reuse ayudaría when suggesting a useful action, such as esto ayudaría mucho.
sobre todo “sobre todo” means “especially” and highlights the area near the doorway as the most important place to vacuum. The two words function together as one expression here rather than meaning “over everything” literally. Reuse sobre todo before the part you want to emphasize.
cerca “cerca” means “near” and introduces the location near the doorway in “cerca de la puerta”. It commonly appears with de before the thing or place used as the reference point. Reuse cerca de + place or object, such as cerca de la ventana.
puerta “puerta” means “door” and refers here to the doorway area where extra vacuuming would help. It is a feminine singular noun. Reuse it with cerca de when describing a location, as in cerca de la puerta.
habitación “habitación” means “room” and refers to the room that now feels more comfortable. It is a feminine singular noun. Reuse it with la when referring to a specific room, as in la habitación.
ya “ya” means “already” and shows that the room feels more comfortable at this point in the tidying process. It marks a change that has happened before the current moment. Reuse ya with a verb to emphasize that something has happened or is now true.
se In “se siente”, “se” is the pronoun used with siente to express how the room feels. The complete expression describes the room’s experienced condition rather than an action someone performs on it. Reuse the pattern a place or thing + se siente + adjective.
siente “siente” means “feels” in “La habitación ya se siente más cómoda”. It is used with se to describe the room’s condition or impression. Reuse se siente + adjective, such as se siente tranquila.
más “más” means “more” and shows that the room is more comfortable than before. Here it comes directly before the adjective cómoda. Reuse más + adjective when comparing a current quality with an earlier one.
cómoda “cómoda” means “comfortable” and describes how the room feels after being tidied. Its feminine singular form matches habitación. Reuse sentirse cómoda to describe a feminine person, place, or thing that feels comfortable.
Hagamos “Hagamos” means “let’s make” and introduces a suggestion to prepare tea together. It is a first-person plural form of hacer used to invite shared action. Reuse Hagamos + object or activity, such as Hagamos la cena.
té “té” means “tea” and is the drink they suggest making once the room is ready. It is the object of hagamos in “Hagamos té”. Reuse it after verbs for preparing or drinking a beverage, such as preparar té.
cuando “cuando” means “when” or “once” and connects making tea with the time when everything is ready. It introduces the time clause “cuando todo esté listo”. Reuse cuando + clause to state when an action will happen.
todo “todo” means “everything” and refers to all the tidying and preparation being complete. It is the subject of esté in “todo esté listo”. Reuse todo when referring collectively to all relevant things or tasks.
esté “esté” means “is” or “be” in “cuando todo esté listo”, describing the state everything needs to reach before making tea. It is a form of estar used in this time clause about an expected future state. Reuse cuando + subject + esté + adjective, such as cuando la comida esté lista.
listo “listo” means “ready” and describes the state of everything before the tea is made. Its masculine singular form matches todo. Reuse estar listo when saying that a person, thing, or preparation is ready.

Grammar Points

antes de que + subjuntivo

antes de que lleguen nuestros invitados

AHN-tehs deh keh YEH-ghen NWEHS-tros een-bee-TAH-dos

before our guests arrive

After antes de que, Spanish uses the subjunctive because the arrival has not happened yet.

cuando + subjuntivo

Hagamos té cuando todo esté listo.

ah-GAH-mos teh KWAHN-doh TOH-doh ehs-TEH LEE-stoh.

Let's make tea when everything is ready.

Use the subjunctive after cuando for a future or expected event.

Spanish Vocabulary

antes de que conj
AHN-tehs deh keh before

antes de que lleguen

entonces adv
en-TOHN-sehs then

Entonces deberíamos ordenar...

invitados noun
een-bee-TAH-dos guests

Nuestros invitados vienen pronto.

libros noun
LEE-brohs books

poner los libros en la estantería

lleguen verb
YEH-ghen they arrive

antes de que lleguen

nuestros det
NWEHS-tros our

Nuestros invitados

ordenar verb
or-deh-NAR to tidy; to put in order

deberíamos ordenar la sala de estar

poner verb
poh-NEHR to put

volveré a poner los libros

pronto adv
PROHN-toh soon

vienen pronto

sala de estar phrase
SAH-lah deh ehs-TAR living room

ordenar la sala de estar

vienen verb
BYEH-nen are coming

Los invitados vienen pronto.

volveré verb
bol-beh-REH I will put back

Volveré a poner los libros...

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Our guests are coming soon.

Show AnswerNuestros invitados vienen pronto.

I'll straighten the cushions on the sofa.

Show AnswerAcomodaré los cojines del sofá.

Should we vacuum the rug as well?

Show Answer¿Deberíamos aspirar también la alfombra?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

they arrive

Show Answerlleguen

are coming

Show Answervienen

to tidy; to put in order

Show Answerordenar

our

Show Answernuestros