Finding blue folders in a shop | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Disculpe, ¿dónde está la sección de papelería?

   Excuse me, where is the stationery section?

   Disculpe

   Excuse me

   dónde

   where

   está

   is / is located

   sección

   section

   papelería

   stationery

   More detail

   Disculpe is the polite singular form used to address one person with usted; in this fixed expression it means “Excuse me.” It comes from disculpar, “to excuse.” A less formal singular form is disculpa for tú, while disculpen addresses several people with ustedes. dónde is the accented question word “where.” The accent marks its interrogative use: ¿Dónde está...? asks for a location. In a statement or relative clause, the unaccented form donde can introduce a place, as in El lugar donde trabajo — “The place where I work.” está is the present-tense third-person singular form of estar, “to be.” With a place or location, estar is the usual verb: La sección está aquí — “The section is here.” The form agrees with the singular noun la sección; its plural counterpart is están, as in Las secciones están aquí — “The sections are here.” sección means “section.” It is a feminine singular noun, so it appears here with la: la sección. Its plural is secciones, with the spelling change from singular -ón to plural -ones: las secciones — “the sections.” papelería means “stationery” in this context, referring to the stationery section. It is a feminine noun, hence la papelería. Depending on context, papelería can also refer to a stationery shop or business, but the fixed translation identifies the relevant meaning here. The accent remains part of the spelling. Together, ¿dónde está la sección de papelería? literally asks where the stationery section is: de papelería specifies the type of section. The complete utterance is a polite request for information: “Excuse me, where is the stationery section?”

2. Está después del expositor de cuadernos, a la derecha.

   It's past the notebook display on the right.

   Está

   is located

   después del

   past the

   expositor

   display stand

   cuadernos

   notebooks

   derecha

   right

   More detail

   Está is the third-person singular present form of estar, used here to state a location: “is located.” The subject is understood from the situation, while está itself does not identify who or what is located. Compare están for a plural subject. Example: La sección está aquí. — “The section is here.” después del combines después de (“after/past”) with el: de + el contracts to del. Here it places the location past the reference point. This is a spatial use, not a time expression. Example: La salida está después del ascensor. — “The exit is past the elevator.” expositor is a masculine singular noun for a display stand or display unit. Its plural is expositores. In this sentence, del expositor means “past the display stand.” cuadernos is the plural of cuaderno, “notebook.” The phrase expositor de cuadernos means “display stand for notebooks”: de links the display to what it contains or presents. Example: El expositor de revistas está allí. — “The magazine display is there.” derecha is the feminine singular noun in a la derecha, the fixed location expression “on/to the right.” The feminine article la belongs to this expression; it does not describe the gender of the person or object being located. The contrasting expression is a la izquierda, “on/to the left.” Together, Está después del expositor de cuadernos says that the relevant place is past the notebook display, and a la derecha adds its direction: “It’s past the notebook display on the right.”

3. Busco carpetas azules.

   I'm looking for blue folders.

   Busco

   I’m looking for

   carpetas

   folders

   azules

   blue

   More detail

   Busco comes from buscar, “to look for” or “to search for.” It is the first-person singular present form, so busco means “I look for” or, in this context, “I’m looking for.” The subject “I” is included in the verb form, so Spanish does not need an explicit subject pronoun. Example: Busco una llave. — “I’m looking for a key.” carpetas means “folders.” Its singular base form is carpeta, and the plural is formed with -s: carpetas. Carpeta is feminine, which affects agreement with forms that distinguish gender, such as una: una carpeta. Example: Necesito dos carpetas. — “I need two folders.” azules means “blue” and describes carpetas. Its base form is azul. The adjective azul has the same form for masculine and feminine singular nouns; its plural form is azules, so here it agrees with carpetas in number, while its form does not mark feminine gender. Examples: una carpeta azul — “a blue folder”; unos libros azules — “some blue books.” Together, Busco carpetas azules. means “I’m looking for blue folders.” Busco supplies the first-person subject, carpetas names what is being sought, and azules identifies those folders as blue.

4. Déjeme comprobar si todavía están disponibles.

   Let me check if they are still available.

   Déjeme

   let me

   comprobar

   check

   si

   if; whether

   todavía

   still

   están

   are

   disponibles

   available

   More detail

   Déjeme is a polite request meaning “let me.” It combines the affirmative command form deje of dejar with the attached direct-object pronoun me (“me”). Deje is the command form for usted singular; this form does not address tú or ustedes. Example: Déjeme mirar. — “Let me look.” comprobar means “to check” or “to verify.” It remains in the infinitive after dejar in this pattern: Déjeme comprobar... (“Let me check...”); the person marking is carried by deje, not by comprobar. si introduces an indirect question here: “whether” or “if.” It does not express a condition in this sentence. Example: Quiero saber si hay existencias. — “I want to know whether there is stock.” todavía means “still,” showing that the situation continues up to the relevant moment. It can also mean “yet” in suitable negative or interrogative contexts, but here the intended meaning is “still.” están is the present-tense third-person plural form of estar, “to be.” Estar is used here for a current state or condition, and están agrees with the plural entities being discussed. Compare está for one entity and están for more than one. Example: Los productos están disponibles. — “The products are available.” disponibles is the plural form of the adjective disponible, “available.” Its plural ending agrees with the plural entities; disponible is singular and disponibles is plural. The adjective describes their current availability, rather than naming the action of checking. Together, Déjeme comprobar politely asks for permission for the speaker to check. si todavía están disponibles specifies what is being checked: whether the plural items remain available. The complete utterance means “Let me check if they are still available.”

5. ¿Hay algunas disponibles hoy?

   Are there any in stock today?

   Hay

   there is / there are

   algunas

   some / any

   disponibles

   available

   hoy

   today

   More detail

   Hay is the present-tense existential form of haber: it introduces the existence of something, as in Hay tiempo (“There is time”) and Hay entradas (“There are tickets”). It stays hay rather than changing for singular or plural. In this question, it asks whether the relevant items are available. algunas means “some” in this context and, because the question is negative-free, is naturally rendered as “any” in English. It is the feminine plural form of alguno; the form agrees with the understood plural feminine items, but the omitted noun is not stated in the sentence. Compare alguna (“some/any,” singular feminine) and algunos (“some/any,” masculine plural). Example: ¿Quedan algunas? — “Are any left?” disponibles is the plural form of the adjective disponible, meaning “available” here. This adjective has the same form for masculine and feminine, but changes for number: disponible singular, disponibles plural. Example: Las entradas están disponibles. — “The tickets are available.” hoy means “today,” referring to the current day. It is an invariable time adverb; it does not change for number or gender. Example: Hay entradas disponibles hoy. — “There are tickets available today.” Together, ¿Hay algunas disponibles hoy? asks whether any of the relevant items are available or in stock today. The question uses hay to ask about existence, algunas for an understood plural feminine set of items, disponibles to describe those items, and hoy to specify the time.

6. Tenemos algunas en la trastienda.

   We have some in the back room.

   Tenemos

   we have

   algunas

   some

   trastienda

   back room

   More detail

   Tenemos is the first-person plural present form of tener (“to have”): tenemos = “we have.” The subject is “we,” and the form expresses a present situation. For example: Tenemos tiempo. — “We have time.” algunas means “some” here and refers to an understood feminine plural set of items. It is the feminine plural form of alguno; compare alguna for one feminine item and algunos for a masculine or mixed plural set. The noun being referred to is not stated in this sentence, so its specific identity is not determined by the sentence itself. Example: Tenemos algunas. — “We have some.” trastienda is a feminine noun meaning “back room,” especially a room behind a shop’s sales area. With the article, la trastienda means “the back room”; la marks this noun as feminine singular. Example: Está en la trastienda. — “It is in the back room.” The preposition en connects the location to what is being possessed or available: en la trastienda means “in the back room.” Together, Tenemos algunas en la trastienda means “We have some in the back room.” The omitted object is understood from the surrounding exchange, while algunas preserves feminine plural agreement with that understood set.

7. ¿Podría traerme un paquete?

   Could you bring one pack for me?

   Podría

   Could you

   traerme

   bring for me

   paquete

   pack

   More detail

   Podría is the conditional form of poder (“to be able to/can”). In this utterance, it makes a polite request: “Could you…?” It is a singular form, and the omitted subject is understood as the singular addressee identified by the fixed translation. Compare ¿Podrías traerme un paquete? for an informal singular “Could you bring me a pack?” traerme combines the infinitive traer (“to bring”) with the attached indirect-object clitic me (“to me/for me”). The clitic marks the person for whom the item is brought and does not change for the item's gender. The same pattern appears in ¿Puedes traerme agua?, “Can you bring me water?” paquete is a masculine noun meaning “pack” or “package.” Here it refers to the item requested. Its usual plural is paquetes. The neighboring phrase un paquete uses the masculine singular indefinite article un; in this fixed translation, the phrase is rendered as “one pack,” while un is also the ordinary indefinite article in Spanish. Together, Podría + traerme forms a polite request, and un paquete names what should be brought: “Could you bring one pack for me?”

8. Le traeré un paquete.

   I'll bring a pack over.

   Le

   to/for a singular recipient

   traeré

   I will bring

   paquete

   package

   More detail

   Le is the singular indirect-object pronoun used for the recipient of the bringing. Its exact referent is not identified by the fixed translation, and le by itself does not distinguish the relevant person forms. Here it contributes the idea of bringing something to or for that recipient. traeré is the first-person singular future form of traer (“to bring”): traeré = “I will bring.” The ending -é marks “I” in this future form. Compare present traigo (“I bring / I am bringing”) with future traeré (“I will bring”). Example: Mañana traeré los documentos. — “Tomorrow I will bring the documents.” paquete is a masculine singular noun meaning “package” or, depending on context, “pack.” In the utterance, un is the masculine singular indefinite article accompanying it: un paquete = “a package.” The article presents an unspecified item; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. Example: Necesito un paquete. — “I need a package.” Together, Le + traeré + un paquete means “I will bring a package to/for the recipient.” This matches the fixed translation, “I’ll bring a pack over,” without adding a specific recipient that the translation does not explicitly identify.

9. Por favor, espere cerca de este expositor.

   Please wait near this display.

   Por favor

   please

   espere

   wait

   cerca de

   near

   este

   this

   expositor

   display

   More detail

   Por favor is a polite way to make the request. It does not itself determine whether the listener is addressed with tú or usted; the command form supplies that information here. espere comes from esperar, “to wait.” In this sentence it is an affirmative command for one listener addressed as usted (singular): “please wait.” The corresponding informal singular command is espera for tú. Example: Espere aquí, por favor. — “Please wait here.” cerca de is a reusable prepositional expression meaning “near” or “close to.” It is followed by the place or thing used as the reference point. Example: La tienda está cerca de la estación. — “The shop is near the station.” este means “this” and is the masculine singular form of the demonstrative. It agrees with the singular masculine noun it modifies here, expositor. The related forms are esta for feminine singular, and estos/estas for plural nouns. Example: este libro — “this book.” expositor is a noun meaning “display” or “display stand” in this context. The form is singular; its plural is expositores. The same word can have other context-dependent meanings, such as a person presenting something, but “display” is the meaning fixed by the translation here. Together, espere cerca de este expositor means “wait near this display”: the listener is asked to remain close to the display. With the polite opener, the complete utterance is Por favor, espere cerca de este expositor. — “Please wait near this display.”