Asking about a delayed bus | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: At a bus stop, two adults talk about a delayed bus, traffic, and whether to wait for the same route..

EN → ES / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Asking about a delayed bus to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Disculpe, ¿el autobús está retrasado?

dees-KOOL-peh, el ow-toh-BOOS es-TAH reh-trah-SAH-doh? Excuse me, is the bus delayed?
B

Hay mucho tráfico cerca.

eye MOO-choh TRAH-fee-koh SER-kah. There's heavy traffic nearby.
A

¿Sabe cuándo llegará?

SAH-beh KWOHN-doh yeh-gah-RAH? Do you know when it will arrive?
B

Todavía está en camino.

toh-dah-BEE-ah es-TAH en kah-MEE-noh. It's still on the way.
B

Así que la espera puede ser más larga.

ah-SEE keh lah es-PEH-rah PWEH-deh ser mahs LAR-gah. So the wait may be longer.
A

¿Hay otro autobús para la misma ruta?

eye OH-troh ow-toh-BOOS PAH-rah lah MEES-mah ROO-tah? Is there another bus for the same route?
B

Sí, hay otro, pero esa opción tarda más.

see, eye OH-troh, PEH-roh EH-sah ohp-see-OHN TAR-dah mahs. There is, but that option takes longer.
A

Me quedaré aquí para esperar este autobús.

meh keh-dah-REH ah-KEE PAH-rah es-peh-RAR ES-teh ow-toh-BOOS. I'll stay here for this bus.
B

Probablemente sea lo mejor si puede esperar.

proh-bah-BLEH-men-teh SEH-ah loh meh-HOR see PWEH-deh es-peh-RAR. That's probably best if you can wait.

Word by Word

Disculpe Disculpe means “excuse me” here and politely gets another person’s attention. It is used at the beginning of Disculpe, ¿el autobús está retrasado? A common reuse is to say Disculpe before a polite question to a stranger or staff member.
el El means “the” in el autobús and identifies one specific bus. It is the masculine singular article used with autobús here. A common reuse pattern is el + a specific masculine singular noun.
autobús Autobús means “bus” in this dialogue. In el autobús, it identifies the bus whose status is being discussed. You can reuse autobús when asking about or referring to public transport.
está Está means “is” here and describes the bus’s current state in el autobús está retrasado. It is used with retrasado to say that the bus is delayed now. A common reuse pattern is está + an adjective describing a current state.
retrasado Retrasado means “delayed” in el autobús está retrasado. It describes the current condition of the bus. A common reuse pattern is estar retrasado when transport is not on time.
Hay Hay means “there is” or “there are” in Hay mucho tráfico cerca and introduces something that exists in the situation. The same form also appears in ¿Hay otro autobús para la misma ruta? to ask whether another bus exists. A common reuse pattern is Hay + a noun to state or ask about existence.
mucho Mucho means “a lot of” in mucho tráfico, giving the traffic a high amount and making it heavy. It appears before tráfico in the phrase Hay mucho tráfico cerca. A common reuse pattern is mucho + a noun when describing a large amount.
tráfico Tráfico means “traffic” in Hay mucho tráfico cerca. It names the nearby road condition that may be delaying the bus. You can reuse tráfico when explaining delays on roads or in transport.
cerca Cerca means “nearby” in Hay mucho tráfico cerca and gives the location of the traffic. It comes at the end of the sentence to say that the traffic is close to the speakers. A common reuse is placing cerca after a statement to indicate that something is nearby.
Sabe Sabe means “know” in the polite question ¿Sabe cuándo llegará? It addresses one person respectfully and asks whether that person knows the arrival time. A common reuse pattern is Sabe + an indirect question when politely asking for information.
cuándo Cuándo means “when” in cuándo llegará and introduces the question about the bus’s arrival time. The accent marks it as the question word in this indirect question. A common reuse pattern is cuándo + a clause when asking about the time of an event.
llegará Llegará means “will arrive” in ¿Sabe cuándo llegará? and refers to the bus reaching the stop later. It is used after cuándo to ask when the expected arrival will happen. A common reuse pattern is cuándo llegará when asking for an arrival time.
Todavía Todavía means “still” in Todavía está en camino and shows that the bus remains on its way. It comes before está to indicate that this situation continues. A common reuse is todavía + a verb when something has not changed yet.
en En means “in” or “on” in en camino and forms the expression meaning “on the way.” Here it connects the bus with its current route toward the stop. A common reuse pattern is en + a place or route-related expression to describe location or movement.
camino Camino means “way” in en camino, where the whole expression says that the bus is on its way. It refers to the route or progress toward the destination rather than a named bus route. You can reuse camino in expressions describing someone or something in transit.
Así Así contributes to the connector Así que, which links the information about the delayed bus to the conclusion about the wait. In Así que la espera puede ser más larga, the connector means “so.” A common reuse is Así que before a result or conclusion.
que Que completes the connector Así que in Así que la espera puede ser más larga, meaning “so” in this context. It helps connect the previous situation with its consequence. A common reuse pattern is Así que + a conclusion.
la La means “the” in la espera and identifies a specific waiting period in this situation. It is the feminine singular article used with espera here. A common reuse pattern is la + a specific feminine singular noun.
espera Espera means “the wait” or “waiting time” in la espera. It names the period that may become longer because the bus is delayed. A common reuse pattern is la espera when discussing how long someone must wait.
puede Puede means “can” or “may” in puede ser más larga and expresses a possibility about the wait. It is followed by the infinitive ser in this sentence. A common reuse pattern is puede + an infinitive to express possibility or ability.
ser Ser means “be” in puede ser más larga and links the wait with its possible description. The phrase says that the wait may be longer. A common reuse pattern is puede ser + an adjective when describing a possible situation.
más Más means “more” in más larga and increases the degree of the adjective. Together with larga, it makes a comparison about the length of the wait. A common reuse pattern is más + an adjective to express a higher degree.
larga Larga means “longer” in más larga and describes the duration of la espera. It agrees with espera in the phrase la espera puede ser más larga. You can reuse larga to describe the duration of a wait or another period of time.
otro Otro means “another” in otro autobús and introduces a different bus from the one already being discussed. It appears before autobús and identifies an additional option. A common reuse pattern is otro + a singular noun when asking about or offering an alternative.
para Para means “for” in para la misma ruta and identifies the route served by the other bus. It also appears in para esperar este autobús to introduce the purpose of staying. A common reuse pattern is para + a noun for an intended purpose or destination, and para + an infinitive for a purpose.
misma Misma means “same” in la misma ruta and shows that the route matches the one already being discussed. It appears before ruta and agrees with that noun. A common reuse pattern is the form meaning “same” directly before the noun being matched.
ruta Ruta means “route” in la misma ruta. It identifies the bus service or path the speaker wants to use. You can reuse ruta when asking whether transport follows a particular route.
Sí Sí means “yes” in Sí, hay otro and confirms that another bus exists. It directly answers the question about an alternative bus. A common reuse is Sí at the start of an affirmative reply.
pero Pero means “but” in pero esa opción tarda más and introduces a limitation on the alternative bus. It contrasts the existence of the other bus with its longer travel time. A common reuse pattern is pero + a contrasting statement.
esa Esa means “that” in esa opción and points to the alternative just mentioned. It is the feminine singular demonstrative used with opción. A common reuse pattern is esa + a feminine singular noun when referring to a particular option or thing.
opción Opción means “option” in esa opción and refers to the alternative bus choice. It is the subject of tarda más, which describes that choice’s longer time. You can reuse opción when comparing possible choices or solutions.
tarda Tarda means “takes time” in esa opción tarda más. With más, it says that the alternative option takes longer. A common reuse pattern is tardar when comparing how much time different journeys or activities require.
Me Me is the first-person pronoun used with quedaré in Me quedaré aquí, making the meaning “I will stay.” It places the speaker as the person who will remain at the bus stop. A common reuse pattern is Me + a verb when the speaker is the affected or involved person.
quedaré Quedaré means “will stay” in Me quedaré aquí and states the speaker’s decision to remain there. Together with aquí, it says where the speaker will wait. A common reuse pattern is Me quedaré + a place when saying that you will remain somewhere.
aquí Aquí means “here” in Me quedaré aquí and identifies the speaker’s current location. It completes the statement about staying at the bus stop. A common reuse is aquí after a verb of staying or being to point to the present place.
esperar Esperar means “wait for” in para esperar este autobús and names the purpose of staying. The object este autobús shows what the speaker is waiting for. A common reuse pattern is esperar + the person or thing that is awaited.
este Este means “this” in este autobús and points to the particular bus the speaker has chosen to wait for. It is the masculine singular demonstrative used with autobús. A common reuse pattern is este + a nearby or currently relevant masculine singular noun.
Probablemente Probablemente means “probably” in Probablemente sea lo mejor and presents the advice as likely rather than certain. It appears at the beginning of the recommendation. A common reuse is probablemente before a statement about a likely result or choice.
sea Sea means “be” in Probablemente sea lo mejor and connects the probability with the recommendation. It introduces the idea that staying may be the best choice. A common reuse pattern is probablemente sea + an evaluation or description.
lo Lo helps form lo mejor, referring neutrally to what is best or to the best choice in this situation. It works with mejor as a whole expression rather than naming a masculine or feminine noun. A common reuse pattern is lo + an adjective when referring to an abstract quality or option.
mejor Mejor means “best” in lo mejor and evaluates staying for this bus as the most suitable choice. The expression lo mejor refers to the best course of action. A common reuse pattern is lo mejor when recommending the most suitable option.
si Si means “if” in si puede esperar and introduces the condition for the recommendation. The advice applies on the condition that the person is able to wait. A common reuse pattern is si + a clause to state a condition.

Grammar Points

Futuro simple: -rá / -ré

¿Cuándo llegará?

KWOHN-doh yeh-gah-RAH?

When will it arrive?

The simple future expresses an action that will happen later.

puede + infinitivo

Puede esperar aquí.

PWEH-deh es-peh-RAR ah-KEE.

You can wait here.

Use puede plus an infinitive to express ability or possibility; the following verb stays in the infinitive.

Spanish Vocabulary

autobús noun
ow-toh-BOOS bus

¿El autobús está retrasado?

camino noun
kah-MEE-noh way

Está en camino.

cerca adv
SER-kah nearby

Hay mucho tráfico cerca.

cuándo adv
KWOHN-doh when

¿Sabe cuándo llegará?

Disculpe verb
dees-KOOL-peh excuse me

Disculpe, ¿el autobús está retrasado?

espera noun
es-PEH-rah wait; waiting time

La espera puede ser más larga.

llegará verb
yeh-gah-RAH will arrive

¿Cuándo llegará?

mucho det
MOO-choh a lot of; heavy

Hay mucho tráfico cerca.

retrasado adj
reh-trah-SAH-doh delayed

El autobús está retrasado.

sabe verb
SAH-beh know

¿Sabe cuándo llegará?

todavía adv
toh-dah-BEE-ah still

Todavía está en camino.

tráfico noun
TRAH-fee-koh traffic

Hay mucho tráfico cerca.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Excuse me, is the bus delayed?

Show AnswerDisculpe, ¿el autobús está retrasado?

There's heavy traffic nearby.

Show AnswerHay mucho tráfico cerca.

Do you know when it will arrive?

Show Answer¿Sabe cuándo llegará?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

delayed

Show Answerretrasado

will arrive

Show Answerllegará

know

Show Answersabe

when

Show Answercuándo