Checking in at a hotel | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Tengo una reserva de habitación aquí.

   I have a room reservation here.

   Tengo

   I have

   reserva

   reservation

   habitación

   room

   aquí

   here

   More detail

   Tengo is the first-person singular present form of tener (“to have”): yo tengo. It states that the speaker has or holds something now. The same verb changes with the subject: tú tienes (“you have”), él/ella tiene (“he/she has”), and nosotros tenemos (“we have”). Example: Tengo una llave. — “I have a key.” reserva is the singular noun “reservation”; its usual article is feminine: la reserva. Its plural is reservas. Example: La reserva está confirmada. — “The reservation is confirmed.” habitación is the singular noun “room,” especially a room for staying in. Its plural is habitaciones. In reserva de habitación, de links the reservation to what it concerns, producing “room reservation.” Example: Necesito una habitación. — “I need a room.” aquí means “here,” referring to the place where the speaker is or the relevant place being indicated. It contrasts with allí (“there”). Example: El documento está aquí. — “The document is here.” Together, Tengo una reserva de habitación says that the speaker has a room reservation, and aquí locates that reservation or the relevant situation at “here.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I have a room reservation here.”

2. ¿Podría ver su pasaporte, por favor?

   Could I see your passport, please?

   ¿Podría

   Could I…?

   ver

   see

   su

   your

   pasaporte

   passport

   por favor

   please

   More detail

   ¿Podría is the conditional form of poder used here for a polite request. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the understood subject as “I”: “Could I…?” The same form can also agree with usted, él, or ella in other contexts, so the form alone does not always identify the subject. poder means “to be able to” or “can.” Its conditional stem is podr-: podría = “could” for a singular subject. Example: ¿Podría ayudarme? — “Could you help me?” ver is the infinitive “to see.” After a conjugated form of poder, Spanish uses the infinitive: podría ver = “could [someone] see.” Example: Puedo ver la pantalla. — “I can see the screen.” su is a possessive determiner meaning “your” here. It does not change for the gender or number of the thing possessed: su pasaporte and su maleta both use su; for more than one possessed item, use sus, as in sus documentos. In this utterance, the translation identifies the passport as belonging to the person being addressed. pasaporte is a masculine noun meaning “passport.” Its plural is pasaportes. The possessive determiner supplies the determiner here, so Spanish does not need a separate article before pasaporte. por favor is the standard polite expression “please.” It can be placed at the end of a request, as here, or elsewhere in a request without changing the requested action. Together, ¿Podría ver forms a polite “Could I see…” request; su pasaporte specifies that the requested item is the addressee’s passport; and por favor adds “please.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Could I see your passport, please?”

3. Aquí está. Lo tengo listo.

   Here it is. I have it ready.

   Aquí está

   Here it is

   Lo

   it

   tengo

   have

   listo

   ready

   More detail

   Aquí está means “Here it is.” Aquí means “here,” and está is the third-person singular present form of estar (“to be”) used for a location or state. The form agrees with the singular thing being presented; it is not the speaker’s form. Example: El documento está aquí. — “The document is here.” Lo is a masculine singular direct-object pronoun, “it.” In this context, the preceding request about a passport supports the passport as its referent. Spanish object pronouns must match the noun they replace: lo for a masculine singular noun, la for a feminine singular noun, and los/las for plural nouns. Example: ¿Tiene el formulario? — Sí, lo tengo. — “Do you have the form? — Yes, I have it.” Tengo is the first-person singular present form of tener, “to have”: tengo = “I have.” The subject is the speaker, so Spanish uses this form rather than tiene (“he/she/you formal has”) or tienen (“they/you plural have”). Listo is an adjective meaning “ready” here. It is masculine singular because it describes the masculine singular object referred to by lo; the adjective’s base form is listo, and its feminine and plural forms include lista, listos, and listas. Example: La solicitud está lista. — “The application is ready.” Together, lo tengo listo follows the reusable pattern tener + direct object + adjective: “I have the object ready.” Thus Lo tengo listo means “I have it ready,” with lo referring to the passport supported by the preceding context and listo describing its ready state. The two parts together mean: “Here it is. I have it ready.”

4. ¿Podría firmar aquí?

   Could you sign here?

   Podría

   Could you

   firmar

   sign

   aquí

   here

   More detail

   Podría is the conditional form of poder (“to be able to,” “can”). In this utterance, it makes the request polite: the speaker asks whether the listener would be able to do something. The form is third-person singular, used here with the understood formal subject usted; it does not mark the listener’s gender. In another context, the same form can refer to él or ella. Example: ¿Podría esperar un momento? — “Could you wait a moment?” firmar is the infinitive “to sign.” After podría, Spanish uses the infinitive, so the ability or request form is carried by podría, while firmar names the action. The infinitive can also stand after other forms: Necesito firmar aquí. — “I need to sign here.” aquí is the adverb “here,” identifying the place relevant to the action. It does not change for number or gender. Example: El documento está aquí. — “The document is here.” Together, the conditional request form plus the infinitive asks the listener politely to perform the action at the indicated place: “Could you sign here?”

5. ¿Necesita también mi firma en este formulario?

   Do you need my signature on this form too?

   Necesita

   need

   también

   also; too

   mi

   my

   firma

   signature

   este

   this

   formulario

   form

   More detail

   Necesita means “need” here. It is the present-tense form of necesitar. The question addresses the listener as the person whose need is being asked about; when that listener is addressed with usted, ¿Necesita ...? means “Do you need ...?” The same form also agrees with a third-person singular subject such as él or ella, so the spelling alone does not distinguish those uses or state the level of formality. también adds the meaning “also” or “too.” It presents the signature as an additional thing being needed, not as a replacement for something else. Example: ¿Necesita también una copia? means “Do you also need a copy?” mi is the singular possessive determiner meaning “my.” It agrees in number with the singular noun here, not in gender: mi firma and mi formulario both use mi; with plural nouns, use mis. firma is a feminine noun meaning “signature” in this sentence. Its plural is firmas. In another context, firma can mean a business or firm, but “signature” is the intended meaning here. este is the masculine singular demonstrative meaning “this.” It agrees with the noun it modifies, formulario: este formulario. Compare esta firma for a feminine singular noun and estos formularios for a masculine plural noun. The demonstrative’s grammatical agreement is with formulario. formulario is a masculine noun meaning “form.” Its plural is formularios. The phrase en este formulario means “on/in this form,” with en locating the signature on the document. Together, mi firma means “my signature,” and en este formulario specifies where it would go. The question structure ¿Necesita ...? asks the listener whether that item is needed, while también marks it as an additional requirement. Thus the whole utterance means: “Do you need my signature on this form too?”

6. En la parte de abajo de este formulario está bien.

   At the bottom of this form is fine.

   parte

   part; section

   de abajo

   at the bottom; lower

   este

   this

   formulario

   form

   está bien

   is fine; is okay

   More detail

   parte is a noun meaning “part” or “section.” Its plural is partes. In this sentence it names a section or area, not a separate physical object. de abajo specifies which part: the one at the bottom or lower part. This pattern can modify a noun: la parte de arriba means “the top part,” while la parte de abajo means “the bottom part.” este means “this” and is the masculine singular form of the demonstrative. It agrees with the masculine singular noun formulario, “form.” The corresponding feminine singular form is esta, as in esta solicitud (“this request”). formulario is a masculine noun meaning “form.” Its plural is formularios; the article or demonstrative changes accordingly, for example estos formularios (“these forms”). está bien is a common expression meaning “is fine” or “is okay.” Está is the third-person singular present form of estar, used here with an understood singular situation or location being evaluated. Bien means “well” or “okay”; in this expression it conveys acceptability rather than describing how someone performs an action. Together, en la parte de abajo de este formulario means “at the bottom of this form.” The preposition en marks the location, and de este formulario identifies which form the bottom belongs to. The sentence then evaluates that location with está bien: “At the bottom of this form is fine.” In context, this approves the bottom location without stating an additional participant or exactly what is to be placed there.

7. ¿Dónde se sirve el desayuno mañana por la mañana?

   Where is breakfast served tomorrow morning?

   Dónde

   where

   se sirve

   is served

   el desayuno

   breakfast

   mañana por la mañana

   tomorrow morning

   More detail

   Dónde asks for a location: “where.” The accent mark distinguishes interrogative dónde from the unaccented relative adverb donde in contexts such as “the place where…”. Example: ¿Dónde está la entrada? — “Where is the entrance?” se sirve means “is served” here. Sirve is the present-tense third-person singular form of servir (“to serve”). With the explicit subject el desayuno, se forms a passive construction: the breakfast is served, while the person serving it is not identified. Because el desayuno is singular, the verb is sirve, not plural sirven. Example: Aquí se sirve la cena. — “Dinner is served here.” el desayuno means “breakfast.” Desayuno is a masculine singular noun, which is why it occurs with the masculine singular article el. The same word can also refer to the meal or act of having breakfast, depending on context. Example: El desayuno empieza a las siete. — “Breakfast starts at seven.” mañana por la mañana means “tomorrow morning.” The first mañana is the time adverb “tomorrow”; in por la mañana, the second mañana is the noun “morning,” used in the time expression por la mañana (“in the morning”). Example: Trabajamos mañana por la mañana. — “We work tomorrow morning.” Together, ¿Dónde se sirve el desayuno mañana por la mañana? asks for the location where breakfast is served tomorrow morning: “Where is breakfast served tomorrow morning?”

8. En el comedor cerca de recepción.

   In the dining room near reception.

   comedor

   dining room

   cerca de

   near

   recepción

   reception

   More detail

   En el introduces a location: en means “in/at,” and el is the masculine singular definite article used with comedor. The reusable pattern en el + place appears in en el hotel, meaning “in the hotel.” comedor is a masculine noun meaning “dining room” here. Its singular form is comedor; the plural is comedores. Example: El comedor está abierto. — “The dining room is open.” cerca de is a reusable prepositional expression meaning “near.” It is followed by the place or thing used as the reference point: cerca de la entrada — “near the entrance.” recepción means “reception” here. It is a feminine noun, as shown by la recepción, and its written accent remains in recepción. Example: La recepción está cerca. — “Reception is nearby.” Together, En el comedor gives the main location, while cerca de recepción adds its relative position. In the supplied context, the utterance answers where breakfast is served: “In the dining room near reception.”