Reporting a hotel room problem | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. El aire acondicionado de mi habitación no funciona.

   The air conditioner in my room is not working.

   aire acondicionado

   air conditioner

   habitación

   room

   funciona

   works; is working

   More detail

   aire acondicionado names an air-conditioning unit or system. Aire is a masculine singular noun, and acondicionado is the adjective modifying it, so it is masculine singular as well. The adjective comes from acondicionar; here it describes air that is conditioned, in the established expression for an air conditioner. Example: El aire acondicionado está encendido. — “The air conditioner is on.” habitación means “room” and is a feminine singular noun. In de mi habitación, de links the air conditioner with the room, and mi means “my.” The possessive mi agrees in number with the singular noun but does not change for masculine or feminine gender; compare mi habitación and mi libro. This phrase identifies the room associated with the air conditioner, matching “the air conditioner in my room.” funciona is the present-tense third-person singular form of funcionar, “to work” or “to function.” The subject is El aire acondicionado, so the verb is singular: funciona. The separate word no negates it, producing no funciona, “does not work” or “is not working.” Example: La máquina no funciona. — “The machine is not working.” Together, El aire acondicionado de mi habitación is the subject, no supplies the negation, and funciona states its present condition. The whole utterance therefore means: “The air conditioner in my room is not working.”

2. Lo siento.

   I am sorry about that.

   Lo siento

   I’m sorry about that

   More detail

   Lo siento is a very common Spanish way to apologize or express sympathy: “I’m sorry about that.” In this utterance, siento is the first-person singular present form of sentir (“to feel”): yo siento. The form changes with the subject, for example lo siente means “he/she/you formal feels it,” while lo sentimos means “we feel it.” Lo is a neutral direct-object pronoun here. In this fixed expression, it refers generally to the situation being discussed rather than to a specifically identified masculine noun. The combination is used as a set expression, so do not interpret lo here as a separately named object. Together, lo + siento form the apology “I’m sorry about that,” fitting the preceding statement about the air conditioner not working. The expression is polite and ordinary in everyday Spanish.

3. ¿Ha probado el mando a distancia?

   Have you tried the remote?

   Ha

   has

   probado

   tried

   mando a distancia

   remote control

   More detail

   Ha is the third-person singular present form of haber. Here it is the auxiliary in the Spanish present perfect: ha + a past participle. Because the fixed translation addresses the listener as “you,” this form is compatible with formal singular usted; informal singular tú would use has instead. Probado is the past participle of probar (“to try” here): probar → probado. With ha, it describes an action considered in relation to the present. Example: He probado el programa. — “I have tried the program.” Mando a distancia means “remote control.” Mando is a masculine singular noun, and a distancia specifies that it operates from a distance. The phrase is commonly used for a television or other device remote; mando alone can have other meanings depending on context. Together, ha probado asks whether the listener has tried something, and el mando a distancia identifies what was tried. The whole utterance is therefore: “Have you tried the remote?” The initial and final question marks mark the complete Spanish question.

4. Lo probé.

   I tried it.

   Lo

   it

   probé

   tried

   More detail

   Lo is a direct-object pronoun meaning “it” here. In this context, it refers to the remote control mentioned in the preceding question. Lo is masculine singular; Spanish direct-object pronouns also include la for a feminine singular object and los/las for plural objects. Example: La probé. = “I tried it,” when the object is feminine singular. probé is the first-person singular preterite of probar (“to try” or “to test”). The ending -é identifies an “I” form in this completed past-tense use. The verb probar has a stem change in some present-tense forms, such as pruebo (“I try”), but probé does not use that change. Example: Probé el mando. = “I tried the remote.” Together, Lo probé. means “I tried it.” The pronoun comes before the conjugated verb, and the completed action is understood as trying the remote control.

5. La temperatura no cambia.

   The temperature does not change.

   temperatura

   temperature

   no

   not

   cambia

   changes

   More detail

   temperatura means “temperature” here. It is a feminine singular noun, which is why the sentence uses la temperatura (“the temperature”). The plural is temperaturas; the adjective or article accompanying it must agree when one is present. no is the standard Spanish negator. It normally comes directly before the finite verb: no cambia = “does not change.” cambia is the third-person singular present form of cambiar (“to change”). The form agrees with the singular subject la temperatura. The present can describe a current situation or a general observation. Compare La temperatura cambia (“The temperature changes”) with Las temperaturas cambian (“The temperatures change”). Together, La temperatura + no cambia produces “The temperature does not change.” The sentence states that the temperature remains unchanged; it does not specify how long this lasts or why.

6. Enviaré a alguien para revisarlo.

   I will send someone to check it.

   Enviaré

   I will send

   alguien

   someone

   revisarlo

   check it

   More detail

   Enviaré is the first-person singular future form of enviar (“to send”): enviaré = “I will send.” The ending -é marks “I” in this future form. Example: Enviaré el informe mañana. — “I will send the report tomorrow.” alguien is an indefinite pronoun meaning “someone,” used for an unspecified person. It does not itself state whether that person is male or female. Example: Alguien llamará. — “Someone will call.” revisarlo combines the infinitive revisar (“to check” or “review”) with the attached direct-object pronoun lo (“it”). The pronoun is written together with the infinitive: revisar + lo → revisarlo. In this sentence, lo is compatible with a singular masculine direct object or with a neuter, unspecified or abstract object; the supplied sentence does not identify exactly what “it” refers to. With a feminine singular object, the corresponding form would be revisarla, as in the example Voy a revisar la solicitud. → Voy a revisarla. — “I am going to check it.” para followed by an infinitive expresses purpose: para revisar... means “in order to check...” or simply “to check...” in this sentence. The structure enviaré a alguien para + infinitive means “I will send someone to ...”; the person sent is the understood subject of revisar. Together, Enviaré (“I will send”) + a alguien (“someone”) + para revisarlo (“to check it”) gives: “I will send someone to check it.” The future form presents the sending as a planned or expected action, while para revisarlo states its purpose.

7. ¿Cuánto podría tardar la reparación?

   How long might the repair take?

   ¿Cuánto

   How long

   podría tardar

   might take

   reparación

   repair

   More detail

   ¿Cuánto asks about an amount. With tardar, it asks about duration: “how long?” The accent distinguishes interrogative cuánto from the unstressed form cuanto used in other structures. podría tardar: podría is the third-person singular conditional form of poder, followed by the infinitive tardar. Together, they express an uncertain possibility: “might take.” A reusable pattern is ¿Cuánto podría tardar ...? (“How long might ... take?”). reparación is a singular feminine noun meaning “repair.” The article la agrees with it in gender and number. Here, la reparación is the repair whose duration is being asked about; the sentence does not specify how long it will take. Together, ¿Cuánto + podría tardar + la reparación means “How long might the repair take?” It asks for an estimated duration while presenting the estimate as uncertain.

8. No estoy seguro.

   I am not sure.

   No

   not

   estoy

   I am

   seguro

   sure

   More detail

   No negates the statement that follows it. In Spanish, it normally comes directly before the conjugated verb: No trabajo = “I do not work.” estoy is the first-person singular present form of estar (“to be”). It is used with yo, which is usually omitted because the verb form identifies the speaker. The form is estoy, not soy, when expressing a current state or condition. Example: Estoy cansado. = “I am tired.” seguro is an adjective meaning “sure” here. Its masculine singular form agrees with a masculine speaker represented by yo; a feminine speaker would use segura: No estoy segura. = “I am not sure.” The adjective can also mean “safe” or “secure” in other contexts, but the fixed translation establishes the intended sense here. Together, No estoy seguro. means “I am not sure.” The reusable pattern is No estoy + adjective, for expressing the speaker’s current negative state or assessment. In the supplied context, the preceding question indicates the topic, while this sentence expresses uncertainty about it.

9. Alguien puede venir pronto.

   Someone can come shortly.

   Alguien

   someone

   puede

   can

   venir

   come

   pronto

   soon; shortly

   More detail

   Alguien means “someone” and refers to an unspecified person. It is singular, so the verb that agrees with it is singular. Compare alguien (“someone”) with nadie (“nobody”) in a different sentence: Nadie puede venir. — “Nobody can come.” Puede is the present-tense form of poder (“to be able to; can”) for a third-person singular subject. Here it expresses that the unspecified person has the possibility or ability to come. The pattern puede + infinitive is reusable: Puede esperar. — “He, she, or it can wait.” The subject is understood from context in that example, while alguien states it explicitly here. Venir is the infinitive “to come.” After a conjugated form of poder, Spanish uses the infinitive: puede venir, not a second conjugated verb. Its base form is venir; a present form such as viene means “comes/is coming” with a third-person singular subject, but it does not follow puede in this construction. Pronto is an adverb meaning “soon” or “shortly.” It describes when the coming may happen and does not change for person or number. Example: Volverá pronto. — “He or she will return soon.” Together, Alguien puede venir pronto means “Someone can come shortly.” The structure is an indefinite subject (Alguien) + the modal verb (puede) + the infinitive (venir) + the time adverb (pronto).

10. Esperaré en la habitación.

    I will wait in the room.

    Esperaré

    I will wait

    habitación

    room

    More detail

    Esperaré is the first-person singular future of esperar, “to wait.” The ending -é marks “I will ...”; the subject is included in the verb, so Spanish does not need a separate subject pronoun here. Compare esperaré (“I will wait”) with esperé (“I waited”), where the accent and ending distinguish the forms. habitación means “room.” It is a feminine noun, so the phrase uses la: la habitación, “the room.” Its plural is habitaciones: las habitaciones, “the rooms.” The accent in habitación is part of the written form. en la habitación means “in the room.” The preposition en introduces the location, and la agrees with the feminine singular noun habitación. Together, Esperaré en la habitación. means “I will wait in the room.”

11. Por favor, avísenos si el problema continúa.

    Please let us know if the problem continues.

    Por favor

    please

    avísenos

    let us know

    si

    if

    problema

    problem

    continúa

    continues

    More detail

    Por favor is a polite request marker meaning “please.” It softens the request but does not change who is being addressed or what action is requested. avísenos means “let us know” here. It is the affirmative command avise addressed to one usted, with the indirect-object pronoun nos attached: avise + nos → avísenos. The accent preserves the required stress after the pronoun is attached. Compare avísame (“let me know,” tú) and avísenme (“let me know,” ustedes). Here, nos refers to the speaker together with at least one other person, as shown by “us” in the fixed translation. si introduces a condition: “if.” It is different from sí with an accent, which means “yes.” problema is the noun “problem.” Its useful form here is singular, and the article el agrees with it: el problema. Although it ends in -a, problema is masculine in standard Spanish; the article, rather than the noun’s ending alone, shows this agreement. continúa means “continues” here. It is the present indicative form of continuar for a singular third-person subject. The subject is el problema, so the verb is singular: el problema continúa. The written accent marks stress on ú, not on the final vowel. Together, si el problema continúa means “if the problem continues.” The conditional clause identifies the situation in which the request applies; it does not assert that the problem does continue. The complete utterance is therefore: “Please let us know if the problem continues.”