Finding a Conference Room with a Map | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: At a reception desk, a visitor asks how to find a conference room and checks whether there is a map..

EN → ES / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Finding a Conference Room with a Map to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

¿Podría decirme dónde está la sala de conferencias?

poh-DREE-ah dee-SEER-meh DON-deh es-TAH lah SAH-lah deh kon-feh-REN-syahs? Could you tell me where the conference room is?
B

Pase el vestíbulo. Está cerca de los ascensores.

PAH-seh el beh-STEE-boo-loh. es-TAH SEHR-kah deh lohs ah-sen-SOR-es. Go past the lobby. It's near the elevators.
A

¿Debería tomar el ascensor desde aquí?

deh-beh-REE-ah toh-MAR el ah-sen-SOR DES-deh ah-KEE? Should I take the elevator from here?
B

Suba un piso en el ascensor.

SOO-bah oon PEE-soh en el ah-sen-SOR. Take it up one floor.
B

Luego, gire a la izquierda hacia el pasillo.

LOO-eh-goh, HEE-reh ah lah ees-KYER-dah AH-syah el pah-SEE-yoh. Then turn left into the hallway.
A

¿Hay un mapa que pueda usar?

eye oon MAH-pah keh PWEH-dah oo-SAR? Is there a map I can use?
B

Hay uno junto al mostrador de recepción.

eye OO-noh HOON-toh al moh-strah-DOR deh reh-sep-SYON. There's one by the reception desk.
A

Eso me ayuda. Es mi primera vez en este edificio.

EH-soh meh ah-YOO-dah. es mee pree-MEH-rah BES en ES-teh eh-dee-FEE-syoh. That helps. It's my first time in this building.
B

La sala está señalada cerca del final del pasillo.

lah SAH-lah es-TAH seh-nyah-LAH-dah SEHR-kah del fee-NAHL del pah-SEE-yoh. The room is marked near the end of the hall.

Word by Word

Podría Podría means “could” here and makes the request polite: Could you tell me...? It is useful at a reception desk or when asking a stranger for help.
decirme decirme means “tell me” in the request Podría decirme. It combines the action of telling with me, and it is used before information such as dónde está la sala de conferencias.
dónde dónde means “where” and introduces the question about the location of the room. In this dialogue, it appears in dónde está la sala de conferencias.
está está means “is located” here and identifies where the conference room is. It is used with a location in dónde está la sala de conferencias and later in Está cerca de los ascensores.
la la means “the” before the feminine singular noun sala. In la sala de conferencias, it identifies a specific room.
sala sala means “room” in this building-direction context. The phrase la sala de conferencias identifies the particular room the visitor is looking for.
de de connects sala with conferencias in la sala de conferencias, giving the meaning “conference room.” It commonly links a noun with the type or purpose associated with it.
conferencias conferencias refers to conferences in la sala de conferencias. Together with sala de, it specifies what kind of room is being discussed.
Pase Pase gives the direction “go past” the lobby. It is used here as a direct instruction in Pase el vestíbulo, followed by the next location Está cerca de los ascensores.
el el means “the” before the masculine singular noun vestíbulo. In Pase el vestíbulo, it identifies the specific lobby the visitor should pass.
vestíbulo vestíbulo means “lobby,” the area the visitor should go past. It is the object of the direction Pase el vestíbulo.
cerca cerca means “near” in Está cerca de los ascensores. The reusable location pattern is cerca de followed by the place or thing that is nearby.
los los means “the” before the masculine plural noun ascensores. In cerca de los ascensores, it refers to the specific elevators in the building.
ascensores ascensores means “elevators” in the direction Está cerca de los ascensores. The plural form is used because the location is near the elevators as a group.
Debería Debería means “should” in the visitor’s question about taking the elevator. It is useful for asking whether a proposed action is the right one, as in Debería tomar el ascensor desde aquí.
tomar tomar means “take” in the phrase tomar el ascensor. After Debería, it names the action the visitor is asking about.
ascensor ascensor means “elevator” in tomar el ascensor. The phrase is used when asking whether to use the elevator from the current location.
desde desde means “from” and marks the starting point in desde aquí. In Debería tomar el ascensor desde aquí, it identifies where the visitor would take the elevator.
aquí aquí means “here” and refers to the visitor’s current position. The pattern desde aquí means “from here” and is useful when asking for directions from a particular place.
Suba Suba tells the visitor to go up in the elevator. In Suba un piso en el ascensor, it gives the next direction and specifies the distance as one floor.
un un means “one” in un piso. It identifies the exact number of floors the visitor should go up.
piso piso means “floor” in Suba un piso en el ascensor. The phrase un piso gives the amount of upward travel needed.
en en means “in” or “by” in en el ascensor, indicating the elevator as the means or place of going up. It is used before the vehicle or space involved in the action.
Luego Luego means “then” and marks the next step in the directions. It connects Suba un piso en el ascensor with the following instruction gire a la izquierda.
gire gire means “turn” in the direction gire a la izquierda. It tells the visitor what movement to make after going up one floor.
a a contributes the direction “to” in gire a la izquierda. The pattern a la izquierda is used to indicate a leftward direction.
izquierda izquierda means “left” in gire a la izquierda. Together, gire a la izquierda gives the instruction to turn left.
hacia hacia means “toward” in hacia el pasillo. It indicates the direction of movement after turning left.
pasillo pasillo means “hallway” in hacia el pasillo. It identifies the area toward which the visitor should go.
Hay Hay means “there is” or “there are” when introducing something that exists or is available. In ¿Hay un mapa que pueda usar? it asks whether a usable map is available, and in Hay uno it states that one exists.
mapa mapa means “map” in ¿Hay un mapa que pueda usar? It refers to a building map that can help the visitor find the room.
que que links mapa with the information about its use in un mapa que pueda usar. Here it introduces the description “that I can use,” rather than standing for the entire expression by itself.
pueda pueda means “can” or “am able to” in que pueda usar. It expresses that the visitor might be able to use the map, and it is followed by the action usar.
usar usar means “use” in que pueda usar. It names what the visitor wants to do with the map.
uno uno means “one” and stands for one map in Hay uno. It avoids repeating mapa after the map has already been mentioned.
junto junto means “next to” in junto al mostrador de recepción. Together with al, it gives the location of the map beside the reception desk.
al al means “by the” or “next to the” in junto al mostrador de recepción. It is the form used before the specific desk named after it.
mostrador mostrador means “counter” or “desk” in el mostrador de recepción. It identifies the physical reception desk where the map can be found.
recepción recepción means “reception” in el mostrador de recepción. It specifies the purpose or location associated with the desk.
Eso Eso means “that” and refers to the information just given about the map and directions. In Eso me ayuda, it is the thing that helps the visitor.
me me means “me” in Eso me ayuda and identifies the person who receives the help. It appears with ayuda to express that something helps the speaker.
ayuda ayuda means “helps” in Eso me ayuda. The construction me ayuda means “helps me,” which is useful when responding that information or assistance is useful.
Es Es means “is” in Es mi primera vez en este edificio. It links the situation with the description mi primera vez en este edificio.
mi mi means “my” and comes before primera vez in mi primera vez. It shows that the experience belongs to the speaker.
primera primera means “first” in mi primera vez. It describes vez and tells the listener that this is the speaker’s initial visit or experience in the building.
vez vez means “time” or “occasion” in mi primera vez, the expression “my first time.” This pattern is used to describe an experience that is happening for the first time.
este este means “this” and points to the particular building where the speakers are. It appears directly before edificio in este edificio.
edificio edificio means “building” in este edificio. The phrase mi primera vez en este edificio explains that the speaker is unfamiliar with this building.
señalada señalada means “marked” or “indicated” in La sala está señalada. It describes the room as having a visible indication of its location.
del del means “of the” in cerca del final del pasillo and connects final with pasillo. It identifies the end belonging to or associated with the hallway.
final final means “end” in cerca del final del pasillo. The full location phrase says that the room is marked near the end of the hallway.

Grammar Points

podría + infinitivo

¿Podría decirme dónde?

poh-DREE-ah dee-SEER-meh DON-deh?

Could you tell me where?

Spanish uses the conditional podría before an infinitive to make a request polite, similar to “could” in English.

Spanish Vocabulary

aquí adv
ah-KEE here

¿Debería tomar el ascensor desde aquí?

ascensor noun
ah-sen-SOR elevator ascensores

Está cerca de los ascensores.

cerca de prep
SEHR-kah deh near

Está cerca de los ascensores.

debería verb
deh-beh-REE-ah should

¿Debería tomar el ascensor desde aquí?

decir verb
deh-SEER to tell; to say decirme

¿Podría decirme dónde está la sala de conferencias?

desde prep
DES-deh from; since

¿Debería tomar el ascensor desde aquí?

dónde adv
DON-deh where

¿Podría decirme dónde está la sala de conferencias?

pase verb
PAH-seh go past; pass

Pase el vestíbulo.

podría verb
poh-DREE-ah could; might

¿Podría decirme dónde está la sala de conferencias?

sala de conferencias phrase
SAH-lah deh kon-feh-REN-syahs conference room

¿Podría decirme dónde está la sala de conferencias?

tomar verb
toh-MAR to take

¿Debería tomar el ascensor desde aquí?

vestíbulo noun
beh-STEE-boo-loh lobby

Pase el vestíbulo.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Should I take the elevator from here?

Show Answer¿Debería tomar el ascensor desde aquí?

Take it up one floor.

Show AnswerSuba un piso en el ascensor.

Is there a map I can use?

Show Answer¿Hay un mapa que pueda usar?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

could; might

Show Answerpodría

should

Show Answerdebería

lobby

Show Answervestíbulo

where

Show Answerdónde