Checking out and returning a room key | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Quisiera hacer el check-out, por favor.

   I'd like to check out, please.

   Quisiera

   I’d like

   hacer

   to do

   el check-out

   the check-out

   por favor

   please

   More detail

   Quisiera means “I would like” here. It is the first-person singular imperfect subjunctive form of querer, used in this expression to make a polite request. The reusable pattern is Quisiera + infinitive: Quisiera reservar una mesa. — “I would like to reserve a table.” This form refers to the speaker; it is not the second-person form. Hacer is the infinitive “to do” or “to make.” In hacer el check-out, it forms a common Spanish expression for carrying out the check-out procedure. Because it is an infinitive, it stays unchanged after quisiera; the form marking the speaker’s polite request is quisiera. El check-out is a masculine noun phrase using the English loanword check-out. The article el agrees with this noun phrase, and the expression refers here to checking out of the accommodation, not simply to doing an unspecified task. A related reusable phrase is hacer el check-in — “to check in.” Por favor is the fixed politeness expression “please.” It softens the request and can appear at the end, as here, or elsewhere in a request. Together, Quisiera hacer el check-out, por favor means “I’d like to check out, please.” The structure is Quisiera + hacer + the specific procedure el check-out + the politeness marker por favor: the speaker politely states a wish to carry out the check-out procedure.

2. ¿Tiene la llave de su habitación?

   Do you have your room key with you?

   Tiene

   do you have

   llave

   key

   habitación

   room

   More detail

   Tiene is the present-tense form of tener for él, ella, or usted. Here it is used in a question addressed formally to one person: “Do you have…?” The subject usted is omitted because the verb form and context make the question understandable. Compare tienes for informal singular tú and tienen for plural ustedes or ellos/ellas. Example: ¿Tiene su pasaporte? — “Do you have your passport?” llave means “key.” It is a feminine noun, so the article is la: la llave. Its plural is llaves, as in dos llaves (“two keys”). Example: La llave está aquí. — “The key is here.” habitación means “room,” especially a room in a building such as a hotel. It is feminine, which is why the phrase uses su habitación; the possessive su does not change for the gender of the noun. Its plural is habitaciones. Example: Nuestra habitación está arriba. — “Our room is upstairs.” The full question is formed as ¿Tiene la llave de su habitación? Literally, this asks whether the person has the key of their room; in this context, tener naturally asks whether the person has the key with them. de su habitación identifies which key, and the fixed translation makes su mean “your.” The whole utterance therefore means “Do you have your room key with you?”

3. Sí, aquí está.

   Yes, here it is.

   Sí

   yes

   aquí

   here

   está

   is; is located

   More detail

   Sí means “yes” and confirms the preceding question. The accent distinguishes it from si, meaning “if.” aquí means “here.” It is a place adverb and can be used independently: Estoy aquí means “I am here.” está is the third-person singular present form of estar (“to be”). estar is used for a location or temporary state, while ser is used for identity or many defining characteristics. For example, La llave está aquí means “The key is here.” The accent in está marks the stressed syllable and distinguishes it from esta, meaning “this” before a feminine noun. The order aquí está is a natural Spanish way to present or point out something: literally, “here is.” The subject is not stated separately; in this context, the omitted item is the room key asked about immediately before. Together, Sí, aquí está. means “Yes, here it is.”

4. Ahora le haré el check-out.

   I'll check you out now.

   Ahora

   now

   le

   to you

   haré

   I will do

   check-out

   check-out

   More detail

   Ahora means “now” and places the action at the present moment. It can appear at the beginning or end of a sentence. Example: Ahora vuelvo. — “I’ll be back now.” le is an unstressed object pronoun meaning “to you” here, referring to the person being addressed. In this use, le marks the recipient or person involved with the action; it does not itself show whether that person is masculine or feminine. The exact referent is supplied by the translation and situation, not by the form alone. haré is the first-person singular future of hacer (“to do”): hacer → haré (“I will do”). The future ending and irregular stem har- together show that the speaker will perform the action. Example: Haré la reserva mañana. — “I’ll make the reservation tomorrow.” check-out is a borrowed noun used for the checkout procedure. With hacer, the reusable pattern is hacer el check-out, meaning “do the checkout” or “check out.” The article el belongs to the noun phrase; it does not state a numerical quantity. Together, le plus haré el check-out expresses that the speaker will carry out the checkout for or involving the addressed person, and Ahora places it at the present moment. Thus the whole utterance means: “I’ll check you out now.”

5. ¿Podría alguien ayudarme con mi bolsa?

   Could someone help me with my bag?

   Podría

   could

   alguien

   someone

   ayudarme

   help me

   con

   with

   mi

   my

   bolsa

   bag

   More detail

   Podría is the conditional form of poder (“to be able to; can”). In this question, it expresses a possible, polite request: “Could…?” The form podría is used with a third-person singular subject and also with usted; here, alguien is the subject. Compare the useful chain puede (“can”) → podría (“could / might be able to”). Alguien means “someone” and refers to an unspecified person. It is grammatically singular, which is why the verb form is singular. It does not identify who that person is. Ayudarme combines the infinitive ayudar (“to help”) with the object pronoun me (“me”) attached to its end: ayudar + me. The person who helps is someone else, while me identifies the person receiving the help. Example: ¿Puede ayudarme? — “Can you help me?” Con is the preposition “with.” It introduces what the requested help concerns here. Mi means “my” before a singular noun. It does not change for masculine versus feminine nouns; the plural form is mis, as in mis bolsas (“my bags”). Bolsa is a feminine noun meaning “bag” here. Its plural is bolsas. The possessive mi and the noun together form mi bolsa, “my bag.” The whole question is assembled as ¿Podría alguien (“Could someone”) + ayudarme (“help me”) + con mi bolsa (“with my bag”). Thus, ¿Podría alguien ayudarme con mi bolsa? means “Could someone help me with my bag?”

6. Puedo pedir que alguien se reúna con usted en el mostrador.

   I can ask someone to meet you at the desk.

   Puedo

   I can

   pedir

   ask

   alguien

   someone

   se reúna

   meet

   con usted

   with you

   mostrador

   desk

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder (“to be able to; can”). It expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility here: “I can.” Compare puedes (“you can”) and puede (“he, she, or you [usted] can”); the ending identifies the subject in this present-tense form. pedir is the infinitive “to ask for” or “to request.” After puedo, Spanish uses an infinitive: puedo pedir = “I can ask.” The useful pattern is poder + infinitive, as in Puedo esperar. (“I can wait.”) alguien is an indefinite pronoun meaning “someone” or “somebody.” It refers to an unspecified person, not to a particular person identified in the sentence. It is grammatically singular, so the following verb is singular: alguien se reúna. se reúna comes from reunirse, “to meet” or “to get together.” Reúna is the present subjunctive form used here with que after a request or asking expression: pedir que alguien se reúna = “to ask someone to meet.” The reflexive se is part of the verb reunirse; it does not mean “someone meets another person” by itself. Example: Quiero que nos reunamos mañana. — “I want us to meet tomorrow.” con usted means “with you,” addressing one person with usted. Usted is the singular second-person pronoun and is commonly used for respectful or formal address; its verb forms are third-person singular, although its meaning is “you.” Example: Hablo con usted mañana. — “I will speak with you tomorrow.” mostrador is a masculine noun meaning “counter” or “desk,” especially a service or reception counter. With the location phrase en el mostrador, it means “at the desk/counter.” The article el agrees with this masculine singular noun. Example: El mostrador está allí. — “The desk is there.” Together, Puedo pedir gives “I can ask,” que alguien se reúna con usted gives “someone to meet you,” and en el mostrador gives the location “at the desk.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I can ask someone to meet you at the desk.”

7. La habitación era muy cómoda.

   The room was very comfortable.

   habitación

   room

   era

   was

   muy

   very

   cómoda

   comfortable

   More detail

   habitación means “room” here. It is a feminine noun, so related adjectives normally agree with it in gender and number: la habitación cómoda (“the comfortable room”), las habitaciones cómodas (“the comfortable rooms”). era is the imperfect form of ser for yo, él, ella, or usted. Here, its third-person singular form matches the singular subject la habitación; the verb form does not mark the subject’s gender. The imperfect presents the room’s condition as a past description: La habitación era tranquila. (“The room was quiet.”) Fue is another past form of ser that can present a past state or event as bounded or completed, depending on context. muy means “very” and intensifies the adjective that follows it. The reusable pattern is muy + adjective: muy clara (“very bright”) or muy grande (“very large”). cómoda means “comfortable” here. Its feminine singular form agrees with habitación; the masculine singular form is cómodo, and the plural forms are cómodos and cómodas. For example, El asiento era cómodo. means “The seat was comfortable.” Together, La habitación identifies the room, era describes its past state, and muy cómoda says that the state was highly comfortable. The complete meaning is “The room was very comfortable.”

8. Me alegra oírlo.

   I'm glad to hear that.

   Me alegra

   I'm glad

   oírlo

   to hear that

   More detail

   Me alegra means “I’m glad” here. The verb is alegrar, “to make happy” or “to please.” In this construction, me marks the person experiencing the feeling, while alegra is third-person singular because the thing that causes the feeling is the following idea: “hearing that.” Compare: Me alegra verte. — “I’m glad to see you.” oírlo means “to hear that.” It is the infinitive oír, “to hear,” with the attached direct-object pronoun lo. Here lo refers to the content previously mentioned, rather than to a specifically identified masculine noun. The accent in oír remains when lo is attached. Compare oírla, “to hear her/it” when the replaced direct object is feminine, and oírlos, “to hear them” for a masculine plural direct object. Together, Me alegra oírlo. literally presents “hearing that” as what pleases the speaker, giving the natural meaning “I’m glad to hear that.”

9. Que tenga un viaje seguro.

   Have a safe trip.

   Que tenga

   May you have

   viaje

   trip

   seguro

   safe

   More detail

   Que tenga expresses a wish: “may you have.” Here tenga is the present subjunctive form of tener. With the intended “you” meaning, it uses the third-person verb form associated with formal usted: usted tenga. The que introduces the wished-for situation; this is a common way to offer a good wish, not a command. The form tenga can also agree with a third-person singular subject in other contexts, but that is not the meaning in this fixed utterance. viaje means “trip” here. It is the singular noun viaje; its plural is viajes. The article un marks an indefinite noun phrase, but it does not by itself assert a numerical count. Example: Tengo un viaje mañana. — “I have a trip tomorrow.” seguro means “safe” in this sentence. It is the masculine singular form of the adjective because it agrees with the masculine singular noun viaje: un viaje seguro. The feminine singular form is segura, as in una ruta segura — “a safe route.” Together, Que tenga + un viaje seguro produces the good wish “Have a safe trip” or, more literally, “May you have a safe trip.”