Reviewing a Proposal Draft | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Terminé un borrador de la propuesta.

   I finished a draft of the proposal.

   Terminé

   I finished

   borrador

   draft

   propuesta

   proposal

   More detail

   Terminé is the first-person singular preterite of terminar: terminar → terminé. This form presents the finishing as a completed past event. Example: Terminé el informe. — “I finished the report.” borrador means a preliminary version of a text or document. It is a masculine noun: un borrador; its plural is borradores. Example: Necesito un borrador. — “I need a draft.” propuesta means “proposal” and is a feminine noun: la propuesta; its plural is propuestas. The phrase de la propuesta links the draft to the proposal: it is a draft of the proposal. Example: Leí la propuesta. — “I read the proposal.” Together, Terminé + un borrador + de la propuesta means “I finished a draft of the proposal.” The speaker presents the draft as completed. Here, un introduces a draft without asserting a numerical count.

2. Puedo revisarlo antes de que lo compartas.

   I can review it before you share it.

   Puedo

   I can

   revisarlo

   review it

   antes de que

   before

   lo

   it

   compartas

   share

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder (“can / be able to”). The subject is “I”: puedo, puedes, and puede correspond to “I can,” “you can,” and “he/she/you formal can.” Here it expresses ability or possibility, not a command. revisarlo combines the infinitive revisar (“to review/check”) with the direct-object clitic lo (“it”). In this sentence, the clitic is attached to the infinitive, so revisar becomes revisarlo; the infinitive itself stays unchanged. Lo is masculine singular as a grammatical form, although the English translation simply uses “it.” Example: Puedo revisarla = “I can review it,” when the object is represented by feminine singular la instead. antes de que introduces a clause meaning “before …”. Unlike the shorter antes de + infinitive construction, it is followed here by a conjugated verb: antes de que compartas (“before you share”). lo is a masculine singular direct-object clitic. In lo compartas, it represents the item being shared in the intended meaning. Spanish object clitics agree with the noun they replace: lo for masculine singular, la for feminine singular, and los or las for plural objects. The same intended “it” is represented earlier inside revisarlo. compartas is the second-person singular present subjunctive form of compartir (“to share”). The exact form addresses one tú; it is not the formal usted form. The subjunctive appears because antes de que introduces an event viewed as pending or not yet completed relative to the review. Compare antes de que compartas (“before you share”) with antes de compartir (“before sharing,” with the same understood subject as the main clause). Together, puedo revisarlo means “I can review it,” and antes de que lo compartas means “before you share it.” The full utterance therefore means: “I can review it before you share it.”

3. ¿Podrías revisar la sección de introducción?

   Could you check the introduction section?

   Podrías

   Could you

   revisar

   check; review

   sección

   section

   introducción

   introduction

   More detail

   Podrías is the conditional form of poder for tú: podrías = “you could.” With an infinitive, podrías + infinitive makes a courteous request, not a statement that the action definitely happens. Example: ¿Podrías esperar? — “Could you wait?” Revisar is the infinitive “to check” or “to review.” After podrías, the infinitive names the requested action and does not change for the person: podrías revisar = “you could review.” The related present-tense form is revisas for “you check/review.” Sección is a feminine noun meaning “section.” The phrase la sección uses the feminine singular article la; the noun itself remains sección in the singular. Example: La sección es breve. — “The section is brief.” Introducción is a feminine noun meaning “introduction.” In la sección de introducción, de introducción specifies what kind of section it is: an introduction section. The accent mark belongs to the observed spelling introducción. Example: La introducción es clara. — “The introduction is clear.” Together, ¿Podrías revisar la sección de introducción? forms a courteous yes-or-no request: “Could you check the introduction section?” The listener is asked to review that section; the sentence does not state whether they will agree or whether the review has already happened.

4. La idea principal está clara.

   The main idea is clear.

   idea

   idea

   principal

   main

   está

   is

   clara

   clear

   More detail

   idea means “idea” here. It is a feminine noun: la idea, una idea, and plural las ideas. The feminine form is shown by the article la; the noun itself does not change for gender. principal means “main” or “principal.” It follows idea and agrees with it in number, but its singular form is the same with masculine and feminine nouns: el tema principal, la idea principal; in the plural, los temas principales, las ideas principales. está is the third-person singular present form of estar, “to be.” Here it describes the idea’s current state or condition: “is clear.” Compare está with están, used with a plural subject: Las ideas están claras. clara means “clear” here. It is the feminine singular form of claro, agreeing with idea. The same adjective changes for gender and number: claro, clara, claros, claras. Example: La explicación está clara. — “The explanation is clear.” Together, la idea principal is “the main idea,” and está clara says that this idea is clear. The complete utterance therefore means “The main idea is clear.”

5. Pero la sección parece demasiado larga.

   But the section feels too long.

   Pero

   but

   sección

   section

   parece

   seems

   demasiado

   too

   larga

   long

   More detail

   Pero introduces a contrast: the statement that follows is presented against something already established, while still retaining that earlier point. It means “but,” not “instead of.” Example: La frase es clara, pero larga. — “The sentence is clear, but long.” sección is the noun “section.” In this sentence it is singular and feminine, which is relevant to the adjective larga. Example: La sección final es breve. — “The final section is brief.” parece is the third-person singular present form of parecer (“to seem” or “to appear”). Its singular form matches la sección; here it presents an assessment or impression, rather than a direct measurement. Example: El plan parece sencillo. — “The plan seems simple.” demasiado means “too” when it modifies an adjective. In demasiado larga, it intensifies larga and is an adverb, so it does not change to agree with the noun. Example: La explicación es demasiado breve. — “The explanation is too brief.” larga is the feminine singular form of the adjective largo, “long.” It agrees with the feminine singular noun sección: sección larga; with a masculine singular noun, the corresponding form is largo, as in un texto largo (“a long text”). Together, la sección identifies the section, parece frames the description as an impression, and demasiado larga says that its length exceeds what is suitable or desired. Thus the whole utterance means: “But the section feels too long.”

6. ¿Debería pasar algunos detalles a otra sección?

   Should I move some details to another section?

   Debería

   should I

   pasar

   move

   algunos

   some

   detalles

   details

   otra

   another

   sección

   section

   More detail

   Debería is the conditional form of deber for first-person singular or third-person singular. Here, the fixed translation identifies the first-person reading: “should I...?” The conditional makes this a tentative request for guidance rather than a direct command. Compare debo (“I must / I should”) with debería (“I should / ought to,” often softer). Example: ¿Debería esperar? — “Should I wait?” Pasar is the infinitive “to move” here: the speaker is asking whether to move details from one section to another. Its meaning can vary with context; for example, pasar la información a un archivo means “to transfer the information to a file.” After a conjugated form such as debería, Spanish uses the infinitive: debería pasar, not a second conjugated verb. Algunos is the masculine plural form of alguno, meaning “some” in this sentence. It agrees with the masculine plural noun detalles; it does not by itself state an exact number. The feminine singular form is alguna, as in alguna información (“some information”). Detalles is the plural of the noun detalle, “detail.” The plural form presents more than one detail as the object of pasar. Example: Revisa los detalles. — “Review the details.” Otra is the feminine singular form of otro, meaning “another” or “a different” here. It agrees with the feminine singular noun sección. The masculine singular counterpart is otro, as in otro lugar (“another place”). Sección is a feminine noun meaning “section.” In this utterance it is the destination introduced by a: a otra sección, “to another section.” The previous context identifies the section as the one that seems too long, while the sentence itself does not specify which new section is intended. Together, debería pasar asks whether the speaker ought to move something, algunos detalles identifies the items being moved, and a otra sección gives their destination. The whole utterance therefore means: “Should I move some details to another section?” It is a tentative question about whether that reorganization is appropriate.

7. Pon los detalles adicionales en la sección de contexto.

   Put the extra details in the background section.

   Pon

   put

   detalles

   details

   adicionales

   extra

   sección

   section

   contexto

   background

   More detail

   Pon is the affirmative command form of poner for tú singular. Here it means “put” and tells one person to place something. The present indicative is pongo, while the infinitive is poner; the command form is irregular rather than predictable from the infinitive. Example: Pon el libro aquí. — “Put the book here.” detalles means “details.” It is the plural of detalle; the plural ending -es is used because the sentence refers to more than one detail. Example: Necesito más detalles. — “I need more details.” adicionales means “extra” or “additional” here. It is the plural form of adicional and agrees with detalles in number. This adjective does not show masculine versus feminine in this form: detalles adicionales, but información adicional. sección means “section.” Its plural is secciones. In la sección, the article la marks this noun as singular and feminine; the sentence identifies a particular section rather than merely any section. contexto means “context” and, in this fixed translation, the intended section is the “background section.” de contexto specifies the type or purpose of the section. Example: Añade una nota en la sección de contexto. — “Add a note in the background section.” The pattern poner algo en un lugar means “to put something in a place.” Here, Pon supplies the command, los detalles adicionales is what should be placed, and en la sección de contexto identifies where it should go. Together, the utterance means: “Put the extra details in the background section.”

8. Revisaré el borrador y te lo devolveré.

   I will revise the draft and send it back.

   Revisaré

   I will revise

   borrador

   draft

   te lo

   to you, it

   devolveré

   I will return

   More detail

   Revisaré is the first-person singular future of revisar (“to revise”): revisar → revisaré. The ending -é identifies “I will …”; it does not identify the gender of the speaker. Example: Revisaré el informe mañana. — “I will revise the report tomorrow.” borrador means “draft,” here the document being revised. It is a masculine noun: el borrador. The related feminine noun borradora is not the form for this document; do not change borrador based on the writer’s gender. Example: El borrador está listo. — “The draft is ready.” te lo contains two object clitics. te is the second-person singular indirect object, “to you.” lo is the masculine singular direct-object clitic, “it,” referring here to el borrador. Their order is te + lo: the recipient comes before the thing returned. Because lo replaces a masculine singular noun, it agrees with borrador; for a feminine singular object, Spanish uses la instead. Example: Te lo enviaré. — “I will send it to you,” when lo refers to a masculine singular item. devolveré is the first-person singular future of devolver (“to return” or “give back”): devolver → devolveré. With lo, devolveré expresses returning the draft to the listener, matching the fixed meaning “send it back.” The future ending again marks the speaker as the person who will act. Example: Devolveré el libro el lunes. — “I will return the book on Monday.” The conjunction y links two actions by the same speaker: revisaré el borrador (“I will revise the draft”) and te lo devolveré (“I will return it to you”). In the second part, lo avoids repeating el borrador, while te identifies the recipient. Together, the utterance means: “I will revise the draft and send it back to you.”

9. Envía la nueva versión cuando esté lista.

   Send the new version when it is ready.

   Envía

   send

   la

   the

   nueva

   new

   versión

   version

   cuando

   when

   esté

   is

   lista

   ready

   More detail

   Envía is the affirmative command form of enviar for tú (one person addressed informally): “send.” Example: Envía el archivo. — “Send the file.” la is the feminine singular definite article, meaning “the.” It agrees with the feminine singular noun versión in this sentence. nueva means “new” here. It is the feminine singular form of nuevo, agreeing with versión. The masculine singular form is nuevo, as in un documento nuevo; with a feminine noun, use nueva, as in una versión nueva. versión is the feminine singular noun “version.” It keeps its written accent. Example: la versión final — “the final version.” cuando introduces the time clause “when.” It links the sending to the time at which the condition in the subordinate clause is met. esté is the third-person singular present subjunctive form of estar, “to be.” After cuando, Spanish uses this subjunctive when a future time is viewed as pending or not yet realized: cuando esté lista, “when it is ready.” Here, its subject is la versión; estar is the base form. Example: Te llamaré cuando esté libre. — “I will call you when I am free.” lista means “ready” here. It is the feminine singular form of the adjective listo, agreeing with la versión. esté carries the verb meaning “is”; lista describes the version. Example: La solicitud está lista. — “The application is ready.” Together, Envía la nueva versión gives the direct request “Send the new version.” cuando esté lista adds the time condition “when it is ready,” with esté referring to the version and lista matching its feminine singular form. The complete utterance therefore means: “Send the new version when it is ready.”