Reserving a quiet study room | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Me gustaría reservar una sala de estudio.

   I would like to reserve a study room.

   Me gustaría

   I would like

   reservar

   to reserve

   sala

   room

   estudio

   study

   More detail

   Me gustaría expresses a polite personal wish: “I would like.” Gustaría is the conditional form of gustar, whose base form is gustar; me marks the person experiencing the wish. With an infinitive after it, the pattern Me gustaría + infinitive is a reusable way to say that you would like to do something. Example: Me gustaría aprender español. — “I would like to learn Spanish.” reservar means “to reserve” here. It is an infinitive, so it names the action without marking a particular subject or tense. After Me gustaría, this infinitive states the action desired: Me gustaría reservar... — “I would like to reserve...” Example: Quiero reservar una mesa. — “I want to reserve a table.” sala means “room.” It is a feminine noun: la sala and, in this sentence, una sala. The article and any agreeing adjective use the noun’s feminine singular form. Example: La sala es grande. — “The room is large.” estudio means “study” in sala de estudio. Here it is a masculine singular noun used after de to specify the room’s purpose or type. The construction sala de + noun is reusable for describing a room: sala de reuniones — “meeting room.” Together, Me gustaría + reservar gives “I would like to reserve,” and una sala de estudio identifies what is to be reserved: “a study room.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I would like to reserve a study room.”

2. Voy a comprobar qué salas están disponibles hoy.

   Let me check which rooms are open today.

   Voy a

   I’m going to

   comprobar

   check

   qué

   which

   salas

   rooms

   están

   are

   disponibles

   available

   hoy

   today

   More detail

   Voy a combines the first-person singular form voy of ir with a and an infinitive. This is a reusable way to express what the speaker is going to do: Voy a estudiar. — “I’m going to study.” Here, voy agrees with the speaker; the following verb stays in the infinitive. comprobar means “to check” or “to verify.” It is an infinitive because it follows voy a. The same verb can be used independently in other forms, for example: Compruebo la información. — “I check the information.” qué introduces the embedded question qué salas..., meaning “which rooms.” Its accent mark distinguishes this question word from the conjunction que, which does not mean “which” in this use. An embedded question does not need separate question marks when it is part of a larger statement. salas is the plural of the feminine noun sala, “room.” The plural ending -s marks plural number. In this utterance, it refers to the rooms whose availability is being checked. están is the third-person plural present form of estar, “to be.” It agrees in number with plural salas. Spanish uses estar here to describe the rooms’ current condition or status. Compare La sala está disponible. — “The room is available,” and Las salas están disponibles. — “The rooms are available.” disponibles is the plural form of the adjective disponible, “available.” The adjective agrees with salas in number; disponible is the same for masculine and feminine singular, while disponibles is the plural form for either gender. The structure estar + adjective describes a current state. hoy is the adverb “today.” It places the availability being checked in the present day. It does not change form for number or gender. Together, qué salas están disponibles means “which rooms are available,” and Voy a comprobar says that the speaker is going to check this. The complete utterance therefore means “I’m going to check which rooms are open today,” matching the fixed translation’s natural “Let me check which rooms are open today.”

3. Necesito un lugar tranquilo para estudiar con un compañero de clase.

   I need a quiet place to study with a classmate.

   Necesito

   I need

   lugar

   place

   tranquilo

   quiet

   estudiar

   to study

   compañero

   classmate

   clase

   class

   More detail

   Necesito is the first-person singular present form of necesitar (“to need”): necesito = “I need.” The subject is included in the verb, so Spanish does not require a separate subject pronoun. Example: Necesito ayuda. — “I need help.” lugar means “place.” It is a masculine singular noun, as shown here by un and by the masculine singular adjective tranquilo. Example: Este lugar es cómodo. — “This place is comfortable.” tranquilo means “quiet” here. It is the masculine singular form of tranquilo, agreeing with lugar; with a feminine singular noun, the form is tranquila. Example: Busco una habitación tranquila. — “I am looking for a quiet room.” estudiar is the infinitive “to study.” After para, an infinitive expresses purpose: para estudiar means “to study” or “for studying.” Example: Tengo tiempo para leer. — “I have time to read.” compañero means “classmate” in this sentence. The masculine-form noun can refer to a male classmate or, depending on context, to a classmate without specifying the person’s gender; the fixed translation identifies the general meaning “a classmate,” not a specific gender. Its feminine counterpart is compañera. Example: Trabajo con una compañera. — “I work with a female classmate.” clase means “class.” In de clase, it forms the relation “of class,” giving compañero de clase — “classmate,” literally a companion of class. Example: Mi compañero de clase vive cerca. — “My classmate lives nearby.” Together, Necesito un lugar tranquilo means “I need a quiet place.” para estudiar adds the purpose “to study,” and con un compañero de clase adds that the studying is with a classmate. The complete utterance is therefore: “I need a quiet place to study with a classmate.”

4. Una sala pequeña está libre esta tarde.

   A small room is free this afternoon.

   sala

   room

   pequeña

   small

   está

   is

   libre

   free; available

   esta

   this

   tarde

   afternoon

   More detail

   sala means “room,” here specifically a room or space. It is a feminine noun, so the adjective describing it takes the feminine singular form: una sala pequeña. Example: La sala está vacía. — “The room is empty.” pequeña means “small.” It is the feminine singular form of pequeño because it agrees with the feminine singular noun sala. The masculine form is pequeño, as in un cuarto pequeño — “a small room.” está is a form of estar, “to be.” It is the third-person singular present form, used here for the room’s current condition or availability. Do not confuse it with esta without an accent: esta means “this” when it modifies a feminine singular noun, while está is the verb form. libre means “free” in the sense of unoccupied or available here. The same form is used with singular masculine and feminine nouns: un asiento libre — “a free seat”; una sala libre — “an available room.” esta means “this” and modifies the feminine singular noun tarde. It has no written accent in this use. The accented form está is the verb “is,” so the two forms differ in both spelling and function. tarde means “afternoon” in esta tarde, the time expression “this afternoon.” In other contexts, tarde can also mean “late,” but that is not the meaning here. Example: Llego tarde. — “I arrive late.” Together, una sala pequeña identifies a small room; está libre states that it is currently available; and esta tarde specifies the time. The complete utterance means: “A small room is free this afternoon.”

5. ¿Puedo reservarla en el mostrador de atención?

   Can I book it at the service desk?

   Puedo

   can I / am I able to

   reservarla

   book it

   mostrador

   counter or desk

   atención

   service or assistance

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder (“to be able to, can”). In this question, ¿Puedo ...? asks whether the speaker is allowed or able to do the action. The question form itself supplies the “Can I...?” meaning. reservarla combines the infinitive reservar (“to reserve/book”) with the direct-object pronoun la. The pronoun is attached to the infinitive: reservar + la → reservarla. Here, la refers to the feminine singular room from the preceding context: sala. A masculine singular object would use lo, as in reservarlo (“to book it”). Example: Quiero reservarla. — “I want to book it.” mostrador is a masculine singular noun meaning “counter” or “desk,” especially a place where someone is served. Its plural is mostradores. Example: El mostrador está allí. — “The desk is over there.” atención is a feminine singular noun meaning “attention” or “service/assistance.” In mostrador de atención, the phrase de atención specifies the desk’s function, giving “service desk.” The preposition de links a noun with its function or type. The structure is ¿Puedo + infinitive with attached object pronoun + location phrase: ¿Puedo reservarla en el mostrador de atención? The speaker asks whether they can book the room at the service desk. en marks the place where the booking would be made, so the complete meaning is “Can I book it at the service desk?”

6. Por favor, rellena el formulario de solicitud aquí.

   Please fill in the request form here.

   Por favor

   please

   rellena

   fill in

   formulario

   form

   solicitud

   request

   aquí

   here

   More detail

   Por favor is a polite way to introduce a request. It softens the command but does not change who is being addressed. rellena means “fill in” here. It is the affirmative command form of rellenar for tú, one person addressed informally. The final -a is part of this command form; it is not the noun’s ending. For comparison, rellene addresses one person as usted, while rellenen addresses several people as ustedes. Example: Rellena este campo. — “Fill in this field.” formulario means “form.” Its base form is formulario, and it is a masculine noun: el formulario. In this sentence, it is the direct object of rellena, the thing to be filled in. solicitud means “request” or, in administrative contexts, “application.” It is a feminine noun: la solicitud. In formulario de solicitud, de solicitud specifies the type of form: a request form or application form. The preposition de commonly links a general noun to the type, purpose, or content associated with it. aquí means “here” and gives the location relevant to the request. The written accent marks the stressed syllable and distinguishes this word from forms without that accent. Together, rellena el formulario de solicitud means “fill in the request form,” and aquí adds “here.” With Por favor, the whole utterance is the polite informal request: “Please fill in the request form here.”

7. ¿Devuelvo la llave en este mostrador de atención?

   Do I return the key to this service desk?

   ¿Devuelvo

   Should I return

   la llave

   the key

   este

   this

   mostrador

   desk or counter

   atención

   service

   More detail

   ¿Devuelvo is the first-person singular present form of devolver (“to return”): yo devuelvo. In this question, Spanish uses the present to ask whether the speaker should return something or is expected to return it. The stem change is o → ue in stressed forms: devuelvo, devuelves, devuelve; the infinitive remains devolver. la llave means “the key.” llave is a feminine singular noun, so it takes the feminine singular article la. Its plural is las llaves. Here it is the direct object of devuelvo: the item being returned. este means “this” and is the masculine singular form of the demonstrative system: este (masculine singular), esta (feminine singular), estos and estas (plural). Here este agrees with the masculine singular noun mostrador, not with llave. mostrador means “counter” or “desk,” especially a counter where service is provided. It is masculine singular; its plural is mostradores. In this utterance, en este mostrador identifies the counter involved in the return. atención means “service” or “assistance” here. It is a feminine singular noun, and the accent mark is part of its spelling. In mostrador de atención, de atención specifies the type or function of the counter: a service desk. The preposition de commonly links a noun with the service or purpose associated with it. Together, ¿Devuelvo la llave en este mostrador de atención? asks whether the speaker should return the key at this service desk. ¿... ? marks the complete yes-or-no question; the subject yo is understood from the first-person form devuelvo, and the object is la llave. The fixed translation expresses the same intended meaning as “Do I return the key to this service desk?”

8. Devuélvela antes del cierre.

   Bring it back before closing.

   Devuélvela

   Bring it back

   antes del

   before

   cierre

   closing

   More detail

   Devuélvela is an affirmative command addressed to one person using tú: “bring it back” or “return it.” The form is built from devolver (“to return”) plus the direct-object pronoun la, referring here to the key identified in the preceding question. In an affirmative command, the pronoun attaches to the verb: devuelve + la → devuélvela; the written accent marks the pronunciation after attachment. Compare devuélvelo when the object is masculine singular, such as el formulario. antes del expresses “before the.” It combines antes de (“before”) with el; de + el contracts to del. The useful pattern is antes de + noun or antes de + verb: Antes de salir, cierra la puerta means “Before leaving, close the door.” Cierre is a masculine singular noun meaning “closing” here, the point when the place closes. It is related to the verb cerrar (“to close”), but cierre in this sentence is the noun, not a command. With the definite article, the phrase is el cierre. Together, devuélvela supplies the command and its feminine singular object, while antes del cierre sets the deadline: “Bring it back before closing.”