Preparing for Heavy Rain | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. El pronóstico dice que pronto empezará una lluvia fuerte.

   The forecast says heavy rain will start soon.

   pronóstico

   forecast

   dice

   says

   pronto

   soon

   empezará

   will start

   lluvia

   rain

   fuerte

   heavy; strong

   More detail

   pronóstico means “forecast” here. It is a masculine singular noun; its plural is pronósticos. The article in el pronóstico marks this noun phrase as singular and masculine. Example: El pronóstico cambia. — “The forecast changes.” dice is the present-tense form of decir (“to say, tell”) for a third-person singular subject. The form dice can mean “says” in a statement such as this one. Example: La señal dice “alto”. — “The sign says ‘stop.’” pronto is an adverb meaning “soon.” It describes the time of the event rather than changing form for number or gender. Example: Llegará pronto. — “He, she, or it will arrive soon.” empezará is the simple future form of empezar (“to start, begin”) for a third-person singular subject. The ending -ará marks this future form; the accent is part of the spelling. Compare empezará (“will start”) with empezó (“started”). Example: La película empezará pronto. — “The film will start soon.” lluvia means “rain.” It is a feminine singular noun, as shown by una lluvia. Its plural is lluvias. Example: La lluvia continúa. — “The rain continues.” fuerte means “heavy” in this sentence, describing the intensity of the rain. It is an adjective whose singular form is the same for masculine and feminine nouns: un viento fuerte and una lluvia fuerte; its plural is fuertes. Example: Hay una corriente fuerte. — “There is a strong current.” Together, El pronóstico dice que... means “The forecast says that...”. The clause after que gives the content of what the forecast says: pronto empezará una lluvia fuerte — “heavy rain will start soon.” Thus the complete utterance means “The forecast says heavy rain will start soon.”

2. Entonces, ponte hoy unos zapatos impermeables.

   Then wear waterproof shoes today.

   Entonces

   Then

   ponte

   put on / wear

   zapatos

   shoes

   impermeables

   waterproof

   More detail

   Entonces means “then” here and connects this recommendation with the situation already described. It can introduce a consequence or next step: Está lloviendo; entonces, llevo un paraguas. — “It is raining; then I’ll take an umbrella.” ponte is the affirmative command form for tú of ponerse, “to put on / wear.” It combines pon, the command form of poner, with the reflexive pronoun te: pon + te → ponte. The pronoun indicates that the person addressed is also the wearer. Ponte el abrigo. means “Put on your coat.” This exact form addresses one person informally; it is not the command form for usted or for a plural audience. zapatos means “shoes.” It is the plural of the masculine noun zapato. The plural form presents more than one shoe; in ordinary use, zapatos commonly refers to footwear as a pair. un zapato means “one shoe,” while unos zapatos means “some shoes” or “a pair of shoes” according to context. The article unos does not by itself state a numerical count. impermeables means “waterproof.” It is the plural form of the adjective impermeable. The singular adjective has the same form with masculine and feminine nouns, while the plural form is impermeables: una chaqueta impermeable — “a waterproof jacket”; unos pantalones impermeables — “waterproof trousers.” Here it agrees in number with zapatos. hoy means “today” and places the requested action on the current day. Together, ponte gives the informal singular command “put on / wear.” unos zapatos impermeables specifies waterproof shoes, and hoy specifies when to wear them. Entonces connects this recommendation to the rainy conditions and puddles in the surrounding context. The complete meaning is: “Then wear waterproof shoes today.”

3. Siempre hay charcos cerca de la estación.

   There are always puddles near the station.

   Siempre

   always

   hay

   there is / there are

   charcos

   puddles

   cerca de

   near

   estación

   station

   More detail

   Siempre means “always” and places the statement across all relevant times: siempre + verbo is a reusable pattern. For example, Siempre llego temprano. = “I always arrive early.” hay is the present form used to state that something exists or is present: “there is” or “there are.” It is impersonal and does not change for singular or plural; the number is shown by the noun that follows. Compare Hay un problema. = “There is a problem” and Hay varios problemas. = “There are several problems.” charcos means “puddles” here. It is the plural of charco (“puddle”); the plural ending -s marks more than one. Hay charcos therefore presents puddles as present, without saying who created them or how many there are exactly. cerca de is a reusable location pattern meaning “near” or “close to.” The thing located near something comes before cerca de, and the reference location follows it: El café está cerca de la estación. = “The café is near the station.” estación means “station” in this sentence. It is a feminine noun, so the phrase uses la estación; de + la remains two words here. The noun can refer to a station without specifying its type unless the context supplies one. Together, hay charcos says that puddles are present, while cerca de la estación identifies their location. Adding Siempre makes this a recurring or consistently observed situation: “There are always puddles near the station.”

4. También puedes necesitar más tiempo por los retrasos.

   You may also need extra time for delays.

   También

   also

   puedes

   you may / can

   necesitar

   to need

   más

   more / extra

   tiempo

   time

   por

   for / because of

   retrasos

   delays

   More detail

   También means “also” and adds this possibility to something already relevant. It does not replace the earlier information; it adds another point. puedes is the present-tense second-person singular form of poder: puedo, puedes, puede. With an infinitive, poder + infinitive can express ability, permission, or possibility. Here, puedes necesitar expresses possibility: “you may need,” not a definite statement that you do need it. Example: Puedes esperar aquí. — “You can/may wait here.” necesitar is an infinitive meaning “to need.” The infinitive follows puedes; the form that carries the second-person singular marking is puedes, not necesitar. Other useful forms include necesito (“I need”) and necesitas (“you need”). más expresses a greater amount: “more” or, in this sentence, “extra.” It is the comparative quantity form contrasted with menos (“less”). más tiempo means “more/extra time,” not necessarily a precisely stated amount. tiempo is the noun “time.” In más tiempo, it is the thing whose amount is greater. Example: Necesito más tiempo. — “I need more time.” por links the need to its cause or reason here: “because of” or “due to.” In this use, por los retrasos explains why extra time may be needed. This causal use differs from para, which commonly introduces a purpose or destination. retrasos is the plural of the noun retraso, “delay.” The plural ending -s indicates more than one delay. The full noun phrase los retrasos means “the delays”; the article los is masculine plural and agrees with retrasos. Together, puedes necesitar más tiempo means “you may need extra time,” and por los retrasos gives the reason: “because of the delays.” With también, the complete utterance means: “You may also need extra time because of the delays.”

5. ¿Debería poner mi portátil en una funda impermeable?

   Should I put my laptop in a waterproof sleeve?

   Debería

   should I

   poner

   put; place

   portátil

   laptop

   funda

   sleeve; case

   impermeable

   waterproof

   More detail

   Debería is the conditional form of deber. Here it means “should I?” and combines with an infinitive to ask whether the speaker ought to do something. The same form can also mean “he/she/you (formal) should,” so the English translation and question context identify the first-person reading here. Compare debo (“I must/should”) for a more direct present-tense obligation. Poner is the infinitive meaning “to put” or “to place.” After debería, the infinitive stays unchanged: debería poner = “should I put?” A useful contrast is guardar (“to store/keep”), which is more suitable when the focus is keeping something somewhere rather than placing it there. Portátil is the noun meaning “laptop” here. It is masculine in this use: el portátil, un portátil. The word can also be used as an adjective in other contexts, where its meaning is “portable,” but that is not its role in this sentence. Mi means “my” and is the singular possessive form used before this noun; possessives agree in number with the thing possessed, so mis portátiles means “my laptops.” Funda is a feminine noun meaning a sleeve or case designed to cover or protect something: una funda, la funda. Its plural is fundas. The nearby adjective describes this protective covering, not the laptop itself. Impermeable means “waterproof” here. As an adjective, it follows the noun and agrees in number: una funda impermeable, unas fundas impermeables. It has the same singular form for masculine and feminine nouns; only the plural adds -s. Together, poner mi portátil en una funda impermeable means “put my laptop in a waterproof sleeve.” The whole question, ¿Debería poner mi portátil en una funda impermeable?, asks whether the speaker ought to put their laptop inside such a sleeve. En marks the destination or container: “in/into” in this context.

6. Guárdalo dentro de tu bolsa, donde se mantenga seco.

   Keep it inside your bag where it stays dry.

   Guárdalo

   keep it

   dentro de

   inside

   bolsa

   bag

   donde

   where

   se mantenga

   stays/remains

   seco

   dry

   More detail

   Guárdalo means “keep it” here. It is the affirmative command form of guardar for tú (one person addressed informally). The direct-object pronoun lo is attached to the command: guarda + lo; the written accent preserves the original stress. Lo is masculine singular and refers to the item being kept, without naming that item inside this sentence. dentro de is a reusable preposition meaning “inside” or “within.” It introduces the place containing the object. The noun bolsa means “bag.” Its singular form is used here, and tu marks the bag as belonging to the person addressed; tu is not the same form as the pronoun tú (“you”). donde means “where” and introduces a clause describing the place just mentioned. It can refer to a place without repeating that place as a separate noun. Example: Vivo donde trabajo. — “I live where I work.” se mantenga comes from the pronominal verb mantenerse, “to remain” or “stay.” Mantenga is the third-person singular present subjunctive form, and se is part of the verb construction. In this sentence, the subjunctive presents staying dry as the intended condition associated with the place: “where it stays dry.” seco means “dry.” It is an adjective, and its masculine singular form agrees with the understood singular masculine referent of lo; the adjective is not based on bolsa. The feminine singular form is seca, as in the example La ropa se mantiene seca. — “The clothing stays dry.” Together, Guárdalo dentro de tu bolsa gives the command “Keep it inside your bag.” The clause donde se mantenga seco adds the intended condition of that location, producing the full meaning: “Keep it inside your bag where it stays dry.”

7. Entonces debería salir más temprano de lo normal.

   Then I should leave earlier than usual.

   Entonces

   Then

   debería

   should

   salir

   leave

   más temprano

   earlier

   de lo normal

   than usual

   More detail

   Entonces means “then” here and links this statement to what has just been established. It can also introduce a conclusion: Entonces, nos vamos = “Then, we’re leaving.” debería is the conditional form of deber. In this sentence, the fixed translation gives it the first-person meaning “I should,” expressing advice or an appropriate course of action rather than a firm prediction. Debería has the same written form for yo and for singular third-person or formal usted; the intended subject here is “I” because of the fixed translation. Compare debo = “I must/should” in the present with debería = “I should” in the conditional. salir is the infinitive “to leave” or “to go out.” After a conjugated form of deber, the following verb remains in the infinitive: debería salir = “I should leave.” Example: Debes salir ahora. = “You must leave now.” más temprano means “earlier.” Temprano is the base form, and más temprano compares the leaving time with another reference time. Example: Hoy llegué más temprano. = “Today I arrived earlier.” The comparative word here is más; temprano is the adverb being compared. de lo normal means “than usual” in this sentence. The pattern más + adjective or adverb + de lo normal compares something with what is normal or usual: trabajar más de lo normal = “to work more than usual.” Here it specifies the comparison point for más temprano, not a separate destination or object. Together, debería salir expresses “I should leave,” más temprano adds “earlier,” and de lo normal gives the comparison “than usual.” With Entonces at the beginning, the complete utterance means: “Then I should leave earlier than usual.”

8. Eso debería hacer que el viaje sea menos estresante.

   That should make the trip less stressful.

   Eso

   That

   debería

   should

   hacer que

   make/cause

   el viaje

   the trip

   sea

   be

   menos

   less

   estresante

   stressful

   More detail

   Eso is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” Its grammatical form is singular and neuter; the sentence does not identify exactly what it refers to, so do not assume a particular object or event. debería is the third-person singular conditional form of deber. Here deber + infinitive expresses an expected or likely result: “should.” The form agrees with the singular subject eso, not with el viaje. Compare debe (“must/should,” present) with debería (“should,” conditional and often more tentative). hacer que is a reusable causative construction: “to make/cause something to happen.” The word hacer is the infinitive after debería; que introduces the result clause. Example: La música hace que trabaje mejor. — “The music makes me work better.” el viaje means “the trip.” viaje is a masculine singular noun, shown here by the article el; the article is grammatical, not a separate statement about quantity. Example: El viaje fue largo. — “The trip was long.” sea is the third-person singular present subjunctive form of ser, “to be.” After hacer que, Spanish uses the subjunctive for the caused result: hace que sea means “makes it be/is making it be.” This is not a command. The subject of sea is understood from the result clause as el viaje. menos means “less” and marks a lower degree. It modifies the adjective estresante here. A useful comparison is más estresante (“more stressful”) versus menos estresante (“less stressful”); menos itself does not change for gender or number. estresante means “stressful.” It is the adjective’s singular form, and this adjective has the same form for masculine and feminine nouns; its plural is estresantes. Thus it describes the singular viaje without showing masculine gender in its own ending. Together, debería presents an expected result, hacer que links the cause to that result, and el viaje sea menos estresante says that the trip will have a lower level of stress. The whole utterance therefore means: “That should make the trip less stressful.”