Check the weather before leaving | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. ¿Puedes revisar la aplicación del tiempo antes de que salgamos?

   Can you check the weather app before we leave?

   Puedes

   can / are you able to

   revisar

   check

   aplicación

   app / application

   tiempo

   weather

   antes de que

   before

   salgamos

   leave

   More detail

   Puedes is the second-person singular present form of poder (“to be able to” or “can”). Here it makes a request about the listener’s ability or willingness: “Can you…?” It agrees with tú; it is not the formal usted form, which is puede. Example: ¿Puedes ayudarme? — “Can you help me?” Revisar is the infinitive “to check” or “to review.” After a conjugated form of poder, Spanish uses an infinitive: puedes revisar = “you can check.” The person and tense are expressed by puedes, while revisar stays in the infinitive. Example: Puedo revisar el mensaje. — “I can check the message.” Aplicación is a feminine noun meaning “application” or, commonly, “app.” Its plural is aplicaciones. In la aplicación, the article la marks this noun as singular and feminine. Example: La aplicación funciona bien. — “The app works well.” Tiempo can mean “time” or “weather,” depending on context. Here, in la aplicación del tiempo, it means “weather”; the fixed translation identifies this as a weather app. The phrase del tiempo is de + el tiempo, literally “of the weather” in this use. Example: El tiempo está cambiando. — “The weather is changing.” Antes de que means “before” and introduces an event or clause. When the subject or event in that clause is expressed with a finite verb, Spanish normally uses the subjunctive after this expression. The pattern is antes de que + clause: “before ….” Salgamos is the first-person plural present subjunctive form of salir (“to leave” or “to go out”). Here it means “we leave,” referring to the we in the fixed translation. Its subjunctive form is required by antes de que, not because the sentence is a command. Compare the indicative salimos (“we leave/we are leaving”) with the subjunctive salgamos after a trigger such as antes de que. Example: Cierra la ventana antes de que salgamos. — “Close the window before we leave.” Together, ¿Puedes revisar asks the listener “Can you check,” la aplicación del tiempo identifies what should be checked—the weather app—and antes de que salgamos sets the deadline: “before we leave.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Can you check the weather app before we leave?”

2. Dice que hay alguna posibilidad de lluvia.

   It says there is some chance of rain.

   Dice

   says

   hay

   there is

   alguna

   some

   posibilidad

   possibility; chance

   lluvia

   rain

   More detail

   Dice is the third-person singular present form of decir (“to say”): decir → dice. Here it means “it says,” with the subject understood from the fixed translation. The same form can also mean “he says” or “she says” when the context identifies a person. hay is the impersonal present form of haber used to state that something exists or is present. It does not change to agree with the thing that follows: hay una posibilidad and hay varias posibilidades. Example: Hay tiempo. — “There is time.” alguna means “some” here and agrees with the feminine singular noun posibilidad. Its masculine singular counterpart before a noun is algún, as in algún problema (“some problem”). This word presents an unspecified possibility; it does not by itself state a particular amount. posibilidad is a feminine noun meaning “possibility” or, in this context, “chance.” The useful pattern is posibilidad de + noun or infinitive: una posibilidad de cambio — “a possibility of change.” lluvia is the feminine noun “rain.” In posibilidad de lluvia, it refers to rain as the possible event, without specifying a particular rainfall. Example: Hay lluvia en la montaña. — “There is rain in the mountains.” Together, hay alguna posibilidad de lluvia says that a possibility or chance of rain exists. With Dice at the beginning, the whole utterance means “It says there is some chance of rain.”

3. El cielo ya se ve nublado.

   The sky looks cloudy already.

   cielo

   sky

   ya

   already

   se ve

   looks; appears

   nublado

   cloudy

   More detail

   cielo means “sky” here. It is a masculine singular noun, so the definite article is el: el cielo. Example: El cielo está despejado. — “The sky is clear.” ya means “already.” It marks that the described appearance is true by the relevant time. Example: Ya es de noche. — “It is already nighttime.” se ve is a useful Spanish pattern meaning “looks” or “appears” when describing how something presents itself. ve is the present-tense third-person singular form of ver (“to see”); se is part of the construction here, so this is not simply the ordinary meaning “he/she sees.” Example: La casa se ve grande. — “The house looks large.” nublado means “cloudy” in this sentence. It is an adjective related to clouds and agrees with cielo: both are masculine singular. Its feminine singular form is nublada, as in La tarde se ve nublada. — “The afternoon looks cloudy.” The article and noun form El cielo identify the thing being described. ya adds “already,” and se ve nublado says that the sky has a cloudy appearance. Together, El cielo ya se ve nublado. means “The sky looks cloudy already.”

4. La temperatura también bajará esta noche.

   The temperature will also drop this evening.

   temperatura

   temperature

   también

   also

   bajará

   will go down

   esta noche

   this evening

   More detail

   temperatura means “temperature” here. It is a feminine singular noun, as shown by la temperatura. The article and noun agree in gender and number. Example: La temperatura sube. — “The temperature rises.” también adds this statement to another relevant fact: “also” or “too.” It includes the temperature’s dropping as an additional point; it does not replace the earlier information. Example: El viento también cambiará. — “The wind will also change.” bajará is the third-person singular future form of bajar, “to go down” or “to drop.” The future ending -ará shows that the action is expected after the reference time; the singular form agrees with la temperatura. The useful chain is bajar → bajará (“to drop” → “will drop”). Example: El precio bajará mañana. — “The price will drop tomorrow.” esta noche is a time expression meaning “this evening” or “tonight.” esta is the feminine singular form of the demonstrative because it modifies the feminine singular noun noche. Example: Trabajaré esta noche. — “I will work this evening.” Together, La temperatura identifies what will change, también adds this change to the surrounding information, bajará states the expected future drop, and esta noche gives its time: “The temperature will also drop this evening.”

5. ¿Debería llevar una chaqueta ligera?

   Should I carry a light jacket?

   Debería

   should I

   llevar

   carry

   chaqueta

   jacket

   ligera

   light

   More detail

   Debería is the conditional form of deber. Here it is first-person singular, so the question asks about the speaker: “should I...?” The same form can also be third-person singular in another context, but the question and translation identify the first-person reading. Deber is followed by an infinitive to express what someone should or ought to do: debería + infinitive. Example: Debería descansar. — “I should rest.” Llevar is the infinitive “to carry” here. After debería, the verb remains in the infinitive rather than taking a personal ending. Depending on context, llevar can also mean “to wear” or “to take,” but this sentence uses the carrying sense. Chaqueta is a feminine singular noun meaning “jacket.” The indefinite article una and the adjective form that accompany it are feminine singular. Una presents a jacket without identifying a particular one; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. Ligera means “light” here, describing the jacket’s weight. It is the feminine singular form of ligero, agreeing with feminine singular chaqueta. The masculine singular form is ligero; for example, un abrigo ligero means “a light coat.” The opposite adjective is pesado/pesada, “heavy.” Together, Debería llevar asks whether the speaker ought to carry something, and una chaqueta ligera identifies that item as a light jacket. The complete utterance means: “Should I carry a light jacket?”

6. Una chaqueta ligera y un paraguas pequeño ayudarían.

   A light jacket and a small umbrella would help.

   chaqueta

   jacket

   ligera

   lightweight

   paraguas

   umbrella

   pequeño

   small

   ayudarían

   would help

   More detail

   chaqueta means “jacket” here. It is a feminine noun: la chaqueta, plural las chaquetas. The adjective describing it therefore appears in the feminine singular form ligera. ligera means “lightweight” in this sentence, describing the jacket’s weight. It is the feminine singular form of ligero; compare ligero with a masculine singular noun and ligeras with feminine plural nouns. Example: Una mochila ligera ayuda. — “A lightweight backpack helps.” paraguas means “umbrella.” It is normally masculine, so the phrase uses un paraguas pequeño. The form paraguas stays the same in singular and plural; the article or surrounding words show the number: un paraguas / dos paraguas. pequeño means “small.” It is the masculine singular form of pequeño, agreeing with paraguas. The feminine singular form is pequeña, and plural forms include pequeños and pequeñas. Example: Un bolso pequeño basta. — “A small bag is enough.” ayudarían comes from ayudar, “to help.” Its ending -ían marks the conditional for a third-person plural subject: “would help.” Here, the coordinated subject una chaqueta ligera y un paraguas pequeño is plural, so the verb is ayudarían. The conditional presents the help as a possible or expected result rather than a direct statement of present fact. Example: Dos mantas ayudarían. — “Two blankets would help.” The sentence combines the two noun phrases una chaqueta ligera (“a light jacket”) and un paraguas pequeño (“a small umbrella”) with y (“and”). Together they form the plural subject of ayudarían: “A light jacket and a small umbrella would help.”

7. Entonces puedo meter las dos cosas en mi bolso.

   Then I can put both in my bag.

   Entonces

   Then

   puedo

   can

   meter

   put

   las

   the

   dos

   two

   cosas

   things

   en

   in

   mi

   my

   bolso

   bag

   More detail

   Entonces means “then” here and links this statement to what was just established. It can also mean “so” when introducing a consequence. puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder, “to be able to” or “can.” The form shows that the speaker is the one who has the ability or possibility. Puedo meter el libro en la mochila means “I can put the book in the backpack.” After poder, the following verb normally stays in the infinitive. meter is the infinitive meaning “to put or place something into a space.” Its meaning here is completed by en mi bolso, which identifies the destination or container. It is different from sacar, “to take out.” las is the feminine plural definite article. It agrees with cosas, not with the speaker: la cosa is singular and las cosas is plural. dos states the number two. Spanish uses this form with either grammatical gender: dos cosas and dos libros. In this utterance, las dos cosas means “both things”; the two items are the light jacket and small umbrella mentioned in the preceding sentence. cosas is the plural of cosa, “thing.” Cosa is feminine, and its plural form is cosas; the plural is appropriate because the utterance refers to two things. This is why the phrase is las dos cosas. en means “in” here and introduces the place or container into which the items are put. For example, Está en el bolso means “It is in the bag,” while in the fixed sentence the verb meter presents the bag as the destination. mi means “my” before a singular noun. It agrees in number with the possessed noun bolso but does not change for the possessor’s gender; before a plural noun it becomes mis, as in mis libros (“my books”). bolso is a masculine singular noun meaning “bag,” often specifically a handbag or carryall depending on context. Its masculine gender and singular number are reflected by forms such as el bolso; in mi bolso, the noun is still masculine singular, while mi itself marks only singular number and does not mark gender. Together, puedo meter expresses “I can put,” las dos cosas identifies both previously mentioned items, and en mi bolso gives the destination. Thus the whole utterance means: “Then I can put both in my bag.”

8. Eso debería ser suficiente para la lluvia y la noche más fresca.

   That should be enough for the rain and the cooler evening.

   Eso

   that

   debería

   should

   ser

   be

   suficiente

   enough

   para

   for

   lluvia

   rain

   noche

   evening

   más fresca

   cooler

   More detail

   Eso means “that” here and points to the matter or things just under discussion. It is the neuter demonstrative form, used for an idea, situation, or unspecified content rather than a noun marked masculine or feminine. Other demonstratives include esto “this” and aquello “that over there”; choose among them according to distance or discourse context. debería is a form of deber, “to have to / ought to.” In this sentence, debería + infinitive expresses an expectation or tentative conclusion: “should.” The ending -ía is the conditional form for yo, él, ella, and usted; the form itself does not identify which of those subjects is intended here. Compare debe ser “must be / is supposed to be” with debería ser “should be.” ser is the infinitive “to be.” After a conjugated form such as debería, the following verb remains in the infinitive: debería ser = “should be.” Example: Debería funcionar. — “It should work.” suficiente means “enough” or “sufficient.” It agrees in number when needed: singular suficiente, plural suficientes; unlike many Spanish adjectives, the singular form is the same for masculine and feminine nouns. Example: Tenemos agua suficiente. — “We have enough water.” para introduces what something is intended or sufficient for; here it means “for.” It is different from por, which often presents a cause, route, exchange, or duration. Example: Esto es para la cena. — “This is for dinner.” lluvia is the feminine noun “rain.” In the sentence it appears in the noun phrase la lluvia, where la marks its grammatical gender and singular number. Example: La lluvia empezó. — “The rain started.” noche is the feminine noun “night”; in this context, the translation “evening” fits the intended time period. The phrase la noche means “the night/evening.” Example: La noche es tranquila. — “The night is quiet.” más fresca means “cooler.” Fresca is the feminine singular form of fresco, agreeing with noche; más forms the comparative. The comparison is understood relative to another evening or to the usual conditions, even though the comparison point is not stated. The base form is fresco/fresca “cool,” and the opposite is caliente “hot.” Example: Esta noche es más fresca. — “This evening is cooler.” Together, Eso debería ser suficiente means “That should be enough.” para la lluvia y la noche más fresca specifies what it should be enough for: the rain and the cooler evening. The complete utterance is therefore: “That should be enough for the rain and the cooler evening.”