Choosing a Gift for a Coworker | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Tenemos que elegir un regalo para nuestra compañera de trabajo.

   We need to choose a gift for our coworker.

   Tenemos que

   we have to

   elegir

   choose

   regalo

   gift

   nuestra

   our

   compañera de trabajo

   coworker

   More detail

   Tenemos que expresses obligation: “we have to” or “we need to.” Tenemos is the present-tense first-person plural form of tener; que links it to an infinitive. This pattern is reusable with different actions: Tenemos que salir. — “We have to leave.” elegir means “to choose.” It is an infinitive here because it follows tenemos que. Its useful present-tense forms include elijo — “I choose,” eliges — “you choose,” and elegimos — “we choose.” Example: Necesito elegir una fecha. — “I need to choose a date.” un regalo means “a gift.” Regalo is a masculine singular noun; its plural is regalos. The article un marks the noun as indefinite and singular in this sentence, without necessarily emphasizing a numerical count. Example: Compramos un regalo. — “We bought a gift.” nuestra means “our” before a feminine singular noun. It agrees with the thing possessed, not with the people who possess it: nuestra compañera, but nuestro compañero for a masculine singular noun. The first-person plural possessive forms include nuestro, nuestra, nuestros, and nuestras, according to the possessed noun’s gender and number. compañera de trabajo means “coworker” here, specifically a female colleague. Compañera is the feminine singular form of compañero; compañeras is the feminine plural. De trabajo specifies the work-related context. Example: Mi compañera de trabajo vive cerca. — “My coworker lives nearby.” Together, Tenemos que elegir un regalo para nuestra compañera de trabajo means “We need to choose a gift for our coworker.” Para introduces the intended recipient: the gift is meant for the coworker.

2. ¿Debe ser útil o más personal?

   Should it be useful or more personal?

   Debe

   should

   ser

   be

   útil

   useful

   más personal

   more personal

   More detail

   Debe is the present form of deber for third-person singular: debe. With an infinitive, deber + infinitive expresses what someone or something should or must do. Here, the fixed translation selects the recommendation meaning “should,” not a statement of obligation about a specific person. Example: Debe funcionar. — “It should work.” Ser is the infinitive of ser, “to be.” After debe, the infinitive stays unchanged: debe ser means “should be.” Ser is used here to describe what kind of quality the gift ought to have. A useful contrast is estar, which commonly describes a state or condition rather than an inherent or defining quality; the choice depends on the intended meaning, not simply on the English verb “to be.” Útil is an adjective meaning “useful” here. Its singular form is útil for both masculine and feminine nouns; its plural form is útiles. For example, un regalo útil means “a useful gift,” while unas ideas útiles means “some useful ideas.” Más personal combines más (“more”) with the adjective personal (“personal”). The pattern más + adjective forms a comparative, so más personal means “more personal,” not merely “personal.” The adjective personal is singular here; it does not change for masculine versus feminine singular nouns, and its plural is personales. Example: Este regalo es más personal. — “This gift is more personal.” Together, Debe ser útil asks whether the gift should have practical usefulness, while o más personal adds the alternative of having a more personal character. The complete question, ¿Debe ser útil o más personal?, therefore means “Should it be useful or more personal?”

3. Le gusta el té, así que un juego de té puede funcionar.

   She likes tea, so a tea set might work.

   Le gusta

   she likes

   té

   tea

   así que

   so

   juego de té

   tea set

   puede

   might

   funcionar

   work

   More detail

   Le gusta expresses “she likes” in this sentence. Le is the indirect-object pronoun for the person who experiences the liking; here, the fixed translation identifies that person as she. With gustar, the liked thing is the grammatical subject, so gusta is singular because the liked thing here is el té. The form gustar is the base form. Compare Me gusta el café — “I like coffee.” té means “tea.” It is a masculine singular noun here, shown by el té. The accent distinguishes this noun from te, the unstressed pronoun meaning “you” in another construction. así que is a connector meaning “so” or “therefore.” It introduces the consequence of the preceding information without replacing or excluding it. juego de té means “tea set” in this sentence. Although juego can also mean “game,” the combination juego de té refers to a set of tea-related items. Juego is a masculine singular noun, which is why the phrase uses un juego. puede is the third-person singular present form of poder, “to be able to” or “may/might.” Here it expresses possibility, not a definite prediction. Poder + infinitive is a reusable pattern: puede funcionar means “might work.” funcionar is the infinitive “to work” or “to function.” In this context, it means “to be suitable/succeed as an option,” not employment. After a conjugated form of poder, the following verb remains in the infinitive: puede funcionar. Together, Le gusta el té gives the reason: she likes tea. Así que links that reason to the consequence, un juego de té puede funcionar: a tea set might work as an option. The complete meaning is: “She likes tea, so a tea set might work.”

4. Parece algo personal, pero sigue siendo útil.

   That feels personal but still useful.

   Parece

   seems; appears

   algo

   something

   personal

   personal

   sigue siendo

   continues to be; is still

   útil

   useful

   More detail

   Parece comes from parecer and means “seems” here: it presents an impression rather than a definite statement. The present form is third-person singular, matching the understood singular subject of the sentence. Compare parece (“seems”) with parecen (“seem”) when the subject is plural. Example: Parece interesante. — “It seems interesting.” Algo is an indefinite pronoun meaning “something.” It refers to an unspecified thing or quality, without identifying exactly what it is. Example: Quiero algo dulce. — “I want something sweet.” Personal is an adjective meaning “personal” here. It describes algo; in this use, the adjective follows the noun-like pronoun. Personal has the same form for masculine and feminine singular, while its plural is personales. Example: Es un asunto personal. — “It is a personal matter.” Sigue siendo combines seguir with the gerund siendo, from ser. Together they express that a condition continues: “is still” or literally “continues being.” Sigue is the third-person singular present form of seguir; siendo does not show the subject’s person or number. Example: Sigue siendo importante. — “It is still important.” Útil is an adjective meaning “useful.” It is singular here, and its form does not change between masculine and feminine singular; the plural is útiles. Example: Estas notas son útiles. — “These notes are useful.” The sentence first presents an impression with Parece algo personal (“It seems personal” / “It feels personal”). Pero then marks a contrast: despite that personal quality, sigue siendo útil says that the thing continues to be useful. Together: “That feels personal but still useful.”

5. Vamos a añadir también una tarjeta pequeña.

   Let's add a small card too.

   Vamos a

   let’s

   añadir

   add

   también

   too; also

   tarjeta

   card

   pequeña

   small

   More detail

   Vamos a combines the present form vamos of ir with a and an infinitive to express a proposal or planned action. Here the understood subject is nosotros/nosotras, so Vamos a añadir means “Let’s add” or “We are going to add.” The infinitive after a names the action; it is not a command addressed to one listener. añadir means “to add” in this sentence: to put an additional item with what is already being prepared. It is the infinitive, the base form used after vamos a. Useful forms include añado (“I add”) and añadimos (“we add”). Example: Añadimos otra nota. — “We add another note.” también adds this action or item to something already mentioned. Its meaning here is inclusive: the card is an additional thing, not a replacement for anything else. It commonly corresponds to “also” or “too,” and its position can vary: También vamos a añadir una tarjeta. — “We are also going to add a card.” tarjeta is a feminine noun meaning “card.” The phrase una tarjeta uses the feminine singular indefinite article una; that article identifies an unspecified card, but does not by itself state a numerical contrast. The plural is tarjetas. Example: Necesito una tarjeta. — “I need a card.” pequeña means “small” here and describes tarjeta. It is the feminine singular form of the adjective pequeño, agreeing with the noun in gender and number: un libro pequeño, but una tarjeta pequeña. The masculine form is pequeño; plural forms include pequeños and pequeñas. Example: Es una caja pequeña. — “It is a small box.” Together, Vamos a añadir proposes adding something, también marks it as an additional item, and una tarjeta pequeña identifies that item as one small card. The complete meaning is: “Let’s add a small card too.”

6. Todos pueden firmarla antes de darle el regalo.

   Everyone can sign it before we give her the gift.

   Todos

   everyone

   pueden

   can; are able to

   firmarla

   sign it

   antes de

   before

   darle

   give her

   el regalo

   the gift

   More detail

   Todos means “everyone” here and functions as the plural subject. Its masculine plural form can refer to a mixed or unspecified group; it does not identify who the individuals are. Compare todo (“everything” or “all,” depending on its use) and todas (“everyone/all” for an explicitly feminine plural group). pueden is the present-tense third-person plural form of poder (“to be able to; can”): poder → pueden. With an infinitive, poder + infinitive expresses ability or possibility: Todos pueden ayudar. — “Everyone can help.” The ability in this sentence belongs to the subject Todos. firmarla combines the infinitive firmar (“to sign”) with the attached direct-object clitic la: firmar + la → firmarla. The clitic is feminine singular and corresponds to the “it” being signed in the fixed translation; the sentence does not need to repeat that object as a separate noun. This is an infinitive after pueden, so the pattern is poder + infinitive: Pueden firmarla. — “They can sign it.” antes de introduces an event that happens earlier: antes de + infinitive means “before doing something.” For example, Antes de salir, cierro la puerta. means “Before leaving, I close the door.” Here, the event introduced after it is darle el regalo. darle combines the infinitive dar (“to give”) with the indirect-object clitic le: dar + le → darle. In this sentence, le refers to the female recipient identified by the fixed translation as “her.” Unlike la in firmarla, le marks the indirect recipient and does not itself mark feminine gender; the translation supplies that intended reading. The pattern dar + indirect object is reusable: darle algo means “to give her/him something,” with the recipient determined by context. el regalo means “the gift.” Regalo is a masculine singular noun, and el is its matching singular definite article. The article marks the gift as identifiable in the discourse; it does not by itself state a numerical count. Together, Todos pueden firmarla says that everyone is able to sign it. antes de darle el regalo places the giving event afterward: the signing occurs before we give her the gift. The complete meaning is therefore “Everyone can sign it before we give her the gift.”