Checking in and finding the waiting room | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Disculpe, ¿dónde está la sala de espera?

   Excuse me, where is the waiting room?

   Disculpe

   Excuse me

   ¿dónde está

   where is

   sala de espera

   waiting room

   More detail

   Disculpe is a polite way to get someone’s attention or say “excuse me.” It is the affirmative command form of disculpar addressed to one usted listener; it is not the tú form disculpa. In this utterance it functions as a courteous opening, not as a request to excuse a specific named action. ¿dónde está asks for the location of something. dónde is the question word for a place or location. está is the third-person singular present form of estar, used here because the question concerns the location of la sala de espera. Compare ¿Dónde está la entrada? — “Where is the entrance?” sala de espera means “waiting room.” sala is a feminine singular noun meaning “room” or “hall.” de espera specifies its purpose: espera is the noun “waiting” in this established expression. The article la agrees with feminine singular sala; it identifies the room as the one being asked about, without stating a numerical count. Together, Disculpe, ¿dónde está la sala de espera? means “Excuse me, where is the waiting room?” The courteous attention-getter comes first, followed by the location question. The next sentence’s el mostrador de recepción (“the reception desk/front desk”) provides a possible landmark for giving directions, but it does not change the meaning of this question.

2. Pase el mostrador de recepción.

   Go past the front desk.

   Pase

   go past

   mostrador

   counter; desk

   recepción

   reception

   More detail

   Pase means “go past” here. It is the affirmative command form of pasar for usted singular, so it addresses one person formally. The form is not the tú command: that is pasa. A reusable pattern is Pase + place for a formal instruction to one person, as in Pase la calle — “Cross the street.” mostrador is a masculine noun meaning a counter or service desk. Its plural is mostradores. In this sentence, el mostrador is the place being passed; the article is not included in the selected phrase, but it appears in the complete sentence. recepción is a feminine noun meaning reception or the reception area/desk. The accent mark is part of the spelling. In mostrador de recepción, de links the desk with its function or location: “reception desk.” This is a noun phrase, not a command to receive something. Together, Pase gives the formal instruction, and el mostrador de recepción identifies what to go past. The complete utterance means “Go past the front desk.”

3. Estará a su izquierda.

   It will be on your left.

   Estará

   will be

   a su izquierda

   on your left

   More detail

   Estará is a form of estar (“to be,” for a location or temporary state). The ending marks the third-person singular in the future: estará = “will be” for “it,” “he,” or “she”; here the fixed translation identifies the subject as “it.” Compare present está (“is”) with future estará (“will be”). a su izquierda gives the location. izquierda is the noun “left” or “left side,” and derecha is the contrasting noun “right” or “right side.” su is the possessive form meaning “your” here; its exact possessor is determined by context, while the translation identifies it as the listener. The pattern a su izquierda is reusable for “on your left.” Together, Estará + a su izquierda means “It will be on your left.” The future form presents the location as where the indicated thing will be, and a su izquierda specifies the listener’s left-hand side.

4. ¿Necesito registrarme antes de sentarme?

   Do I need to check in before I sit down?

   Necesito

   I need

   registrarme

   to check in

   antes de

   before

   sentarme

   to sit down

   More detail

   Necesito is the first-person singular present form of necesitar: “I need.” The ending -o identifies the speaker as the subject here. In a question, ¿Necesito ...? asks whether the speaker has a need or requirement. Example: Necesito ayuda. — “I need help.” registrarme combines the infinitive registrar with the reflexive pronoun me, attached to the end: registrar + me. In this utterance, the combined form means “to check in” for the speaker. The pronoun me refers back to the first-person subject, so registrarme means “to check myself in,” expressed naturally in English as “to check in.” Example: Tengo que registrarme. — “I have to check in.” antes de introduces an earlier action and means “before.” It is followed here by an infinitive rather than a conjugated verb: antes de + sentarme. Example: Lávate las manos antes de comer. — “Wash your hands before eating.” sentarme combines the infinitive sentar with me: sentar + me. With the reflexive pronoun, it means “to sit down” for the speaker in this context. As with registrarme, me is first-person singular and refers to the person speaking. Example: Quiero sentarme aquí. — “I want to sit down here.” Together, necesito registrarme asks about the necessity of checking in, and antes de sentarme sets sitting down as the later action. The complete question is therefore: “Do I need to check in before I sit down?”

5. Primero, complete este formulario.

   Fill out this form first.

   Primero

   first

   complete

   fill out

   este

   this

   formulario

   form

   More detail

   Primero means “first” and places this instruction before a later step. It commonly appears at the beginning of an instruction sequence; for example, Primero, lea las instrucciones means “First, read the instructions.” complete is the affirmative command form for usted singular. It means “fill out” here, referring to completing the form. The corresponding informal singular command is completa for tú; the exact form complete should not be treated as a tú command. The form is also used in other contexts as a present-subjunctive form, so its function here comes from the directive construction. este means “this” and is a masculine singular demonstrative. It agrees with the masculine singular noun formulario; its feminine singular counterpart is esta, as in esta solicitud (“this application”). formulario means “form.” It is a masculine singular noun, so the phrase is este formulario (“this form”). A useful plural is formularios (“forms”); the demonstrative changes to estos: estos formularios means “these forms.” Together, complete este formulario means “fill out this form,” with complete addressing one person formally as usted. Primero makes the complete instruction “Fill out this form first.”

6. Luego, entréguelo en recepción.

   Then hand it to the desk.

   Luego

   then

   entréguelo

   hand it in / hand it over

   recepción

   reception desk

   More detail

   Luego means “then” and places this action after the preceding step. It is a useful sequencing word: Primero... Luego... = “First..., then...”. Example: Luego, salimos. — “Then we leave.” entréguelo comes from entregar, “to hand over” or “to submit,” and is an affirmative command addressed to one usted listener: entregue. The final -lo is a direct-object clitic meaning “it”; it is attached to an affirmative command, and the written accent preserves the pronunciation: entregue + lo → entréguelo. Here, the supported referent of lo is the completed form from the preceding instruction. The clitic agrees with that masculine singular noun: el formulario → lo. For comparison, entréguela would refer to a feminine singular object, such as la solicitud. Example: Entréguelo mañana. — “Hand it in tomorrow.” recepción is a feminine noun meaning “reception” or “the reception desk.” In en recepción, en marks the place where the handover should happen. The noun has an accent on the final ó: recepción. Example: Nos vemos en recepción. — “See you at reception.” Together, Luego sequences the action, entréguelo gives the formal singular command to hand over the completed form, and en recepción specifies the location. The whole utterance means: “Then hand it to the reception desk.”

7. ¿Alguien me llamará cuando sea mi turno?

   Will someone call me when it's my turn?

   Alguien

   someone

   me

   me

   llamará

   will call

   cuando sea

   when it is

   turno

   turn

   More detail

   Alguien means “someone” and refers to an unspecified person. It is grammatically singular, so the verb here is singular as well. Example: Alguien dejó un mensaje. — “Someone left a message.” Me is the first-person object pronoun, “me.” With llamar, it identifies the person who will be called; it does not show that person’s gender. Example: Ella me llamó ayer. — “She called me yesterday.” Llamará comes from llamar, “to call.” Its ending is the simple future, third-person singular: llamaré “I will call,” llamarás “you will call,” llamará “he, she, or usted will call.” Here, the unspecified person expressed by alguien is the caller. Example: El hospital llamará mañana. — “The hospital will call tomorrow.” Cuando sea introduces a future time: “when it is.” Sea is the present subjunctive form of ser for third-person singular. After cuando, Spanish commonly uses the subjunctive when the time is expected or not yet reached: Te llamaré cuando llegue. — “I will call you when I arrive.” Turno is a masculine noun meaning “turn” or “one’s turn.” In mi turno, mi means “my”; it agrees with the noun’s number, not with the owner’s gender. Mi is singular here because turno is singular. Example: Ahora es mi turno. — “Now it is my turn.” Together, alguien me llamará means “someone will call me,” and cuando sea mi turno specifies when: “when it is my turn.” The complete question asks whether someone will call the speaker at that expected time: “Will someone call me when it’s my turn?”

8. Una enfermera debería llamarle pronto por su nombre.

   A nurse should call your name shortly.

   enfermera

   nurse

   debería

   should

   llamarle

   call you

   pronto

   soon

   nombre

   name

   More detail

   enfermera means “nurse.” It is the feminine form related to enfermero “male nurse”; the form agrees with the person being described. Example: La enfermera está aquí. — “The nurse is here.” debería is a form of deber meaning “should” here. It expresses a recommendation or expectation, not a certainty. The ending -ía is the conditional form used with a third-person singular subject such as una enfermera: debería “she/it should.” Example: El médico debería venir pronto. — “The doctor should come soon.” llamarle combines the infinitive llamar “to call” with the attached pronoun le. In this sentence, le refers to “you,” as established by the fixed translation, so the phrase means “call you.” Spanish can attach an unstressed pronoun to an infinitive: llamar → llamarle. Example: Voy a llamarle mañana. — “I am going to call you tomorrow.” pronto means “soon” or “shortly,” indicating that the calling is expected in the near future. It is an adverb, so it does not change form for gender or number. Example: Te llamaré pronto. — “I will call you soon.” nombre means “name.” In por su nombre, the phrase means “by your name”: su means “your” in this intended reading, and por introduces the way someone is addressed or identified. Example: La profesora me llama por mi nombre. — “The teacher calls me by my name.” Putting the parts together, Una enfermera debería gives “A nurse should,” llamarle gives “call you,” pronto adds “shortly,” and por su nombre specifies “by your name.” The whole utterance therefore means: “A nurse should call you by your name shortly.”

9. ¿Debo tener lista mi tarjeta del seguro?

   Should I keep my insurance card ready?

   Debo

   should I / must I

   tener

   have; keep

   lista

   ready

   mi

   my

   tarjeta

   card

   seguro

   insurance

   More detail

   Debo is the first-person singular present form of deber. Here it expresses the speaker’s uncertainty about an obligation or advisable action: “Should I…?” Depending on context, deber can also mean “must” when the obligation is stronger. Compare debes “you should/must” and debe “he, she, or you formal should/must.” tener is the infinitive “to have.” After the conjugated modal debo, Spanish uses the infinitive: debo tener = “I should/must have.” In this sentence, tener combines with lista to express keeping or having something ready, not simple possession. Example: Debo tener el documento preparado. — “I should have the document ready.” lista is the feminine singular form of the adjective listo, meaning “ready” here. It agrees with the feminine singular noun tarjeta; the adjective is the word carrying this gender and number marking. The masculine form is listo, as in el documento listo — “the document ready.” mi is the possessive determiner “my.” It agrees in number with the possessed noun: mi tarjeta is singular, while mis tarjetas is plural. It does not mark the owner’s gender. tarjeta means “card.” It is a feminine singular noun, which is why the adjective is lista. The useful pattern is tener + noun + adjective: tener la puerta abierta means “to have the door open.” seguro means “insurance” in tarjeta del seguro, “insurance card.” Here del is the contraction of de + el, so the noun phrase literally has the structure “card of the insurance.” This use of seguro is a noun; the adjective seguro can have other meanings, such as “safe” or “sure,” but those are not the meaning here. Together, debo tener lista expresses “should have ready,” and mi tarjeta del seguro identifies what should be ready. The whole question asks whether the speaker should keep their insurance card ready: “Should I keep my insurance card ready?”

10. Téngala a mano por si la necesitan otra vez en recepción.

    Keep it handy in case the desk needs it again.

    Téngala

    keep it

    a mano

    handy; within reach

    por si

    in case

    necesitan

    need

    otra vez

    again

    recepción

    reception desk

    More detail

    Téngala: This is an affirmative command addressed to one person using usted. It combines tenga, the usted command form of tener, with la, a feminine singular direct-object clitic. Here la refers to mi tarjeta del seguro (“my insurance card”) from the preceding question. The accent in téngala preserves the command’s stress when the clitic is attached. Compare tenla for a tú command and ténganla for a ustedes command; these address different listeners. a mano: This reusable expression means “within reach” or “ready to use,” not a literal reference to a hand. With tener, tener algo a mano means to keep something accessible. Example: Tengo el teléfono a mano. — “I have the phone within reach.” por si: This introduces a possible situation that motivates the action: “in case.” It does not state that the situation will definitely occur. Example: Lleva agua por si hace calor. — “Take water in case it is hot.” necesitan: Here this means “need.” Its base form is necesitar, and necesitan is the present-tense form for ellos, ellas, or ustedes. The form itself does not identify which of these subjects is intended. In this sentence, the fixed translation presents the intended need as belonging to the reception desk; the plural Spanish form can refer to the people represented by that desk. Example: Necesitan la tarjeta. — “They need the card.” otra vez: This time expression means “again” or “once more.” Here it says that the item may be needed another time, without specifying exactly when. Example: Vuelve otra vez mañana. — “Come back again tomorrow.” recepción: This feminine noun means “reception” and, here, the reception desk or reception area. In en recepción, the noun appears without an article as part of a location expression; this is not a general rule that a noun after en must lack an article. Example: Nos vemos en recepción. — “See you at reception.” Putting the parts together, Téngala a mano formally tells one person to keep the previously identified card within reach. por si la necesitan otra vez en recepción gives the reason: the reception desk may need it again. The complete meaning is: “Keep it handy in case the desk needs it again.”