Using the shared laundry room schedule | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. La lavandería compartida está ocupada hoy.

   The shared laundry room is busy today.

   lavandería

   laundry room

   compartida

   shared

   está

   is

   ocupada

   busy; occupied

   hoy

   today

   More detail

   lavandería means “laundry room” here. It is a feminine singular noun; its accent mark is part of the spelling. A useful related form is lavanderías, the plural. Example: La lavandería está cerrada. — “The laundry room is closed.” compartida means “shared” and describes lavandería. It is the feminine singular form of compartido, agreeing with that noun. The masculine singular form would be compartido, while compartidas is feminine plural. Example: La cocina compartida está limpia. — “The shared kitchen is clean.” está is the third-person singular present form of estar, “to be.” Spanish uses estar here for a current state: the room is busy today. It is different from es, a form of ser, which is generally used for identity or more inherent classification. Example: La sala está ocupada. — “The room is occupied.” ocupada means “busy” or “occupied” here. It is the feminine singular form of ocupado, agreeing with lavandería; ocupados and ocupadas are plural forms. In this sentence, it describes the room's current availability, not a permanent characteristic. Example: La máquina está ocupada. — “The machine is in use.” hoy is the adverb “today.” It places the current state in the present day and does not change form. Example: Hoy está abierta. — “It is open today.” Together, La lavandería compartida means “the shared laundry room.” está ocupada says that this room is currently busy or occupied, and hoy specifies that this is true today. The whole utterance therefore means: “The shared laundry room is busy today.”

2. Anota tu nombre en el horario antes de poner una lavadora.

   Put your name on the schedule before starting a load.

   Anota

   write down; note

   nombre

   name

   horario

   schedule; timetable

   antes de

   before

   poner

   to put; to start

   lavadora

   washing machine; washer

   More detail

   Anota is the affirmative command form of anotar for tú singular: “write down” or “note.” The person addressed is understood to be the one who should do the action. The same form can also be third-person singular present tense in another context, but here the sentence structure makes it a command. nombre means “name.” Its useful basic form is el nombre; the plural is los nombres. In this sentence, tu nombre means “your name”: tu is the possessive form used with a singular possessed noun for the addressed person. horario means a schedule or timetable. It is normally used with masculine agreement: el horario, un horario. The phrase en el horario places the name on or in that schedule. antes de means “before.” When what follows is an action, Spanish uses antes de + infinitive, as in antes de salir (“before leaving”). Here, antes de poner introduces the action that must happen later. poner is the infinitive “to put,” but in poner una lavadora it is used for starting or running a washing machine/load. Its present-tense forms include pongo, pones, and pone; the form here is the infinitive required after de. lavadora means “washing machine” or “washer.” It is feminine: la lavadora, una lavadora; the indefinite article agrees with it. In this laundry context, una lavadora refers to a washing machine or a washing load in the relevant activity; the article does not by itself assert a numerical count. Together, Anota tu nombre en el horario means “Write your name on the schedule.” antes de poner una lavadora adds the time condition “before starting a load.” The complete reusable pattern is Anota [something] antes de [infinitive]: “Write down [something] before [doing something].” Thus the full utterance means: “Put your name on the schedule before starting a load.”

3. Hay una lavadora libre más tarde esta tarde.

   There's a washer open later this afternoon.

   Hay

   there is/are

   lavadora

   washer

   libre

   available

   más tarde

   later

   esta tarde

   this afternoon

   More detail

   Hay introduces the existence or availability of something: here, it presents a washer as being available. It is the present-tense existential form of haber, and it is used with both singular and plural nouns: Hay una lavadora = “There is a washer”; Hay dos lavadoras = “There are two washers.” The form itself does not change to agree with the noun. lavadora means “washer” or “washing machine.” It is a feminine noun, shown here by una; the article and noun form the reusable pattern una lavadora. Its plural is lavadoras, as in dos lavadoras (“two washers”). libre describes the washer as available or unoccupied in this context. The adjective is singular here because it describes singular lavadora. libre has the same form for masculine and feminine singular nouns; its plural is libres: un horario libre (“a free schedule”) and unas lavadoras libres (“some available washers”). más tarde means “later.” más forms a comparison, and tarde is the time adverb being compared: tarde = “late,” más tarde = “later.” Example: Volveré más tarde. — “I will come back later.” esta tarde means “this afternoon.” esta is the feminine singular demonstrative that agrees with the feminine singular noun tarde; together, the expression refers to the current afternoon. Example: Trabajo esta tarde. — “I work this afternoon.” Together, Hay una lavadora libre says that a washer is available, and más tarde esta tarde places that availability later within this afternoon. The complete utterance means: “There’s a washer open later this afternoon.”

4. Pon un temporizador.

   Set a timer.

   Pon

   set; put

   temporizador

   timer

   More detail

   Pon is the affirmative command form of poner for one familiar or informal listener (tú). The tú command is irregular: poner → pon. Here, with a timer as its object, poner means “set”; with a physical object it can mean “put.” Example: Pon la alarma. — “Set the alarm.” temporizador is a masculine noun meaning “timer.” The phrase un temporizador uses the indefinite article un; it introduces a timer without asserting a numerical count. Example: El temporizador suena. — “The timer rings.” Together, Pon + un temporizador forms a direct instruction: “Set a timer.” A reusable pattern is Pon un temporizador de [duración]. — “Set a [duration] timer,” as in Pon un temporizador de diez minutos. — “Set a ten-minute timer.”

5. Así, la siguiente persona no tiene que esperar.

   So the next person is not stuck waiting.

   Así

   so; in this way

   siguiente

   next; following

   persona

   person

   no tiene que

   does not have to

   esperar

   wait

   More detail

   Así links this sentence to the preceding action and means “so” or “in this way.” It presents the result or purpose of what was just done. Example: Hazlo así. — “Do it this way.” siguiente means “next” or “following.” It is an adjective describing persona, and it agrees with that noun in number: la siguiente persona is singular, while las siguientes personas is plural. Example: La siguiente persona puede pasar. — “The next person can come in.” persona means “person.” It is a feminine grammatical noun even when it refers to a person of another gender; the article and adjective here are therefore la siguiente, not because the referent’s gender has been specified, but because persona has feminine grammatical gender. Example: Una persona espera afuera. — “A person is waiting outside.” no tiene que is a reusable negated obligation pattern. tiene is the third-person singular present form of tener; with que and an infinitive, tener que + infinitive expresses necessity or obligation. no tiene que + infinitive means “does not have to” or “is not required to,” not necessarily “must not.” The subject here is la siguiente persona, so the singular form tiene is used. Example: La siguiente persona no tiene que pagar. — “The next person does not have to pay.” esperar is the infinitive “to wait.” After tener que, the following verb remains in the infinitive: tiene que esperar means “has to wait,” and negating the construction gives no tiene que esperar, “does not have to wait.” Example: No quiero esperar. — “I do not want to wait.” Together, Así gives the result, la siguiente persona identifies the person affected, and no tiene que esperar states that waiting is not required for that person. The whole utterance means: “So the next person does not have to wait.”

6. ¿Debo sacar mi ropa en cuanto termine el ciclo?

   Should I move my clothes as soon as the cycle ends?

   Debo

   should I

   sacar

   move; take out

   ropa

   clothes

   en cuanto

   as soon as

   termine

   ends

   ciclo

   cycle

   More detail

   Debo is the first-person singular present form of deber. With an infinitive, deber + infinitive expresses obligation or advisability: Debo salir means “I should/must leave.” In this question, the intended force is “Should I…?” The form identifies the speaker as the person who would perform the action; it does not by itself say whether the action will happen. sacar is the infinitive, meaning “to take out” or, in this context, “to move out.” After debo, Spanish uses the infinitive: Debo sacar... The phrase sacar la ropa can mean taking clothes out of a machine or moving them elsewhere, depending on context. Here the fixed translation and surrounding context support moving the speaker’s clothes out of the machine. ropa is a feminine singular noun meaning “clothes” or “clothing.” Spanish commonly uses this collective noun in the singular: la ropa means “the clothes,” while individual items can be named with plural forms such as las prendas. In the sentence, mi ropa means “my clothes”; mi marks possession and agrees in number, not gender. en cuanto is a conjunction meaning “as soon as.” It introduces the time at which the main action should occur. For example, Te llamo en cuanto llegue means “I’ll call you as soon as I arrive.” termine is the third-person singular present subjunctive form of terminar, whose basic meaning is “to finish” or “to end.” In termine el ciclo, the postposed subject is el ciclo, so the form is singular. The subjunctive is used because the cycle’s ending is a pending time condition rather than an event presented as already completed. Compare the indicative El ciclo termina (“The cycle ends/is ending”) with en cuanto termine el ciclo (“as soon as the cycle ends”). ciclo is a masculine singular noun meaning “cycle.” Here it refers to the machine’s cycle, and el marks it as singular and masculine. The noun is the subject of termine, even though it appears after the verb. Together, Debo sacar mi ropa asks whether the speaker should move their clothes out, and en cuanto termine el ciclo specifies the timing: “as soon as the cycle ends.” The complete utterance therefore means, “Should I move my clothes as soon as the cycle ends?”

7. Sí, por favor; la ropa mojada que se deja en una máquina retrasa a todos.

   Please do; wet clothes left in a machine hold everyone up.

   Sí

   yes

   por favor

   please

   ropa

   clothes

   mojada

   wet

   se deja

   is left

   máquina

   machine

   retrasa

   delays

   a todos

   everyone

   More detail

   Sí means “yes” and confirms the preceding question’s proposed action. Spanish accent marks distinguish sí (“yes”) from si (“if”). por favor is the reusable polite expression “please.” Together, Sí, por favor means “Yes, please,” not a command form by itself. ropa means “clothes” or “clothing.” It is a mass-like singular noun in Spanish, so the article and related adjective here are singular feminine: la ropa mojada. It does not assert a numerical count of garments. mojada means “wet.” It is the feminine singular form of mojado, agreeing with ropa; the adjective is not based on the noun. For example, el suelo mojado means “the wet floor,” while las prendas mojadas means “the wet garments.” se deja means “is left” in this sentence. The base verb is dejar (“to leave”); deja is present-tense third-person singular, and se forms a construction that leaves the agent unspecified. In la ropa mojada que se deja en una máquina, the clause describes clothes that someone leaves in a machine, without saying who. The singular verb form agrees with ropa, the grammatical subject of this clause. máquina means “machine.” The phrase en una máquina means “in a machine”; una introduces an unspecified machine rather than expressing a stated number of machines. The accent in máquina belongs to the Spanish spelling. retrasa means “delays” or “holds up” here. Its base form is retrasar; retrasa is present-tense third-person singular. The subject is the whole noun phrase la ropa mojada que se deja en una máquina, so the sentence says that such clothing holds people up. For example, El tráfico retrasa el tren means “Traffic delays the train.” a todos means “everyone” in this context. The preposition a marks the people affected by retrasa, and todos is the plural form used for all the people concerned; the sentence does not identify their individual identities or group composition. Putting the parts together: Sí, por favor gives the affirmative polite response. The subject is la ropa mojada que se deja en una máquina (“wet clothes left in a machine”), and retrasa a todos says that it holds everyone up. The complete meaning is: “Please do; wet clothes left in a machine hold everyone up.”

8. Bajaré mi cesta antes de que termine.

   I'll bring my basket down before it finishes.

   Bajaré

   I will bring down

   mi

   my

   cesta

   basket

   antes de que

   before

   termine

   finishes

   More detail

   Bajaré is the first-person singular future of bajar (“to lower” or “to bring down”). The accent marks the future ending: bajar → bajaré. With mi cesta, it means here that I will bring my basket down. Example: Bajaré la caja. — “I will bring the box down.” Mi is the possessive word for “my.” It does not change for the gender of the possessed noun: mi cesta and mi libro both use mi; plural nouns use mis. Example: Mis bolsas están abajo. — “My bags are downstairs.” Cesta is a feminine singular noun meaning “basket.” Its plural is cestas. The possessive and noun form the reusable pattern mi + singular noun (“my + singular noun”). Example: Mi cesta está llena. — “My basket is full.” Antes de que introduces an event that is earlier than another event: “before …”. It is followed here by a clause, not by an infinitive. The pattern is antes de que + clause. Termine is a present-subjunctive form of terminar (“to finish/end”). In this sentence, the supplied translation interprets it as third-person singular, “it finishes,” but the form termine itself can also be first-person singular in other contexts. After antes de que, the subjunctive is used for the anticipated finishing event. Example: Saldré antes de que termine la reunión. — “I will leave before the meeting ends.” Together, Bajaré mi cesta means “I will bring my basket down,” and antes de que termine adds the time limit “before it finishes.” The complete utterance is: “I’ll bring my basket down before it finishes.”

9. Así, todo debería seguir funcionando bien.

   That should keep things running smoothly.

   Así

   so; thus

   todo

   everything

   debería

   should

   seguir funcionando

   keep working

   bien

   well; smoothly

   More detail

   Así connects this sentence to what came before and means “so” or “thus,” presenting the following statement as a result or conclusion. Example: Así, podemos empezar. — “So, we can start.” todo means “everything” here. It is an indefinite pronoun, so it refers broadly to the relevant things or situation rather than naming them individually. Its form is masculine singular grammatically; that does not identify a particular thing or a specific number of real-world objects. Example: Todo está listo. — “Everything is ready.” debería is the conditional form of deber for a third-person singular subject. deber can express obligation or expectation; with todo here, debería conveys the expectation “should,” rather than a direct command. Example: El plan debería funcionar. — “The plan should work.” seguir funcionando expresses continuation: seguir means “to continue,” and funcionando is the gerund of funcionar, “to work” or “to operate.” Together, seguir + gerund means “to keep working/operating” or “to continue working/operating.” The gerund is the form that describes the ongoing activity; it is not the base form of the verb. Example: La máquina sigue funcionando. — “The machine keeps running.” bien is an adverb meaning “well.” In this sentence it describes how things continue to operate, giving the natural sense “smoothly.” It does not change form to agree with todo. Together, Así, todo debería seguir funcionando bien. means “So, everything should keep running smoothly.” Así marks the conclusion, todo is the subject, debería adds the expected “should,” and seguir funcionando bien describes continued operation in a satisfactory way.