Labeling and storing food in a shared fridge | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. ¿Puedo poner esta sopa en el frigorífico compartido?

   Can I put this soup in the shared fridge?

   Puedo

   Can I

   poner

   put

   esta

   this

   sopa

   soup

   en el

   in the

   frigorífico

   fridge

   compartido

   shared

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder (“to be able to” or “can”). Here it asks for permission: “Can I…?” The form identifies the speaker as yo; it does not itself say whether permission will be granted. For example, ¿Puedo entrar? means “Can I come in?” poner is the infinitive meaning “to put” or “to place.” After puedo, Spanish uses the infinitive: puedo poner = “I can put.” The same pattern works with other verbs: ¿Puedo dejarlo aquí? means “Can I leave it here?” esta is the feminine singular demonstrative adjective “this.” It agrees with the feminine singular noun sopa, rather than changing because of the speaker. Compare este recipiente (“this container”), where the demonstrative agrees with masculine singular recipiente. sopa is a feminine noun meaning “soup.” Its plural is sopas. In this sentence, esta sopa means “this soup,” referring to the soup identified by the situation, without adding a quantity claim. en el expresses location as “in the” here. en is the preposition “in,” and el is the masculine singular definite article. The article is appropriate because frigorífico is masculine singular. With a feminine noun, the corresponding form is en la, as in en la cocina (“in the kitchen”). frigorífico is a masculine noun meaning “fridge” or “refrigerator.” Its plural is frigoríficos. In this utterance, el frigorífico means “the fridge,” and the definite article presents it as an identifiable shared facility rather than stating that there is a particular number of fridges. compartido is the masculine singular form of the adjective compartido, meaning “shared.” It agrees with frigorífico: el frigorífico compartido. The feminine singular form is compartida, as in la cocina compartida (“the shared kitchen”); plural forms are compartidos and compartidas according to the noun’s gender and number. Together, ¿Puedo poner asks “Can I put,” esta sopa supplies the object, and en el frigorífico compartido gives its destination: “in the shared fridge.” The complete utterance is therefore “Can I put this soup in the shared fridge?”

2. Pon una etiqueta en el recipiente antes de dejarlo allí.

   Label the container before you leave it there.

   Pon

   Put

   etiqueta

   label

   recipiente

   container

   antes de

   before

   dejarlo

   leave it

   allí

   there

   More detail

   Pon is the affirmative tú command of poner (“to put/place”). It addresses one person informally: poner → pon. This irregular command form is different from pone, used in a statement such as él pone (“he puts”), and from the formal command ponga. etiqueta means “label.” It is a feminine noun, so the article in una etiqueta agrees with it. Here una introduces a label to be placed; it does not by itself state a numerical count as a teaching point. recipiente means “container.” It is a masculine noun. The phrase en el recipiente uses en for the location where the label is to be put. antes de means “before.” It is followed here by the infinitive dejar, forming the reusable pattern antes de + infinitive: antes de salir (“before leaving”). dejarlo combines the infinitive dejar (“to leave”) with the attached direct-object pronoun lo. In this utterance, lo refers to the container identified by the fixed translation, so dejarlo means “to leave it.” Because recipiente is masculine singular, the matching direct-object form is lo; for example, dejar la caja becomes dejarla when la caja is replaced by a pronoun. allí means “there,” pointing to the place where the container is to be left. It is a location word and does not change for the gender or number of the thing being left. Together, Pon una etiqueta en el recipiente gives the command “Label the container” or literally “Put a label on the container.” antes de dejarlo allí adds the time order: this labeling should happen before the addressee leaves the container there. The complete meaning is “Label the container before you leave it there.”

3. ¿También debo escribir la fecha?

   Should I write the date on it too?

   También

   also; too

   debo

   should; must

   escribir

   write

   fecha

   date

   More detail

   También means “also” or “too” and adds this action to something already relevant. It does not replace the earlier action: también X means that X is an additional consideration. Example: También necesito una copia. — “I also need a copy.” debo is the first-person singular present form of deber: deber → debo. With an infinitive, debo escribir expresses that the speaker should or must write something. In this question, the fixed translation supports the “should” reading. The form debo identifies the speaker as the person responsible for the action. Example: Debo llamar hoy. — “I should call today.” escribir is an infinitive meaning “to write.” After debo, the infinitive names the action that the speaker is considering or required to perform; it does not carry a separate person ending here. Example: ¿Debo firmar? — “Should I sign?” fecha is a feminine noun meaning “date.” In la fecha, the feminine singular article la agrees with it. The noun refers to the date itself, while the surrounding context can supply where it should be written; the target sentence does not add a separate location phrase. Together, ¿También debo escribir la fecha? asks whether writing the date is an additional action the speaker should perform. The question word order keeps también before the verb phrase, and la fecha is the direct object of escribir. In the supplied translation, this is naturally rendered as “Should I write the date on it too?”

4. Así la gente sabe cuánto tiempo lleva dentro.

   That helps people know how long it has been inside.

   Así

   that way

   gente

   people

   sabe

   knows

   cuánto tiempo

   how long

   lleva

   has been

   dentro

   inside

   More detail

   Así means “that way” here. It is an adverb and does not change for gender or number. A reusable pattern is Así + clause: “That way, …” or “This helps …” when the clause describes the resulting benefit. gente means “people.” Although it refers to people collectively, gente is grammatically singular, so the verb that agrees with it is singular: la gente sabe, “people know.” sabe is the present-tense third-person singular form of saber, “to know.” Compare sé (“I know”), sabes (“you know,” singular informal), and saben (“they/you plural know”). Here sabe agrees with singular la gente. cuánto tiempo asks about a duration: “how long.” Cuánto has an accent in this interrogative use and agrees with tiempo, which is masculine singular. The same pattern can be reused in an indirect question: No sé cuánto tiempo lleva aquí — “I don’t know how long it has been here.” lleva is the present-tense third-person singular form of llevar, “to carry” or, in a duration construction, “to have been.” With a duration and a following state or location, llevar expresses how long something has remained there or in that state. In this sentence, lleva combines with cuánto tiempo and dentro to mean “has been inside”; the understood subject is the item referred to by “it” in the fixed translation. For example, Lleva dos días aquí means “It has been here for two days.” dentro is an adverb meaning “inside” or “in.” It does not change for gender or number. The contrast dentro / fuera means “inside” / “outside.” Together, Así la gente sabe means “That way, people know,” and cuánto tiempo lleva dentro is the indirect question “how long it has been inside.” The complete utterance is: “That helps people know how long it has been inside.”

5. ¿Qué estante es para la comida personal?

   Which shelf is for personal food?

   ¿Qué

   which

   estante

   shelf

   es para

   is for

   comida

   food

   personal

   personal

   More detail

   ¿Qué asks you to identify one option from a set: “which?” In Spanish, the accent mark distinguishes interrogative qué from unstressed que, which commonly introduces a clause. Example: ¿Qué libro quieres? — “Which book do you want?” estante means “shelf.” It is a masculine noun, so related singular forms use el: el estante. Example: El estante está lleno. — “The shelf is full.” es para uses es, the third-person singular present form of ser, with para to state intended use or assignment: “is for.” The subject is estante, so the singular form es is appropriate. Example: Esta mesa es para los niños. — “This table is for the children.” comida means “food” and is a feminine singular noun: la comida. In this utterance it is modified by personal, forming comida personal, “personal food.” personal means “personal” or “belonging to one person.” Here it modifies feminine singular comida; the form personal does not change for masculine versus feminine nouns in the singular. Example: una decisión personal — “a personal decision.” Together, ¿Qué estante es para la comida personal? asks which shelf is designated for personal food: “Which shelf is for personal food?”

6. Usa el estante de arriba, lejos de la comida compartida.

   Use the top shelf, away from the shared items.

   Usa

   Use

   estante

   shelf

   de arriba

   top / above

   lejos de

   away from

   comida

   food

   compartida

   shared

   More detail

   Usa is the affirmative command form of usar for tú singular. It addresses one person informally. The corresponding affirmative command forms for usted and ustedes are use and usen. Example: Usa esta caja. — “Use this box.” estante is a masculine singular noun meaning “shelf.” In el estante, the article el agrees with it in masculine singular form. Example: El estante está lleno. — “The shelf is full.” de arriba identifies something by its upper position. el estante de arriba therefore means “the top shelf.” The same pattern can describe another object: la caja de arriba — “the top box.” lejos de is a construction meaning “away from” or “far from.” It introduces the thing from which something is separated or distant. comida is a feminine noun meaning “food.” In la comida, the definite article and noun are feminine singular. Here it refers to the food mentioned in the utterance, without asserting a numerical quantity. Example: La comida está en la mesa. — “The food is on the table.” compartida means “shared” here and agrees with feminine singular comida: comida compartida. It is the feminine singular form of the adjective compartido, related to the verb compartir; with a masculine singular noun, the form is compartido. Example: La mesa compartida está limpia. — “The shared table is clean.” Together, Usa el estante de arriba means “Use the top shelf,” and lejos de la comida compartida specifies that it should be away from the shared food. The complete utterance is an informal singular instruction to use the top shelf and keep it away from the shared food.

7. La dejaré allí y la llevaré a casa pronto.

   I'll keep it there and take it home soon.

   La

   it (feminine singular object)

   dejaré

   I will leave; I will keep

   allí

   there

   la

   it (feminine singular object)

   llevaré

   I will take

   a casa

   home

   pronto

   soon

   More detail

   La is a feminine singular direct-object pronoun. Here it means “it,” referring to the item understood from the context; the sentence does not identify that item by name. The same form can replace a feminine singular noun, for example la llave → la. It is not the masculine form lo. dejaré is the first-person singular future of dejar: dejar → dejaré (“I will leave” or, in this context, “I will keep”). The ending -é marks “I” in this future form. In La dejaré, the pronoun comes before the conjugated verb: “I will leave/keep it.” allí means “there,” a demonstrative adverb referring to a place. It does not identify the place by itself; here it indicates that the item will remain at the relevant location. Compare aquí (“here”) for a location near the speaker. The second la is again a feminine singular direct-object pronoun. It explicitly marks the same understood object as the object of llevaré; Spanish can also omit an understood object in a suitable context, but this sentence states it with the pronoun. llevaré is the first-person singular future of llevar: llevar → llevaré, “I will take/carry.” It expresses a future action by “I.” Do not confuse it with traeré (“I will bring”): llevar presents movement toward a destination, while traer presents movement toward the speaker or another relevant deictic center. a casa is the expression “home” in a destination phrase. The preposition a marks movement toward a destination, while casa means “house/home.” In this expression, Spanish normally uses a casa rather than an article: Voy a casa means “I’m going home.” pronto means “soon,” indicating that the taking-home action will happen in the near future. It is an adverb and does not change to agree with the feminine object. Together, La dejaré allí means “I’ll leave/keep it there,” and la llevaré a casa pronto means “I’ll take it home soon.” The two coordinated clauses share the same first-person subject, understood from the forms dejaré and llevaré, while each verb has its own object pronoun la. The complete utterance is: “I’ll keep it there and take it home soon.”

8. Así el frigorífico no se llena de comida vieja.

   That way the fridge does not fill up with old food.

   Así

   that way

   frigorífico

   fridge

   no se llena

   does not fill up

   comida

   food

   vieja

   old

   More detail

   Así means “that way” or “thus” here: it links this result to a way of doing something already understood. It is also used in patterns such as Hazlo así (“Do it this way”). frigorífico is a masculine noun meaning “fridge” or “refrigerator.” Its plural is frigoríficos. In some varieties of Spanish, nevera is also used for “fridge,” but frigorífico is the form in this sentence. no se llena means “does not fill up.” The verb is llenarse, “to become full” or “to fill up”; llena is the third-person singular present form, and se is part of this pronominal verb. The subject is el frigorífico, so the singular form llena is used. No makes the statement negative. Example: La caja se llena de libros — “The box fills up with books.” comida means “food.” It is a feminine noun: la comida; its plural is comidas. In this sentence, de comida identifies what the fridge fills up with. vieja means “old” and describes comida. The adjective is feminine singular because it agrees with the feminine singular noun comida; its base form is viejo, with forms such as vieja, viejos, and viejas according to the noun it modifies. Example: un libro viejo — “an old book.” Together, el frigorífico se llena de comida vieja says that the fridge fills up with old food. Adding no negates that event, and Así presents it as the result of doing something in a certain way: “That way, the fridge does not fill up with old food.”