Discussing a repair with the landlord | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. El grifo del baño vuelve a gotear, aunque lo apreté ayer.

   The bathroom tap is leaking again, even after I tightened it yesterday.

   grifo

   tap

   baño

   bathroom

   vuelve a

   does ... again

   gotear

   to drip; to leak

   aunque

   although; even though

   lo

   it

   apreté

   tightened

   ayer

   yesterday

   More detail

   grifo means “tap” or “faucet.” It is a masculine singular noun: el grifo. The related plural is los grifos. Example: El grifo está abierto. — “The tap is open.” baño means “bathroom.” In del baño, del is the contraction of de + el, meaning “of the bathroom” or “in the bathroom” in this noun phrase. Baño is masculine singular; its plural is baños. vuelve a is a reusable pattern meaning “does something again.” It combines volver with a and an infinitive: vuelve a gotear = “leaks again.” Here vuelve is the third-person singular present form of volver, agreeing with el grifo. This pattern is different from simply using otra vez: El grifo vuelve a gotear and El grifo gotea otra vez both express recurrence, but the first uses the volver a + infinitive construction. gotear is the infinitive “to drip” or, for a tap, “to leak.” The infinitive is the form used after volver a. Example: La tubería empieza a gotear. — “The pipe starts to leak.” aunque introduces a clause that remains true despite the information in the other clause. Here it is “even though” or “although,” not a replacement for the first idea. Example: Aunque llueve, salimos. — “Even though it is raining, we are going out.” lo is a masculine singular direct-object pronoun, “it” here. In this sentence it refers to the tap, el grifo, and is the object of apreté: the speaker tightened the tap. Spanish direct-object pronouns agree in gender and number with the noun they replace: lo for a masculine singular object, la for a feminine singular object, los and las for plural objects. Example: Apreté el tornillo y lo revisé. — “I tightened the screw and checked it.” apreté is the first-person singular preterite of apretar, “to tighten.” The ending -é identifies “I” in this completed past form; the subject pronoun yo is normally omitted. In this context, apreté presents the tightening as completed yesterday. Example: Ayer apreté la llave. — “Yesterday I tightened the key.” ayer means “yesterday,” placing the tightening in the day before today. It modifies the completed action apreté, not the present leaking itself. Putting the parts together: El grifo del baño is “the bathroom tap,” vuelve a gotear says that it is leaking again, and aunque lo apreté ayer adds that this remains true even though the speaker tightened the tap yesterday. The complete meaning is: “The bathroom tap is leaking again, even after I tightened it yesterday.”

2. Como sigue pasando, probablemente deberíamos contactar con el propietario.

   Since it keeps happening, we should probably contact the landlord.

   Como

   since; as

   sigue pasando

   keeps happening

   probablemente

   probably

   deberíamos

   we should

   contactar

   to contact

   propietario

   landlord; property owner

   More detail

   Como introduces the reason for the main clause here: “since” or “as.” In this use it is a conjunction, not the comparison word in tan ... como. The clause after it gives the situation that motivates the recommendation. Sigue pasando means that the situation continues to happen. Sigue is the third-person singular present of seguir, and pasando is the gerund of pasar; seguir + gerund is a reusable pattern for an action or event that is still continuing. Example: Sigue lloviendo. — “It is still raining.” Probablemente means “probably” and marks uncertainty about the recommendation. It can also appear in other positions, such as Probablemente esperaremos — “We will probably wait.” Deberíamos is the first-person plural conditional of deber. With a following infinitive, deberíamos + infinitive expresses what “we should” do: Deberíamos llamar mañana. — “We should call tomorrow.” The ending -íamos identifies “we” in this form. Here the conditional presents a recommendation rather than a direct command. Contactar is an infinitive meaning “to contact.” After deberíamos, the infinitive remains unchanged: deberíamos contactar. With a person or organization, Spanish commonly uses contactar con: Quiero contactar con la oficina. — “I want to contact the office.” Propietario is a masculine singular noun meaning “owner”; in this context, the intended owner is the landlord. Its feminine counterpart is propietaria when referring to a female owner. In the full phrase con el propietario, el is the masculine singular definite article and propietario is the noun it specifies. Together, Como sigue pasando gives the reason: the problem is continuing. Probablemente deberíamos contactar con el propietario gives the cautious recommendation: “we should probably contact the landlord.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Since it keeps happening, we should probably contact the landlord.”

3. Puedo enviar una foto y explicar que una reparación temporal no funcionó.

   I can send a photo and explain that a temporary repair did not work.

   Puedo

   I can

   enviar

   to send

   foto

   photo

   explicar

   to explain

   reparación

   repair

   temporal

   temporary

   no funcionó

   did not work

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder (“to be able to”): puedo = “I can.” It expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility here. Poder is followed by an infinitive: puedo enviar = “I can send.” Enviar is an infinitive meaning “to send.” After a conjugated form such as puedo, the following verb stays in the infinitive rather than taking a separate subject ending. Example: Puedo llamar. — “I can call.” Foto is a feminine noun meaning “photo.” The indefinite article in una foto marks the noun as feminine and singular; it does not by itself state a numerical emphasis. The phrase means “a photo.” Explicar is an infinitive meaning “to explain.” It is coordinated with enviar by y: enviar ... y explicar ... means “to send ... and explain ...,” with puedo understood with both infinitives. Example: Puedo explicar el problema. — “I can explain the problem.” Reparación is a feminine singular noun meaning “repair.” Its own base form is reparación; the ending does not come from the neighboring adjective. In una reparación, the article and adjective agree with this noun in feminine singular form. Temporal is a descriptive adjective meaning “temporary” here. It agrees with reparación in meaning and use, but its written form is the same for masculine and feminine singular nouns: un arreglo temporal, una reparación temporal. This contrasts with adjectives whose form visibly changes, such as pequeño / pequeña. No funcionó combines negation with funcionó, the third-person singular preterite of funcionar (“to work” or “function”). Here the understood subject is una reparación temporal, so the sentence says that the repair did not work. The preterite presents the failure as a completed past event. Example: El aparato no funcionó. — “The device did not work.” Together, Puedo enviar una foto means “I can send a photo.” The conjunction y links this with explicar que ...: “and explain that ...”. The clause una reparación temporal no funcionó means “a temporary repair did not work.” Thus the whole utterance means: “I can send a photo and explain that a temporary repair did not work.”

4. Menciona que se está desperdiciando agua y que la encimera se está mojando.

   Mention that water is being wasted and the counter is getting wet.

   Menciona

   Mention

   se está desperdiciando

   is being wasted

   agua

   water

   encimera

   countertop

   se está mojando

   is getting wet

   More detail

   Menciona is the affirmative command form for tú singular of mencionar, “to mention.” The infinitive is mencionar; other useful forms include menciona “you mention” in a present-tense statement and menciona as the corresponding tú command. Here it introduces the information to be conveyed. se está desperdiciando describes an action in progress: “is being wasted.” Está is the third-person singular present form of estar, used with the gerund desperdiciando from desperdiciar to form the progressive. The se construction presents agua as what is being wasted without naming the person responsible. Example: Se está desperdiciando mucha energía. — “A lot of energy is being wasted.” Agua means “water.” It is a feminine noun, although its singular form commonly takes el in el agua because of pronunciation; adjectives remain feminine: el agua fría — “the cold water.” In this sentence, agua is the thing being wasted. Encimera means “countertop” or “counter.” It is a feminine noun: la encimera. Example: La encimera está limpia. — “The countertop is clean.” Se está mojando means “is getting wet.” Here está plus mojando, the gerund of mojar, expresses an ongoing change, while se presents the subject as entering that state. The singular form está agrees with la encimera; it is not the form used with a plural subject. Example: La ropa se está mojando. — “The clothes are getting wet.” Together, Menciona que introduces the content of the command. The first clause, se está desperdiciando agua, says that water is currently being wasted. The second, que la encimera se está mojando, says that the countertop is currently getting wet. Thus the complete utterance means: “Mention that water is being wasted and that the counter is getting wet.”

5. ¿Deberíamos decir que no causamos el problema nosotros mismos?

   Should we say that we did not cause the problem ourselves?

   Deberíamos

   should we

   decir

   say

   no causamos

   did not cause

   problema

   problem

   nosotros mismos

   ourselves

   More detail

   Deberíamos is the conditional form of deber for nosotros: deberíamos = “we should.” In this question, it makes the suggestion apply to the speakers together: “Should we …?” Compare debemos (“we must / we should,” present) with deberíamos (“we should,” a more tentative suggestion). Example: ¿Deberíamos esperar? — “Should we wait?” decir is the infinitive “to say.” After a conjugated form such as deberíamos, Spanish uses the infinitive: deberíamos decir = “we should say.” The following que introduces the content of what would be said. Example: Debemos decir la verdad. — “We must tell the truth.” no causamos means “we did not cause.” Causamos is the nosotros form of causar in the preterite here, and no negates it. The form causamos can also be present-tense “we cause” in another context; the fixed translation selects the past meaning here. Example: No causamos el retraso. — “We did not cause the delay.” problema means “problem.” In the full sentence it appears with the definite article el: el problema = “the problem.” Spanish nouns have grammatical gender; problema is masculine despite ending in -a, so its article is el. Example: El problema continúa. — “The problem continues.” nosotros mismos means “we ourselves.” Nosotros explicitly names the first-person plural subject, while mismos adds emphasis: the speakers themselves, rather than someone else. Mismos is masculine plural here because it agrees with nosotros; this is subject emphasis, not a separate object meaning. Example: Lo revisamos nosotros mismos. — “We checked it ourselves.” Together, deberíamos decir asks whether the speakers should say something, and que no causamos el problema nosotros mismos gives the content of that statement: that they themselves did not cause the problem. The complete meaning is: “Should we say that we did not cause the problem ourselves?”

6. Incluye eso claramente, pero mantén un tono tranquilo.

   Include that clearly, but keep the tone calm.

   Incluye

   include

   eso

   that

   claramente

   clearly

   mantén

   keep; maintain

   tono

   tone

   tranquilo

   calm

   More detail

   Incluye is the affirmative command form of incluir for one listener addressed as tú. It means “include” here. The corresponding affirmative forms include incluya for usted, incluyan for ustedes, and incluid for vosotros; these are different listener forms, not interchangeable variants of the same command. eso is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” Here it points to an already understood matter or content, without naming that matter again. As a pronoun, eso does not change for masculine/feminine or singular/plural reference. claramente is an adverb meaning “clearly.” It describes how the inclusion should be done: the content should be included in a clear way. A reusable example is Explícalo claramente. — “Explain it clearly.” mantén is the affirmative tú command of mantener, “keep” or “maintain.” The accent is part of this command form. Related affirmative commands are mantenga for usted, mantengan for ustedes, and mantened for vosotros. tono is a masculine singular noun meaning “tone.” It can describe the quality or manner of a message or speech. For example, un tono amable means “a kind tone.” tranquilo is an adjective meaning “calm” here. It is masculine singular because it agrees with the masculine singular noun tono: un tono tranquilo. With a feminine singular noun, the form is tranquila; plural forms include tranquilos and tranquilas according to the noun’s gender and number. Together, Incluye eso claramente gives one tú listener the instruction to include the understood content clearly. Pero mantén un tono tranquilo adds a contrasting instruction: while doing so, keep the tone calm. The whole utterance means, “Include that clearly, but keep the tone calm.”

7. El mensaje debe ser educado pero específico, para que no haya confusión.

   The message should be polite but specific, so there is no confusion.

   mensaje

   message

   debe

   should; must

   ser

   be

   educado

   polite

   pero

   but

   específico

   specific

   para que

   so that

   no haya

   there is no

   confusión

   confusion

   More detail

   mensaje means “message” here. It is a masculine singular noun, so related adjectives in this sentence take masculine singular forms. Example: El mensaje es claro. — “The message is clear.” debe is the third-person singular present form of deber, agreeing with el mensaje. With an infinitive, deber + infinitive expresses what someone or something should or must do. Here it gives the message a requirement or recommendation. Example: El mensaje debe ser breve. — “The message should be brief.” ser is the infinitive “to be.” After deber, it names the required or recommended state: debe ser = “should be” here. The infinitive does not carry the subject’s person or number; debe carries the agreement with el mensaje. educado is the masculine singular form of the adjective educado, “polite.” It matches mensaje in gender and number. Feminine singular would be educada, as in una respuesta educada — “a polite response.” pero introduces a contrast and is usually translated as “but.” The sentence requires both qualities: politeness is not being replaced by specificity. específico means “specific” here. It is masculine singular because it describes mensaje; its feminine singular form is específica, as in una instrucción específica — “a specific instruction.” para que introduces a clause describing the intended result or purpose: “so that.” It is commonly followed by the subjunctive when the clause expresses a desired, intended, or avoided outcome. Example: Habla despacio para que todos entiendan. — “Speak slowly so that everyone understands.” no haya means “there is no” in this sentence. haya is the present subjunctive form of the impersonal verb haber; in the existence pattern hay, the verb does not agree with a following noun in number. The negation no makes the intended result the absence of something. Example: Revisa el texto para que no haya errores. — “Review the text so that there are no errors.” confusión means “confusion.” It is a feminine singular noun. In no haya confusión, it is the thing whose absence is intended; the phrase literally presents the result as “there being no confusion.” Together, El mensaje debe ser educado pero específico says “The message should be polite but specific”: it should have both qualities. para que no haya confusión adds the purpose or intended result, “so that there is no confusion.” The complete utterance is therefore: “The message should be polite but specific, so that there is no confusion.”

8. Pregunta cuándo podría venir un fontanero, porque las mañanas entre semana son difíciles para nosotros.

   Ask when a plumber could visit, because weekday mornings are difficult for us.

   Pregunta

   ask

   cuándo

   when

   podría

   could

   venir

   come; visit

   fontanero

   plumber

   porque

   because

   mañanas

   mornings

   entre semana

   on weekdays

   difíciles

   difficult

   para nosotros

   for us

   More detail

   Pregunta is an affirmative command meaning “Ask.” In this use, the exact form is the informal singular tú command of preguntar; pregunte would be the usted form, and pregunten the ustedes form. The command itself does not identify who is being asked beyond that form. cuándo means “when” and introduces an indirect question. The written accent distinguishes this question word from the conjunction cuando (“when” in a time clause). Pattern: preguntar cuándo + clause = “to ask when …”. podría is the conditional form of poder for a third-person singular subject: poder → podría. Here it expresses possibility or ability in the question: “could.” The singular form fits un fontanero, the person who could come. Compare podrían for a plural subject. venir is the infinitive “to come.” After a conjugated form of poder, Spanish uses the infinitive: podría venir = “could come.” In this sentence, “come” is understood as visiting or coming to the relevant place; the verb itself is venir, not a separate verb meaning “visit.” Example: Puede venir mañana. — “He/She can come tomorrow.” fontanero is the masculine singular noun “plumber,” a person whose work involves plumbing. Its feminine counterpart is fontanera; the plural masculine or mixed form is fontaneros, and the feminine plural is fontaneras. The indefinite article un marks a singular noun but does not by itself assert a numerical count as the main point here. porque means “because” and introduces the reason for the request. It is written as one word when it means “because”; it is different from the question form por qué (“why”). mañanas is the feminine plural noun “mornings,” from singular mañana. The plural is appropriate because the sentence refers generally to weekday mornings rather than one specified morning. entre semana is the compact expression “on weekdays” or “during the working week.” It specifies which mornings are meant: las mañanas entre semana = “weekday mornings.” difíciles means “difficult” here. It is the plural form of the adjective difícil, and it agrees with the feminine plural noun mañanas. The adjective has the same singular form for masculine and feminine nouns (un día difícil, una mañana difícil), but its plural is difíciles. para nosotros means “for us.” nosotros is the first-person plural pronoun used for a group including the speaker; its feminine-group counterpart is nosotras. The phrase identifies whom the difficulty affects, without specifying the individual members of the group. Together, Pregunta cuándo podría venir un fontanero means “Ask when a plumber could come,” and porque las mañanas entre semana son difíciles para nosotros gives the reason: “because weekday mornings are difficult for us.” The full utterance is therefore: “Ask when a plumber could visit, because weekday mornings are difficult for us.”

9. Podemos sugerir una franja horaria flexible en la que alguien pueda estar en casa.

   We can suggest a flexible time window when someone can be home.

   Podemos

   we can

   sugerir

   to suggest

   franja

   time window

   horaria

   time-related

   flexible

   flexible

   en la que

   in which; when

   alguien

   someone

   pueda

   can; may be able to

   estar

   to be

   en casa

   at home

   More detail

   Podemos is the first-person plural present form of poder (“to be able to, can”): podemos = “we can.” It expresses the ability or possibility of the speaker together with other people. Example: Podemos esperar. — “We can wait.” Sugerir is an infinitive meaning “to suggest.” After a conjugated form of poder, Spanish uses the infinitive: podemos sugerir = “we can suggest.” Example: Puedo llamar mañana. — “I can call tomorrow.” Franja is a feminine noun for a bounded span or window of time. In this sentence, franja horaria is the reusable expression “time window” or “time slot.” Horaria is the feminine singular form of the adjective horario, “related to a schedule or time.” It agrees with the feminine singular noun franja; the adjective is not the noun’s base form. Compare un horario flexible (“a flexible schedule”) with una franja horaria flexible (“a flexible time window”). Flexible describes something that can be adjusted or can accommodate different possibilities. It has the same spelling for masculine and feminine singular nouns: un horario flexible, una franja flexible. Its plural is flexibles. En la que is a relative expression meaning “in which” and, with a time expression, naturally “when.” Here it refers back to franja horaria, so una franja horaria flexible en la que... means “a flexible time window in which...” The feminine singular article la agrees with franja; the relative word que itself does not show that gender or number. Alguien is an indefinite pronoun meaning “someone” or “somebody.” It identifies an unspecified person, without saying who that person is. It is grammatically singular, which is why the following verb is pueda, the third-person singular form. Pueda is the present subjunctive, third-person singular form of poder. In en la que alguien pueda estar en casa, the relative clause describes a possible or suitable time window, rather than asserting that a particular person is certainly home. The useful contrast is puede (present indicative, “can/is able to” as an assertion) versus pueda (present subjunctive in a context of possibility or non-specific suitability). Example: Buscamos una hora en la que pueda venir. — “We are looking for a time when they can come.” Estar is the infinitive “to be,” used for a temporary state or location. After pueda, Spanish uses the infinitive: pueda estar = “can be.” This contrasts with ser, which is used for identity or more characteristic descriptions rather than a temporary location. En casa is a location expression meaning “at home.” En means “in/at,” and casa means “home/house”; together they function as one natural phrase. Example: Estoy en casa. — “I am at home.” Together, podemos sugerir gives “we can suggest.” The suggested item is una franja horaria flexible, “a flexible time window.” The relative clause en la que alguien pueda estar en casa specifies the desired property of that window: it is a time when someone can be at home. Thus the complete utterance means: “We can suggest a flexible time window when someone can be home.”

10. Eso debería facilitarle al propietario organizar la reparación.

    That should make it easier for the landlord to arrange the repair.

    Eso

    that; it

    debería

    should

    facilitarle

    make it easier for him or her

    al propietario

    the landlord; the property owner

    organizar

    arrange; organize

    la reparación

    the repair

    More detail

    Eso is a neutral demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It points to an already mentioned situation or proposal; the supplied sentence does not identify a more specific referent. Unlike a gendered noun phrase, eso is neutral and singular. Debería is the conditional form of deber, with a third-person singular subject, here eso. In this sentence it expresses an expected result: “should” or “ought to,” rather than a firm guarantee. Useful pattern: Eso debería + infinitive, as in Eso debería bastar. — “That should be enough.” Facilitarle combines the infinitive facilitar (“to make easier” or “to facilitate”) with the attached indirect-object clitic le. Because it is attached to an infinitive, it appears as one written word. Le marks a singular person who benefits from or is affected by the action; it does not mark gender. Here that person is identified by al propietario later in the sentence. Example: La guía puede facilitarle el trabajo. — “The guide can make the work easier for him or her.” Al propietario is a plus el, contracted to al, followed by the masculine singular noun propietario, “owner.” In this context, the fixed translation identifies this owner as the landlord. After facilitar, al propietario names the beneficiary: the person for whom the action becomes easier. The le in facilitarle and al propietario refer to the same beneficiary; this kind of indirect-object doubling is normal in Spanish. Organizar is the infinitive of “to arrange” or “to organize.” It names the action that becomes easier, so the reusable pattern is facilitarle a alguien + infinitive: “make it easier for someone to do something.” Example: Esto facilita encontrar una solución. — “This makes it easier to find a solution.” La reparación is the feminine singular noun phrase “the repair.” Reparación is the noun for the repair itself, while reparar is the related verb “to repair.” Example: La reparación empieza mañana. — “The repair starts tomorrow.” Together, Eso debería gives the expected result, facilitarle al propietario says that the result will make something easier for the landlord, and organizar la reparación specifies the action. The whole utterance therefore means: “That should make it easier for the landlord to arrange the repair.”