Talking calmly about loud music | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. La música de al lado no me ha dejado dormir varias noches últimamente.

   The music next door has kept me up several nights lately.

   música

   music

   de al lado

   next door

   no me ha dejado

   has not let me

   dormir

   to sleep

   varias noches

   several nights

   últimamente

   lately

   More detail

   música means “music” here. It is a feminine singular noun, which is why the article is la: la música. The accent mark is part of the spelling. Example: La música está alta. — “The music is loud.” de al lado identifies the source or location as next door. In la música de al lado, it modifies música; it does not mean that the music itself is “next door” as a separate participant. Example: El perro de al lado ladra mucho. — “The dog next door barks a lot.” no me ha dejado combines negation, the indirect-object pronoun me, and the present perfect form ha dejado of dejar. With an infinitive, dejar can mean “to let” or “to allow”: me ha dejado dormir means “has let me sleep.” Here no me ha dejado means “has not let me,” and the following dormir completes what was prevented. The form ha is third-person singular because its subject is la música; me identifies the person affected. Example: El ruido no me ha dejado concentrarme. — “The noise has not let me concentrate.” dormir is the infinitive “to sleep.” After dejar, the infinitive names the activity that someone is or is not allowed to do: dejar + infinitivo. Example: El bebé me dejó descansar. — “The baby let me rest.” varias noches means “several nights.” varias is the feminine plural form of vario, agreeing with the feminine plural noun noches; it indicates more than one but does not specify the exact number. Example: Trabajé varias noches. — “I worked several nights.” últimamente means “lately” or “recently.” It places the repeated experience in the recent period leading up to now. Example: Últimamente duermo poco. — “Lately I sleep very little.” Together, La música de al lado is the subject: “the music next door.” no me ha dejado dormir says that it has prevented the speaker from sleeping, and varias noches últimamente gives the duration or repeated time frame: “several nights lately.” The complete meaning is: “The music next door has kept me up several nights lately.”

2. Entonces deberíamos hablar con ellos antes de que se convierta en un conflicto mayor.

   Then we should talk to them before it becomes a bigger conflict.

   Entonces

   Then / so

   deberíamos

   we should

   hablar

   to talk

   con ellos

   with them

   antes de que

   before

   se convierta

   becomes / turns into

   conflicto

   conflict

   mayor

   bigger / greater

   More detail

   Entonces sets the utterance in relation to what came before: here it means “then” or “so.” It can introduce a conclusion or a next step, not just a point in time. deberíamos is the first-person plural conditional of deber: deber → debemos (we must/should, present) → deberíamos (we should, a proposed or advisable action). The ending identifies “we”; the conditional makes this a recommendation rather than a direct command. A useful pattern is deberíamos + infinitive: “we should …” hablar is the infinitive “to talk.” After deberíamos, the second verb remains in the infinitive: deberíamos hablar means “we should talk.” For example, Deberíamos esperar means “We should wait.” con ellos means “with them.” con is the preposition “with,” and ellos is a third-person plural pronoun. Its masculine grammatical form can refer to a group of males or a mixed group; the supplied translation identifies the participants only as “them,” without specifying who they are. antes de que introduces a clause meaning “before ….” Because it introduces an event that is viewed as pending or possible, Spanish uses a subjunctive form in the following clause here. This is a reusable pattern: antes de que + subjunctive. se convierta comes from convertirse, “to become” or “to turn into.” Convierta is the third-person singular present subjunctive form, and se belongs to the pronominal verb convertirse; it is not a separate translation of “it.” The singular subject here is the implied “it” that becomes something. The construction convertirse en + noun means “to become/turn into + noun.” For example, La discusión se convierte en un problema means “The discussion turns into a problem.” conflicto is the masculine singular noun “conflict.” In convertirse en un conflicto, it names the result into which the situation may turn. Its plural is conflictos. mayor means “bigger” or “greater” here. It is the comparative form related to grande; unlike many Spanish adjectives, mayor does not change for masculine versus feminine gender, but it does become mayores in the plural. Here it agrees in number with singular conflicto: un conflicto mayor, “a bigger conflict.” Together, Entonces deberíamos hablar con ellos means “Then we should talk to them.” antes de que se convierta en un conflicto mayor adds the condition “before it becomes a bigger conflict.” The whole utterance therefore recommends that we talk to them before the situation turns into a larger conflict.

3. No quiero sonar dramático, porque quizá no se dan cuenta de que está alta.

   I do not want to sound dramatic, because they may not realize it is loud.

   quiero

   want

   sonar

   sound

   dramático

   dramatic

   quizá

   maybe

   no se dan cuenta

   do not realize

   alta

   loud, here

   More detail

   quiero is the first-person singular present form of querer, “to want”: yo quiero, tú quieres, él/ella quiere. Here it is part of the useful pattern no quiero + infinitive, meaning “I do not want to …”. The no negates quiero, while the following infinitive names the action that is unwanted. Example: No quiero esperar. — “I do not want to wait.” sonar is an infinitive meaning “to sound” or “to come across.” After quiero, it stays in the infinitive because quiero is the conjugated verb: quiero sonar, “I want to sound.” In this sentence, sonar describes how the speaker may be perceived, not the production of a particular noise. Example: Quiero sonar amable. — “I want to sound kind.” dramático is a masculine singular adjective meaning “dramatic.” Its form agrees with the first-person speaker in sonar dramático; the sentence itself does not otherwise identify the speaker’s gender. The feminine singular form is dramática, and plural forms include dramáticos and dramáticas. Example: No quiero sonar dramática. — “I do not want to sound dramatic.” This is a different example using the feminine singular form. quizá means “maybe” or “perhaps” and introduces uncertainty. It comes before no se dan cuenta, so the speaker presents the lack of realization as possible rather than certain. Quizás is a common variant with the same meaning. no se dan cuenta means “do not realize” here. The expression is built from darse cuenta de, “to realize” or literally “to become aware,” and se is part of that pronominal expression. dan is the third-person plural present form of dar; with the fixed translation, its subject is “they.” The no negates the expression. The complete pattern is no se dan cuenta de que + clause. Example: No se dan cuenta de que es tarde. — “They do not realize that it is late.” alta is the feminine singular form of the adjective alto/alta. In this sentence, with estar, it means “loud,” referring to an understood feminine singular thing or quality; the exact referent is not identified by the supplied sentence. It is not the ordinary “high” sense here. The masculine singular counterpart is alto, and a useful comparison is más alta, “louder” or “higher,” depending on context. Example: La música está alta. — “The music is loud.” Putting the parts together: No quiero sonar dramático means “I do not want to sound dramatic.” porque means “because,” and quizá no se dan cuenta de que está alta means “perhaps they do not realize that it is loud.” The whole utterance is therefore: “I do not want to sound dramatic, because they may not realize it is loud.”

4. Empieza diciendo que las paredes son delgadas y que necesitas dormir temprano.

   Start by saying the walls are thin and you need to sleep early.

   Empieza

   start

   diciendo

   saying

   paredes

   walls

   delgadas

   thin

   necesitas

   need

   dormir

   sleep

   temprano

   early

   More detail

   Empieza is the affirmative command form of empezar for tú (one listener). Here it means “start,” and it introduces the first step in what the listener should do. Compare the present form empiezas (“you start”) with the command empieza (“start!”). diciendo is the gerund of decir (“to say”): decir → diciendo. After Empieza, it explains the action to begin: “start by saying …”. The form diciendo stays connected to the understood subject of Empieza, namely tú. paredes means “walls.” It is the plural of pared; the article las and the adjective delgadas show that this noun is feminine plural. Example: Las paredes son blancas. — “The walls are white.” delgadas means “thin” here. It is the feminine plural form of delgado, agreeing with paredes. The singular forms are delgado for a masculine singular noun and delgada for a feminine singular noun; delgados and delgadas are the masculine and feminine plural forms. necesitas is the present indicative form of necesitar (“to need”) for tú: necesitar → necesitas. In necesitas dormir, the infinitive dormir completes what is needed. Example: Necesitas descansar. — “You need to rest.” dormir is the infinitive “to sleep.” It follows necesitas and names the action that is needed. The same infinitive can be reused after other forms of necesitar, such as necesito dormir (“I need to sleep”). temprano is the adverb “early” in this sentence; it describes when the sleeping should take place. Here it is not an adjective modifying a noun. Example: Quiero llegar temprano. — “I want to arrive early.” Together, Empieza diciendo que means “Start by saying that.” The first que introduces the content of what should be said: las paredes son delgadas (“the walls are thin”) and necesitas dormir temprano (“you need to sleep early”). Thus the whole utterance is: “Start by saying that the walls are thin and you need to sleep early.”

5. ¿Deberíamos mencionar las normas del edificio sobre las horas de silencio?

   Should we mention the building rules about quiet hours?

   Deberíamos

   should we

   mencionar

   to mention

   normas

   rules

   edificio

   building

   horas

   hours

   silencio

   silence

   More detail

   Deberíamos is the first-person plural conditional of deber (deber → deberíamos). Here it makes a suggestion about an action shared by the speaker and others: “Should we…?” It is not an imperative directed at one listener. Compare deberíamos hablar (“we should talk”) with deberíamos esperar (“we should wait”). mencionar is the infinitive “to mention.” After deberíamos, Spanish uses the infinitive for the proposed action: deberíamos mencionar = “we should mention.” Example: Deberíamos mencionar el problema. — “We should mention the problem.” normas is the plural of the feminine noun norma, “rule” or “regulation.” The plural refers to more than one rule; the article las also agrees with this feminine plural noun. Example: Estas normas son claras. — “These rules are clear.” edificio is the noun “building.” In del edificio, del is the contraction of de + el, meaning “of the building” or “the building’s.” The phrase las normas del edificio therefore identifies the rules associated with the building. horas is the plural of hora, “hour.” In this utterance, it is part of las horas de silencio, meaning “quiet hours,” a set period or periods when silence is expected. de links horas with the topic that specifies them. silencio is the noun “silence.” In horas de silencio, it specifies the kind of hours being discussed: hours designated for silence. Example: Durante las horas de silencio, hablamos bajo. — “During quiet hours, we speak softly.” Together, deberíamos mencionar proposes mentioning something, and las normas del edificio sobre las horas de silencio identifies what should be mentioned: the building’s rules concerning quiet hours. The whole utterance is therefore: “Should we mention the building rules about quiet hours?”

6. Solo si se niegan a colaborar. Al principio, un recordatorio amistoso es más razonable.

   Only if they refuse to cooperate. A friendly reminder is more reasonable at first.

   Solo si

   only if

   se niegan

   they refuse

   colaborar

   to cooperate

   Al principio

   at first

   recordatorio

   reminder

   amistoso

   friendly

   más razonable

   more reasonable

   More detail

   Solo si sets a condition and limits the situation: “only if.” It does not replace the condition with an alternative. Example: Iré solo si me invitas. — “I will go only if you invite me.” se niegan is the third-person plural present form of negarse, “to refuse.” The se belongs to this pronominal verb, and niegan agrees with the plural subject identified by the fixed translation as “they.” The usual pattern is negarse a + infinitive: Se niegan a esperar. — “They refuse to wait.” colaborar is an infinitive meaning “to cooperate.” After negarse a, the infinitive names the action that someone refuses to do. The combination negarse a colaborar therefore means “to refuse to cooperate.” Together, Solo si se niegan a colaborar is a conditional fragment: “Only if they refuse to cooperate.” The fixed translation supports the subject and intended meaning; this fragment does not itself state what action will then be taken. Al principio means “at first” or “initially.” It marks the beginning stage of a process or situation. Example: Al principio, hablamos tranquilamente. — “At first, we speak calmly.” recordatorio is a masculine singular noun meaning “reminder.” Its plural is recordatorios. Here, un recordatorio refers to an unspecified reminder; the indefinite article marks the noun phrase as singular but should not be treated as a standalone numerical claim. amistoso means “friendly” here. It is a masculine singular adjective agreeing with recordatorio; its feminine singular form is amistosa, as in una nota amistosa — “a friendly note.” más razonable is the comparative form “more reasonable.” Razonable is the base adjective, and más marks comparison. Spanish commonly uses más + adjective without stating the comparison standard when it is clear from the situation: Esta opción es más razonable. — “This option is more reasonable.” Razonable has the same visible form for masculine and feminine singular nouns; in this sentence, its singular agreement is with the masculine singular noun recordatorio, while más does not carry noun agreement. The second sentence assembles as un recordatorio amistoso (“a friendly reminder”), followed by es más razonable (“is more reasonable”), with Al principio specifying when this judgment applies. The complete utterance means: “Only if they refuse to cooperate. A friendly reminder is more reasonable at first.”

7. Quizá podamos sugerirles que usen auriculares más tarde por la noche, cuando tenemos que trabajar al día siguiente.

   Maybe we can suggest that they use headphones later in the evening when we have work the next day.

   Quizá

   maybe

   podamos

   we can / may

   sugerirles

   suggest to them

   usen

   use

   auriculares

   headphones

   más tarde

   later

   por la noche

   at night

   cuando

   when

   tenemos que

   we have to

   trabajar

   work

   al día siguiente

   the next day

   More detail

   Quizá expresses uncertainty: “maybe” or “perhaps.” It makes the proposal tentative rather than presenting it as a certainty. For example, Quizá venga mañana means “Maybe he or she will come tomorrow.” podamos is the first-person plural present subjunctive form of poder (“to be able to,” “can,” or “may”). Here it combines with sugerirles to mean “we may be able to suggest to them.” The subjunctive fits the uncertainty introduced by Quizá; the form itself shows we, not a singular speaker. sugerirles is the infinitive sugerir (“to suggest”) with the attached indirect-object pronoun les (“to them”). Sugerir algo a alguien means “to suggest something to someone.” The suggested content follows in the que clause. usen is the present subjunctive form of usar (“to use”) for a plural subject. In que usen, it means “that they use”; it is a subordinate clause after sugerir, not an imperative command. Spanish does not identify from this form alone whether the plural subject is ellos/ellas or ustedes; the fixed translation supports the meaning “they.” auriculares is the plural noun for “headphones.” The plural form refers to headphones as an item or set of items; the sentence does not specify how many sets there are. A related singular form is auricular, although its meaning can depend on context. más tarde means “later.” Here más works with tarde to mark a later time; it is a comparative expression, not a quantity of headphones or people. For example, Hablamos más tarde means “We’ll talk later.” por la noche means “at night” or “in the evening.” Here por is part of a temporal expression referring to the nighttime period. It does not express movement or direction in this phrase. cuando introduces a time clause meaning “when.” It connects the proposed use of the headphones with the time described in the following clause. For example, Te llamo cuando llegue means “I’ll call you when I arrive.” tenemos que is the first-person plural pattern tener que (“to have to” or “must”). Tenemos is the we form of tener; que completes the obligation construction. Here it means that we have an obligation to work, not that we possess work. trabajar is the infinitive “to work.” After tener que, the infinitive names the action required: tenemos que trabajar means “we have to work.” The infinitive does not itself mark a separate person; tenemos supplies the we subject. al día siguiente means “the next day” or “the following day.” Al is the contraction of a and el; the expression places the work on the day following the relevant reference point. It does not by itself specify the calendar date. Together, podamos sugerirles que usen auriculares means “we may be able to suggest that they use headphones.” Más tarde por la noche places that suggestion later in the evening, and cuando tenemos que trabajar al día siguiente gives the time-related condition: this is when we have to work the next day. The whole utterance therefore means: “Maybe we can suggest that they use headphones later in the evening when we have work the next day.”

8. Eso sería un compromiso práctico y no los acusaría directamente.

   That would be a practical compromise, and it does not accuse them directly.

   Eso

   that

   sería

   would be

   compromiso

   compromise

   práctico

   practical

   no

   not

   los

   them

   acusaría

   would accuse

   directamente

   directly

   More detail

   Eso is the neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” In this sentence it points to the suggested course of action or idea, rather than identifying a masculine or feminine noun. Spanish demonstratives include esto “this,” eso “that,” and aquello “that over there”; the neuter forms are used for situations or propositions and do not agree with a noun’s gender. sería comes from ser “to be.” It is the third-person singular conditional form: sería = “would be.” The conditional presents the idea as a possible result or proposal, not as an established fact. For example: Sería una buena solución. — “It would be a good solution.” compromiso is a masculine singular noun meaning “compromise.” Its plural is compromisos. In this utterance, the noun names an arrangement intended to balance the situation. práctico is an adjective meaning “practical.” It is masculine singular here because it describes the masculine singular noun compromiso: un compromiso práctico. Its forms include práctico (masculine singular), práctica (feminine singular), prácticos (masculine plural), and prácticas (feminine plural). For example: una solución práctica — “a practical solution.” no negates the clause that follows it. Here it does not mean “not” as part of the noun phrase un compromiso práctico; it introduces the negated action los acusaría. los is a masculine plural direct-object clitic. In the intended reading, it means “them,” referring to the people identified by the fixed translation and surrounding context. It agrees in gender and number with the plural group it replaces; compare lo for a masculine singular object and las for a feminine plural object. For example: Los escucho. — “I listen to them,” with los referring to a masculine or mixed plural group. acusaría comes from acusar “to accuse.” It is the third-person singular conditional form, acusar → acusaría, “would accuse.” With no and the object clitic, no los acusaría means “would not accuse them.” The conditional forms of ser and acusar make the two coordinated clauses part of the same hypothetical framing; the subject is understood from the verb rather than stated separately. directamente is an adverb meaning “directly.” It modifies the action of accusing, specifying how that action would be carried out. The related adjective is directo/directa, while directamente is the adverbial form. Together, Eso sería un compromiso práctico presents the referred-to idea as a practical compromise. y no los acusaría directamente adds a coordinated negative consequence: under that hypothetical proposal, the people would not be accused directly. Thus the utterance expresses the intended meaning “That would be a practical compromise, and it does not accuse them directly,” while the Spanish conditional forms explicitly frame both clauses with “would.”

9. Puedo elegir un momento tranquilo esta noche para hablar con ellos.

   I can choose a calm moment this evening to talk to them.

   Puedo

   I can

   elegir

   choose

   momento

   moment

   tranquilo

   calm

   esta noche

   this evening

   hablar

   talk

   ellos

   them

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder (“to be able to; can”): puedo, puedes, puede. With an infinitive, poder + infinitive expresses ability or possibility. Example: Puedo esperar. — “I can wait.” elegir is an infinitive meaning “to choose.” After puedo, it stays in the infinitive rather than changing to agree separately with the speaker. Example: Quiero elegir una fecha. — “I want to choose a date.” momento is a masculine noun meaning “moment” or “time.” The indefinite article in the full phrase, un momento, introduces the noun but does not by itself state a numerical count. Example: Necesito un momento. — “I need a moment.” tranquilo means “calm” or “quiet” here. It is the masculine singular form of tranquilo, agreeing with masculine singular momento. For a feminine singular noun, the corresponding form is tranquila: una tarde tranquila — “a calm afternoon.” esta noche is a time expression meaning “this evening” or “tonight.” Esta is the feminine singular demonstrative form agreeing with noche; the expression identifies the relevant evening in relation to the speaking situation. Example: Trabajo esta noche. — “I work tonight.” hablar is the infinitive “to talk” or “to speak.” In para hablar, para introduces the purpose: “in order to talk.” Example: Vine para hablar contigo. — “I came to talk with you.” ellos is a third-person plural pronoun meaning “them” in this prepositional phrase. It is the masculine plural form, used for an all-male group or a mixed-gender group; the fixed translation identifies the intended people as “them.” After con, it forms con ellos — “with them.” Example: Voy con ellos. — “I am going with them.” Together, puedo elegir means “I can choose,” un momento tranquilo means “a calm moment,” and esta noche specifies when. para hablar con ellos gives the purpose of choosing that moment: “to talk with them.” The whole utterance means: “I can choose a calm moment this evening to talk to them.”

10. Elegir un momento tranquilo suele evitar que un problema pequeño se vuelva algo personal.

    Calm timing usually prevents a small problem from becoming personal.

    Elegir

    to choose

    momento

    moment

    tranquilo

    calm

    suele

    usually tends to

    evitar

    to avoid

    problema

    problem

    pequeño

    small

    se vuelva

    becomes

    algo

    something

    personal

    personal

    More detail

    Elegir is the infinitive “to choose.” Here it functions as the subject of the sentence: “Choosing a calm moment...” The same verb appears as elegir in the context sentence after puedo; after a conjugated verb such as puedo, Spanish uses the infinitive. momento means “moment” here. Its plural is momentos. In un momento, un agrees with this masculine singular noun; it marks an indefinite noun phrase, not by itself a stated numerical count. tranquilo describes momento and therefore appears in the masculine singular form. The useful agreement pattern is un momento tranquilo / unos momentos tranquilos. The adjective’s base form is tranquilo, not momento. suele is the third-person singular present form of soler, “to usually do” or “to tend to do.” Soler is followed by an infinitive: suele evitar means “usually tends to prevent/avoid.” The singular form fits the singular subject Elegir un momento tranquilo. evitar is an infinitive meaning “to avoid” or, with an event as its object, “to prevent.” In this sentence it introduces que plus the result being prevented: evitar que ... = “prevent ... from ...”. problema means “problem.” It is a masculine noun despite ending in -a, so the phrase is un problema, not una problema. Its plural is problemas. pequeño means “small.” It modifies problema, so it is masculine singular: un problema pequeño. The feminine counterpart is pequeña, as in una dificultad pequeña. se vuelva comes from the pronominal verb volverse, “to become” or “to turn into.” Vuelva is the present subjunctive, third-person singular form of volver, with se attached as the pronominal marker. After evitar que, Spanish uses the subjunctive because the becoming is the result someone wants to prevent, not an independently asserted event. For example, Evita que el ruido se vuelva molesto means “Prevent the noise from becoming annoying.” algo is an indefinite pronoun meaning “something.” In algo personal, it refers to an unspecified thing or situation; it does not identify a particular object. The adjective after algo normally appears in masculine singular form, so personal has the same form here as with a masculine singular noun. Personal is invariable for masculine and feminine singular forms: un asunto personal / una decisión personal. The sentence assembles as Elegir un momento tranquilo (“choosing a calm moment”) + suele evitar (“usually prevents”) + que un problema pequeño se vuelva algo personal (“a small problem from becoming something personal”). Thus the complete meaning is: “Choosing a calm moment usually prevents a small problem from becoming personal.”