Improving a Home Office Setup | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Me duelen los hombros después de trabajar en esta mesa pequeña todo el día.

   My shoulders hurt after working at this small table all day.

   Me duelen

   my ... hurt

   hombros

   shoulders

   después de

   after

   trabajar

   to work; working

   esta

   this

   mesa

   table

   pequeña

   small

   todo el día

   all day

   More detail

   Me duelen expresses that something causes pain to the speaker. The verb is doler, and in this construction it agrees with the thing that hurts, not with the person who feels it: duele with a singular thing and duelen with plural things. Me marks the experiencer (“to me”), so it is not the possessive word “my.” Example: Me duele la espalda. — “My back hurts.” hombros means “shoulders.” It is the plural of hombro; its plural form is why the sentence uses duelen rather than duele. después de introduces what happens later: “after.” It is commonly followed by an infinitive when the understood participant is the same: después de trabajar — “after working.” trabajar is the infinitive “to work.” After después de, it stays in the infinitive rather than being conjugated. Example: Después de estudiar, descanso. — “After studying, I rest.” esta means “this” and is the feminine singular form of the demonstrative adjective. It agrees with the noun it modifies here; the form itself does not express who is speaking or who is being addressed. mesa means “table.” It is a feminine singular noun in this phrase, and esta and pequeña agree with it. pequeña means “small.” It is the feminine singular form of the adjective pequeño, matching mesa. For a masculine singular noun, the corresponding form is pequeño: un espacio pequeño — “a small space.” todo el día means “all day.” Todo agrees with masculine singular día; together the phrase gives the duration of the activity. Example: Trabajo todo el día. — “I work all day.” The whole sentence combines the pain construction me duelen los hombros with the time phrase después de trabajar, then specifies the setting with en esta mesa pequeña and the duration with todo el día: “My shoulders hurt after working at this small table all day.”

2. Tu espacio de trabajo es malo para tu cuerpo, especialmente porque el monitor está tan bajo.

   Your setup is hard on your body, especially with the monitor so low.

   espacio de trabajo

   workspace

   malo

   bad; hard on

   cuerpo

   body

   especialmente porque

   especially because

   monitor

   monitor

   está

   is; is located

   bajo

   low

   More detail

   espacio de trabajo means “workspace” or “work area.” It is a noun phrase: espacio is the head noun, and de trabajo specifies what kind of space. espacio is masculine singular, so related modifiers would normally agree with it: un espacio pequeño (“a small space”). Example: Necesito un espacio de trabajo cómodo. — “I need a comfortable workspace.” malo means “bad” here, with the practical sense “harmful” or “hard on.” It is the masculine singular form of malo, agreeing with masculine singular espacio. Before a masculine singular noun, the adjective commonly has the shortened form mal: un mal espacio (“a bad space”), while after the noun in this sentence it is malo. This sentence does not say that the body itself is bad; para tu cuerpo identifies what the workspace is harmful for. cuerpo means “body.” It is a masculine singular noun. The phrase para tu cuerpo means “for your body” and marks the affected person or thing. The possessive tu is singular and does not change for the gender of the noun: tu cuerpo, but also tu mesa (“your table”). Example: Es malo para la espalda. — “It is hard on the back.” especialmente porque means “especially because.” Especialmente highlights the following reason, and porque introduces that reason. Porque (“because”) is different from the question form ¿por qué? (“why?”). Example: Estoy cansado, especialmente porque trabajé mucho. — “I am tired, especially because I worked a lot.” monitor means “monitor” or “screen.” It is a masculine singular noun in this use: el monitor. In the sentence, it is the subject of the clause introduced by porque. Example: El monitor está sobre la mesa. — “The monitor is on the table.” está is the third-person singular present form of estar, “to be.” Estar is used here for the monitor’s current position or state, not for an inherent classification. Its accent mark distinguishes it from esta, the demonstrative or feminine possessive form in other contexts. A useful contrast is El monitor está bajo. (“The monitor is low.”) versus El monitor es nuevo. (“The monitor is new.”): está describes the current position, while es presents a characteristic or identity. bajo means “low,” describing the monitor’s position. It is the masculine singular form of the adjective bajo, agreeing with masculine singular monitor; the feminine form is baja, as in una mesa baja (“a low table”). Here tan bajo means “so low” or “that low”: tan intensifies the adjective. Example: La pantalla está demasiado baja. — “The screen is too low.” Together, Tu espacio de trabajo es malo para tu cuerpo says “Your workspace is hard on your body.” The clause especialmente porque el monitor está tan bajo adds the especially important reason: the monitor is positioned so low. The complete utterance therefore means: “Your setup is hard on your body, especially with the monitor so low.”

3. Podría elevarlo con unos libros hasta que compre un soporte adecuado.

   I could raise it with books until I buy a proper stand.

   Podría

   could

   elevarlo

   raise it

   con

   with

   libros

   books

   hasta que

   until

   compre

   buy

   soporte

   stand

   adecuado

   suitable

   More detail

   Podría is the first-person singular conditional of poder (“to be able to/can”). Here it expresses a possible action: “I could.” The conditional is useful for presenting an option rather than stating that the action is certain. Compare puedo (“I can/am able to”) with podría (“I could/might be able to”). elevarlo means “raise it.” elevar is the infinitive “to raise,” and lo is an attached masculine-singular direct-object clitic meaning “it.” The clitic refers to the thing being raised, while the form itself does not identify that thing by name. With a different direct object, the clitic changes: elevarla = “raise it” for a feminine-singular object, and elevarlos/elevarlas = “raise them” for plural objects. con introduces the means or material used: “with.” A reusable pattern is verb + con + noun, as in escribir con lápiz (“write with a pencil”). libros is the plural of libro, “book.” The plural ending -s shows that more than one book is meant here. un libro means “a book,” while unos libros means “some books” or “a few books”; the indefinite article does not by itself state an exact number. hasta que means “until” and introduces the point up to which the action is considered. In this sentence it connects the possible raising method with a later event. compre is the first-person singular present subjunctive of comprar, “to buy.” After hasta que, the subjunctive is natural when the later event is anticipated rather than presented as already completed: “until I buy.” The form compro is present indicative (“I buy/am buying”), whereas compre is the subjunctive form used in this time clause. soporte is a masculine-singular noun meaning “stand” or “support.” Here it means a stand suitable for holding the object. Its gender is grammatical information carried by the noun; it is not a translation of the English word “support” in every context. adecuado is the masculine-singular form of the adjective adecuado, “suitable” or “proper.” It agrees with soporte: un soporte adecuado. The feminine singular is adecuada, and plural forms are adecuados and adecuadas when the noun requires them. Together, podría elevarlo gives “I could raise it,” con unos libros gives the means “with some books,” and hasta que compre un soporte adecuado gives the endpoint “until I buy a proper stand.” The complete meaning is: “I could raise it with books until I buy a proper stand.”

4. Eso mejoraría tu postura.

   That would help your posture.

   Eso

   That

   mejoraría

   would improve

   postura

   posture

   More detail

   Eso is a neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” It refers to an already understood situation or thing; the supplied translation supports “that” but does not identify a more specific referent. Unlike a demonstrative adjective, it stands on its own rather than modifying a noun. mejoraría is the conditional form of mejorar (“to improve”): mejorar → mejoraría (“would improve”). Here it is third-person singular, agreeing with eso. The conditional presents the improvement as a result that would occur under an understood condition, rather than as a direct present assertion. Example: Una silla más alta mejoraría mi postura. — “A taller chair would improve my posture.” postura is a feminine singular noun meaning “posture” here. Its possessive modifier in the full sentence is tu, “your”; tu does not show the noun’s gender or number. Example: Cuida tu postura. — “Take care of your posture.” Together, Eso is the subject, and mejoraría says that it would improve tu postura: “That would improve your posture.”

5. También deberías comprobar si el reflejo de la ventana afecta a la pantalla.

   You should also check whether glare from the window is affecting the screen.

   También

   also

   deberías

   should

   comprobar

   check

   si

   whether

   reflejo

   glare

   ventana

   window

   afecta

   affects

   pantalla

   screen

   More detail

   También adds this recommendation to something already mentioned: “also” or “too.” It modifies the whole suggestion rather than naming an additional object. deberías is the second-person singular conditional form of deber, deber → deberías. Here it gives advice: “you should.” The conditional makes the recommendation less direct than an imperative. Example: Deberías descansar. — “You should rest.” comprobar is the infinitive “to check” or “to verify.” After deberías, the verb remains in the infinitive: deberías comprobar — “you should check.” Example: Debes comprobar la fecha. — “You must check the date.” si introduces an indirect yes/no question, so here it means “whether,” not “if” in the sense of a condition. Do not confuse it with accented sí, which means “yes.” Example: No sé si funciona. — “I don’t know whether it works.” reflejo is a masculine noun meaning a reflection; in this sentence, the translation “glare” identifies the relevant sense. It is the subject of afecta. El reflejo de la ventana means “the glare/reflection from the window.” ventana is a feminine noun meaning “window.” In de la ventana, de marks the source or relation, and la agrees with feminine singular ventana. The phrase therefore describes glare coming from or associated with the window. afecta is the third-person singular present form of afectar: afectar → afecta. The singular subject here is el reflejo, so the verb is singular. Spanish commonly uses afectar a before the thing affected, as in La luz afecta a la pantalla. — “The light affects the screen.” pantalla is a feminine noun meaning “screen.” The article la agrees with its feminine singular form. In this utterance, it is the thing affected by the glare. Together, También deberías comprobar means “You should also check,” and si el reflejo de la ventana afecta a la pantalla means “whether glare from the window is affecting the screen.” The complete utterance is: “You should also check whether glare from the window is affecting the screen.”

6. La luz del sol de la tarde hace que sea difícil leer la pantalla.

   The afternoon sunlight makes the screen difficult to read.

   luz

   light

   sol

   sun

   tarde

   afternoon

   hace que

   makes ...

   sea

   be

   difícil

   difficult

   leer

   to read

   pantalla

   screen

   More detail

   luz means light here. It is a feminine noun: la luz; its plural is las luces. In this sentence, luz is the main noun of la luz del sol de la tarde. sol means sun. del is the contraction of de + el, so del sol literally means “of the sun.” de la tarde identifies which sunlight: the sunlight of the afternoon. tarde means afternoon in this expression; it is a feminine noun, as shown by la. hace que is a reusable causative pattern meaning “makes ...”. hace is the third-person singular present form of hacer, agreeing here with la luz. Pattern: algo hace que + clause = “something makes [a situation happen or be the case].” Example: El ruido hace que sea difícil dormir. — “The noise makes it difficult to sleep.” sea is a present subjunctive form of ser; the form is shared by yo, él, ella, and usted. Here it is selected by the construction hace que; it is not an imperative. The clause sea difícil leer la pantalla describes the resulting situation. ser is the base form, and its present indicative forms include es and son, while sea belongs to the subjunctive mood. difícil means difficult. It is an adjective and does not change for masculine versus feminine, although it changes for number: difícil / difíciles. Example: Es difícil entenderlo. — “It is difficult to understand it.” leer is the infinitive “to read.” The infinitive lets it function as the activity that is difficult: sea difícil leer ... means “it is difficult to read ...”. Example: Quiero leer el informe. — “I want to read the report.” pantalla means screen. It is a feminine noun: la pantalla, plural las pantallas. In leer la pantalla, it is the direct object of leer, the thing being read. Together, la luz del sol de la tarde is “the afternoon sunlight.” That noun phrase is the cause, and hace que sea difícil leer la pantalla says that it produces the situation in which reading the screen is difficult. The whole utterance therefore means: “The afternoon sunlight makes the screen difficult to read.”

7. Intenta mover un poco el escritorio o usa la cortina durante las llamadas.

   Try moving the desk slightly, or use the curtain during calls.

   Intenta

   try

   mover

   move

   un poco

   a little

   escritorio

   desk

   usa

   use

   cortina

   curtain

   durante las llamadas

   during calls

   More detail

   Intenta is the affirmative command form of intentar for one familiar or informal listener: “try.” The pattern intenta + infinitive gives a suggestion or instruction, as in Intenta descansar — “Try to rest.” It is not the formal singular command intente. mover is the infinitive “to move.” After intenta, Spanish uses the infinitive to name the action being tried: intenta mover — “try to move.” The verb mover can also describe changing something’s position, as it does here. un poco means “a little” or “slightly.” Here it limits the amount of movement; it does not say that there is one counted object. For example, Habla un poco más despacio means “Speak a little more slowly.” escritorio is the noun “desk.” Its useful singular form appears with the masculine article in el escritorio; the plural is los escritorios. In this sentence, the desk is the object moved by the listener. usa is the affirmative command form of usar for one familiar or informal listener: “use.” The pattern usa + noun gives a direct instruction, as in Usa esta silla — “Use this chair.” The formal singular command is use, not usa. cortina means “curtain.” It is feminine: la cortina; its plural is las cortinas. The article and noun together in the sentence refer to using the curtain as the relevant object. durante las llamadas means “during calls.” durante introduces the time period, las marks a feminine plural noun, and llamadas is the plural of llamada, “call.” The phrase durante la llamada means “during the call,” while durante las llamadas refers to calls in general or more than one call. Together, intenta mover un poco el escritorio means “try moving the desk slightly.” o usa la cortina adds an alternative instruction, “or use the curtain.” durante las llamadas specifies when the curtain option applies: “during calls.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Try moving the desk slightly, or use the curtain during calls.”

8. Si me siento más cómodo, también debería poder trabajar mejor.

   If I feel more comfortable, I should be able to work better too.

   Si

   if

   me siento

   I feel

   más cómodo

   more comfortable

   también

   also; too

   debería

   should

   poder

   be able to

   trabajar

   work

   mejor

   better

   More detail

   Si introduces a condition: “if.” It is written without an accent here; sí with an accent means “yes.” Example: Si tengo tiempo, leo. — “If I have time, I read.” me siento is the first-person singular present form of the pronominal verb sentirse, “to feel.” The clitic me marks the speaker as the person experiencing the feeling. Example: Me siento cansado. — “I feel tired.” más cómodo means “more comfortable.” más marks comparison, while cómodo is the masculine singular form of the adjective, agreeing here with the speaker expressed by the subject. The feminine singular form is cómoda; the plural forms are cómodos and cómodas when the relevant agreement requires them. Example: La silla es más cómoda. — “The chair is more comfortable.” también adds “also” or “too”; it adds this result to another relevant consideration and does not replace the condition introduced by si. Example: También puedo trabajar aquí. — “I can work here too.” debería is the first-person singular conditional form of deber. Here it expresses an expectation: “should.” The reusable pattern debería + infinitive means “should do something.” Example: Debería descansar. — “I should rest.” poder is an infinitive meaning “to be able to” or “can.” After debería, it stays in the infinitive: debería poder means “should be able to.” Example: Puedo trabajar aquí. — “I can work here.” trabajar is an infinitive meaning “to work.” It names the action the speaker expects to be able to perform better. Example: Quiero trabajar. — “I want to work.” mejor means “better” here and modifies trabajar adverbially, giving “work better.” In this use, it is the comparative counterpart of bien (“well”). Example: Hoy trabajo mejor. — “Today I work better.” The sentence follows the reusable pattern Si + present-tense condition, también debería poder + infinitive + comparative adverb. Si me siento más cómodo means “if I feel more comfortable,” and también debería poder trabajar mejor means “I should also be able to work better.” Together: “If I feel more comfortable, I should be able to work better too.”

9. Los pequeños ajustes importan cuando repites la misma postura durante horas.

   Small adjustments matter when you repeat the same position for hours.

   pequeños

   small

   ajustes

   adjustments

   importan

   matter

   cuando

   when

   repites

   you repeat

   misma

   same

   postura

   position

   horas

   hours

   More detail

   pequeños describes ajustes here as “small.” It is the masculine plural form of pequeño, agreeing with the masculine plural noun. The forms are pequeño, pequeña, pequeños, and pequeñas; the ending changes with the noun’s gender and number. Example: dos cambios pequeños — “two small changes.” ajustes means “adjustments” here. It is the plural of ajuste, a change made to improve or adapt something. Example: Necesito un ajuste — “I need an adjustment.” importan means “matter” or “are important” in this sentence. It is the present-tense, third-person plural form of importar, because ajustes is plural. Compare importa with a singular subject: Este detalle importa — “This detail matters.” cuando introduces the time condition “when.” It connects importan with the situation described by repites: the adjustments matter at the time or in the circumstances of repeating the same position. repites means “you repeat.” It is the present-tense, second-person singular form of repetir, addressed to one person with tú. The infinitive is repetir; the corresponding formal singular form is repite, not repites. Example: Repites la palabra — “You repeat the word.” misma means “same” here. It is the feminine singular form of mismo, agreeing with the feminine singular noun postura. The related forms include mismo, misma, mismos, and mismas. Example: la misma idea — “the same idea.” postura means “position” here, referring to the way the body is positioned. It is a feminine noun, so the phrase uses la misma postura. In other contexts, postura can also mean an attitude or stance, but the fixed translation supports the physical-position meaning here. Example: Cambio de postura — “I change position.” horas means “hours.” It is the plural of hora. With durante, the phrase durante horas expresses duration: “for hours.” Example: Trabajé durante dos horas — “I worked for two hours.” Together, Los pequeños ajustes is the subject, “the small adjustments,” and importan says that they matter. cuando repites la misma postura means “when you repeat the same position,” and durante horas adds the duration “for hours.” The complete meaning is: “Small adjustments matter when you repeat the same position for hours.”

10. Puedo probar primero esta distribución antes de comprar nada.

    I can try this layout first before buying anything.

    Puedo

    I can

    probar

    to try

    primero

    first

    esta

    this

    distribución

    layout

    antes de

    before

    comprar

    to buy

    nada

    anything

    More detail

    Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder, “to be able to” or “can.” Here it expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility: “I can.” The next verb stays in the infinitive after poder: puedo probar = “I can try.” Compare puedes for “you can” and puede for “he, she, or you (formal) can.” probar is an infinitive meaning “to try” here. It can also mean “to taste” in a suitable context, but that is not the meaning in this sentence. After a conjugated modal such as puedo, the infinitive names the action that is possible. Example: Quiero probar otra opción. — “I want to try another option.” primero means “first” and places the trying before another relevant action or stage. It is an adverb here, so it does not change to agree with distribución. The sentence does not specify a separate later action in this clause; primero simply presents trying as the earlier step. esta is the feminine singular demonstrative “this.” It agrees with the feminine singular noun distribución, rather than carrying the noun’s meaning itself. Spanish demonstratives include este for masculine singular, esta for feminine singular, and plural forms such as estos and estas. distribución is a feminine noun meaning “layout” in this context: the arrangement of elements. Its broader meaning can also be “distribution” when something is allocated or spread out. Example: La distribución de los muebles cambia la habitación. — “The layout of the furniture changes the room.” antes de is the reusable pattern “before,” followed here by an infinitive. antes de comprar means “before buying.” When the following subject is different or needs to be stated, Spanish commonly uses antes de que plus a conjugated verb instead. comprar is the infinitive “to buy.” It follows de in the pattern antes de + infinitive. Example: Compara los precios antes de comprar. — “Compare the prices before buying.” nada literally means “nothing,” but after antes de it functions as “anything” in the English translation: antes de comprar nada = “before buying anything.” This is a negative-polarity use, not a claim that the speaker buys nothing overall. Together, Puedo probar gives “I can try,” primero marks that action as the first step, and esta distribución identifies what the speaker will try. The pattern antes de + infinitive then places that action before buying anything: “I can try this layout first before buying anything.”

11. Tiene sentido, porque quizá la solución más barata sea suficiente.

    That makes sense, because the cheapest solution may be enough.

    Tiene sentido

    That makes sense

    quizá

    perhaps

    solución

    solution

    más barata

    the cheapest

    suficiente

    enough; sufficient

    More detail

    Tiene sentido is the common Spanish expression “makes sense” or “is sensible.” Tiene is the third-person singular present form of tener; in this expression, sentido is the noun “sense.” Example: No tiene sentido. — “It doesn’t make sense.” quizá means “perhaps” and marks the following idea as uncertain. Here it is followed by sea, a subjunctive form, to present the possibility that the solution is enough. Quizá can also occur with an indicative form in other contexts, so the subjunctive is not an automatic requirement of the word alone. solución means “solution.” It is a feminine singular noun, and the definite article used here is la; its plural is soluciones. Example: La solución funciona. — “The solution works.” más barata identifies the solution as the cheapest among the relevant options here. Barata is the feminine singular form of barato, agreeing with solución. Spanish forms this comparison with más + adjective: más barato / más barata. Without a context selecting one option as the lowest-priced, the same form can mean “cheaper.” Example: Busco una opción más barata. — “I’m looking for a cheaper option.” sea suficiente means “may be enough” here. Sea is the third-person singular present subjunctive form of ser; the understood subject is la solución. Suficiente means “enough” or “sufficient.” It has the same singular form with masculine and feminine nouns, while its plural is suficientes. Example: Quizá sea suficiente. — “It may be enough.” porque means “because” and introduces the reason. The structure porque quizá ... sea ... presents that reason as tentative. The phrase la solución más barata specifies which solution is being discussed, and sea suficiente says that it may meet the needed standard. Together, Tiene sentido, porque quizá la solución más barata sea suficiente. means: “That makes sense, because the cheapest solution may be enough.”