Asking for Clearer Feedback | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Los comentarios dicen que la propuesta debería ser más sólida, pero eso parece poco claro.

   The feedback says the proposal should be stronger, but that feels vague.

   comentarios

   feedback; comments

   dicen

   say

   propuesta

   proposal

   debería

   should

   ser

   be

   más sólida

   stronger

   eso

   that

   parece

   seems

   poco claro

   vague; unclear

   More detail

   comentarios means “comments” here, and the fixed translation uses the compatible sense “feedback.” It is the plural of comentario; singular comentario, plural comentarios. The noun can refer to spoken or written observations. dicen means “say.” It is the present-tense, third-person plural form of decir: decir → dicen. The plural subject is expressed by Los comentarios; Spanish commonly leaves the subject before the verb, as here. Example: Los datos dicen mucho. — “The data says a lot.” propuesta means “proposal.” It is a feminine singular noun: la propuesta; its plural is las propuestas. The feminine article and adjective forms used with this noun would agree with it, but the sentence does not add an adjective directly modifying propuesta. debería means “should” in this sentence. It is the conditional, third-person singular form of deber, used with an infinitive to express a recommendation or expectation: debería ser — “should be.” The form agrees with the understood singular subject, la propuesta. Example: La propuesta debería incluir más pruebas. — “The proposal should include more evidence.” ser is the infinitive “to be.” After a form such as debería, Spanish uses the infinitive rather than a separately conjugated verb: debería ser, not a second finite verb. Ser identifies or describes something in this construction; it is distinct from estar, which is often used for a state or condition. más sólida means “stronger.” Sólida is the feminine singular form of the adjective sólido, agreeing with la propuesta; más forms the comparative “more.” The comparison is with an understood current or alternative level of strength, not necessarily with a named second proposal. The basic chain is sólido/sólida — “strong,” más sólido/más sólida — “stronger,” and menos sólido/menos sólida — “less strong.” Example: Esta versión es más sólida. — “This version is stronger.” eso means “that.” It is a neuter singular demonstrative pronoun, used here to refer to the preceding assessment or situation as a whole rather than to a specifically named noun. Its grammatical form is neuter; the sentence does not identify a separate concrete noun as its referent. parece means “seems.” It is the present-tense, third-person singular form of parecer: parecer → parece. With an adjective, parecer presents an impression: parece claro — “it seems clear.” Example: Eso parece suficiente. — “That seems sufficient.” poco claro means “vague” or “unclear” here. Claro is the masculine singular form of claro; with the neuter pronoun eso, Spanish uses this singular masculine-form adjective in the predicate. Poco modifies the adjective and weakens it, giving “not very clear” or, in this translation, “vague.” It is not the same as no claro, which directly negates clarity. Together, Los comentarios dicen que introduces what the feedback says: la propuesta debería ser más sólida means “the proposal should be stronger.” Pero contrasts that statement with eso parece poco claro: “but that feels vague.” The whole utterance therefore means: “The feedback says the proposal should be stronger, but that feels vague.”

2. Pregunta qué parte necesita revisión: las pruebas, el tono o la estructura.

   Ask which part needs revision: the evidence, tone, or structure.

   Pregunta

   ask

   qué

   which

   parte

   part

   necesita

   needs

   revisión

   revision

   las pruebas

   the evidence

   el tono

   the tone

   la estructura

   the structure

   More detail

   Pregunta is the affirmative command form for tú of preguntar, “ask.” It has the same spelling as the third-person singular present form, “asks,” so the intended command reading comes from the instruction context. A reusable pattern is Pregunta + qué...: “Ask which...”. qué means “which” here. It is an interrogative word and carries an accent when used in a direct or embedded question. It introduces the question about the choice of parte. parte means “part.” It is a feminine singular noun: la parte, “the part.” In this sentence it is the thing being identified from several possible sections. necesita is the third-person singular present form of necesitar, “to need.” Its subject is parte, so the singular form agrees with that noun. Compare necesitan when the subject is plural. The pattern algo necesita revisión means “something needs revision.” revisión means “revision” or “review.” It is a feminine singular noun: la revisión. In necesita revisión, it names the work needed, without an article; this compact noun phrase is common after necesitar. las pruebas means “the evidence” in this sentence. Pruebas is the plural of prueba, a feminine noun. Depending on context, prueba can also mean “test” or “proof,” but the fixed translation selects “evidence” here. The article and noun agree in feminine plural: las pruebas. el tono means “the tone.” Tono is a masculine singular noun, so it takes el. The same noun can refer to the tone of writing or speech, as in this sentence. la estructura means “the structure.” Estructura is a feminine singular noun, so it takes la. The article is part of the noun phrase and agrees with the noun’s grammatical gender and number. The embedded question is qué parte necesita revisión: “which part needs revision.” The colon then gives the alternatives being asked about: las pruebas, el tono or la estructura—the evidence, tone, or structure. Together, the utterance means: “Ask which part needs revision: the evidence, tone, or structure.”

3. Creo que quizá la introducción no explica el problema con suficiente claridad.

   I think the introduction may not explain the problem clearly enough.

   Creo que

   I think that

   quizá

   perhaps

   la introducción

   the introduction

   no explica

   does not explain

   el problema

   the problem

   suficiente

   enough

   claridad

   clarity

   More detail

   Creo que means “I think that.” Creo is the first-person singular present form of creer (“to think” or “to believe”); the subject is normally understood as yo. Que introduces the content of the thought. Example: Creo que es útil. — “I think it is useful.” quizá means “perhaps” and marks uncertainty about the statement. The variant quizás is also used. Here it contributes the possibility expressed by “may.” la introducción means “the introduction.” Introducción is a feminine singular noun, so it appears with the feminine singular article la. Its written accent is part of the correct spelling. Example: La introducción es breve. — “The introduction is brief.” no explica means “does not explain.” Explica is the third-person singular present form of explicar, and no makes the clause negative. Here the grammatical subject is la introducción. The same verb has forms such as explico (“I explain”) and explican (“they explain”). Example: El resumen no explica la causa. — “The summary does not explain the cause.” el problema means “the problem.” Problema is a masculine singular noun in Spanish, so it takes el, despite ending in -a. Example: Entiendo el problema. — “I understand the problem.” suficiente means “enough” or “sufficient.” In suficiente claridad, it describes the degree of clarity and has the singular form because claridad is singular. This form does not change for masculine versus feminine; the plural form is suficientes. Example: Hay suficiente tiempo. — “There is enough time.” claridad means “clarity.” It is a feminine singular noun. In con suficiente claridad, it appears without an article as the noun in a prepositional phrase describing how clearly something is explained. Example: Lo explica con claridad. — “He or she explains it clearly; you (formal singular) explain it clearly.” Together, la introducción no explica el problema says that the introduction does not explain the problem. con suficiente claridad adds the standard of clarity: the explanation is not clear enough. The opening Creo que quizá frames this as the speaker’s thought about a possibility. The whole utterance means: “I think the introduction may not explain the problem clearly enough.”

4. Entonces, pide un ejemplo específico de lo que quieren que cambies.

   Then ask for a specific example of what they want changed.

   pide

   ask for

   ejemplo

   example

   específico

   specific

   lo que

   what

   quieren

   want

   cambies

   change

   More detail

   pide means “ask for” here and is an affirmative command addressed to one tú person. Its base verb is pedir; this command form has the stem change e → i: pedir → pide. Do not confuse it with pida, which addresses usted, or pidan, which addresses ustedes. Example: Pide más información. — “Ask for more information.” ejemplo is a masculine noun meaning “example.” The indefinite article un and the adjective específico both match this singular masculine noun. Un introduces an example but does not by itself assert a numerical count as a teaching point. Example: Dame un ejemplo. — “Give me an example.” específico means “specific” here. It is the masculine singular form agreeing with ejemplo; the feminine singular form is específica, as in una respuesta específica (“a specific answer”). The adjective contrasts with a vague or general description. Example: Necesito una respuesta específica. — “I need a specific answer.” lo que is the reusable relative pattern “what” or “that which.” In this sentence, lo is the neuter article used in this pattern, not a masculine direct-object pronoun replacing a named noun. It introduces the content being requested: “what they want you to change.” Example: Entiendo lo que dices. — “I understand what you are saying.” quieren is the present-tense form of querer for a plural subject: “they want” in the intended translation. The subject is plural, but the sentence does not identify which people they are. In quieren que, the verb expresses what those people want someone else to do. Example: Quieren que vengas. — “They want you to come.” cambies comes from cambiar and is the present subjunctive form for tú: “you change.” The subjunctive is used because it expresses the action desired by another person after quieren que; it is not an imperative here. Example: Quieren que cambies el título. — “They want you to change the title.” Together, pide un ejemplo específico means “ask for a specific example.” The phrase de lo que quieren que cambies specifies the content of that example: it is an example of what the plural “they” want you to change. Thus the whole utterance means: “Then ask for a specific example of what they want changed.”

5. ¿Eso sonaría a la defensiva?

   Would that sound defensive?

   Eso

   that

   sonaría

   would sound

   a la defensiva

   defensive

   More detail

   Eso means “that” here and functions as a demonstrative pronoun: it points to something already identifiable from the situation without naming it. In Spanish, eso is neuter and is commonly used for an idea, statement, or situation rather than for a specifically named masculine or feminine noun. Compare esto “this” and aquello “that over there,” when the distance distinction matters. Sonaría is the conditional form of sonar, “to sound.” The ending -ía marks a conditional meaning: “would sound.” The same form is used with different subjects because the conditional ending shows the person; here, the third-person singular subject is eso: eso sonaría = “that would sound.” For example: La respuesta sonaría extraña. — “The answer would sound strange.” A la defensiva is a fixed expression meaning “defensive” or “in a defensive manner.” It uses a plus the feminine noun phrase la defensiva; the whole expression describes how something sounds, rather than naming a separate object. For example: Su comentario sonó a la defensiva. — “His comment sounded defensive.” Together, ¿Eso sonaría a la defensiva? asks whether the unspecified idea, wording, or response under discussion would give a defensive impression. The conditional keeps this hypothetical: “Would that sound defensive?”

6. No, si dices que quieres cumplir con sus expectativas.

   Not if you say you want to match their expectations.

   No

   No

   si

   if

   dices

   you say

   quieres

   you want

   cumplir con

   meet; fulfill

   expectativas

   expectations

   More detail

   No directly rejects or qualifies the preceding idea. Here, together with the following conditional clause, it means “not if…”, rather than simply serving as an isolated answer. si introduces a condition: “if.” In this sentence it connects the condition to the negative response. Do not confuse this conditional si with sí, which means “yes” and carries an accent mark. dices is the present indicative form of decir for tú: decir → dices. It means “you say” here. Example: Si dices la verdad, te escucho. — “If you tell the truth, I’ll listen to you.” quieres is the present indicative form of querer for tú: querer → quieres. Here it means “you want.” The following infinitive states what the person wants to do. Example: Quieres aprender. — “You want to learn.” cumplir con is a reusable expression meaning “to meet” or “to fulfill” a requirement, expectation, promise, or similar standard. Cumplir is an infinitive, so it remains in that form after quieres: quieres cumplir con… — “you want to meet…” Example: Queremos cumplir con el acuerdo. — “We want to fulfill the agreement.” expectativas is the plural noun “expectations.” Its singular form is expectativa; the plural ending -s shows that there is more than one expectation. In the full phrase, sus means “their” and agrees in number with expectativas; it does not identify the owners by a grammatical gender form. The structure is No, si + present-tense condition: “No, not if…” The condition is dices que quieres cumplir con sus expectativas: “you say that you want to meet their expectations.” The sequence quieres cumplir uses a conjugated form of querer followed by the infinitive cumplir, while que introduces the content of what is said. Taken together, the utterance means: “Not if you say you want to match their expectations.”

7. Puedo preguntar si quieren más datos o un tono más seguro.

   I can ask whether they want more data or a more confident tone.

   Puedo

   I can

   preguntar

   ask

   si

   whether

   quieren

   they want

   más

   more

   datos

   data

   tono

   tone

   más seguro

   more confident

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder: “I can” or “I am able to.” The infinitive is poder; other present forms include puedes (“you can”) and pueden (“they can”). Here it expresses ability or permission to do the following action, not a completed action. preguntar is the infinitive “to ask.” After puedo, Spanish uses the infinitive: Puedo preguntar = “I can ask.” Example: Puedo llamar. — “I can call.” si introduces the content of the question: “whether.” In this use it is not the conditional conjunction “if.” Example: Quiero saber si vienen. — “I want to know whether they are coming.” quieren is the third-person plural present form of querer, “to want.” In this sentence its subject is “they,” as established by the fixed translation. The form also serves for formal plural “you,” but that is not the intended reading here. Example: Ellos quieren descansar. — “They want to rest.” The first más means “more” in quantity. Más datos means “more data,” with más modifying the plural noun datos. datos is the plural of the noun dato, “piece of information” or “data.” The plural form refers here to additional information. Example: Necesito más datos. — “I need more data.” tono is a masculine singular noun meaning “tone.” In this sentence it refers to the quality or manner of expression, not to a sound’s pitch specifically. The second más forms a comparison: más seguro means “more confident” here. It is not the same function as the first más: there it indicates additional quantity, while here it intensifies the adjective in a comparison. seguro is the masculine singular adjective corresponding to the masculine singular noun tono: un tono más seguro. Its base form is seguro; feminine and plural agreement can produce forms such as segura, seguros, and seguras when the noun requires them. In this context, the intended meaning is “confident,” though seguro can have other meanings such as “safe” or “sure” in other contexts. Example: una voz más segura — “a more confident voice.” The sentence assembles as Puedo + preguntar (“I can ask”) and si quieren más datos o un tono más seguro (“whether they want more data or a more confident tone”). The conjunction o presents the two alternatives. The complete meaning is: “I can ask whether they want more data or a more confident tone.”

8. Eso les da dos opciones claras para elegir.

   That gives them two clear directions to choose from.

   Eso

   That

   les

   to them

   da

   gives

   dos

   two

   opciones

   options

   claras

   clear

   elegir

   choose

   More detail

   Eso means “that” and is a demonstrative pronoun: it points to something already identifiable from the context without naming it again. Demonstratives such as esto (“this”), eso (“that”), and aquello (“that over there”) differ mainly in distance or discourse reference; here, eso is the subject of da. les is an indirect-object pronoun meaning “to them” here. It identifies the recipients of what is given, while the thing given is dos opciones claras. Spanish les is used for a plural indirect object and does not itself specify gender. da is the third-person singular present form of dar, “to give”: dar → da. The singular form agrees with the singular subject eso, not with the plural recipients marked by les. For example, Eso les da tiempo means “That gives them time.” dos states the number two. Unlike an indefinite article, it explicitly asserts a count. It modifies the plural noun opciones. opciones is the plural of opción, “option” or, in this translation, “direction” in the sense of a possible path to choose. The plural ending -es is part of the noun’s form. For example, Hay dos opciones means “There are two options.” claras means “clear” here and describes opciones. It is the feminine plural form of claro; it agrees with the feminine plural noun: una opción clara → dos opciones claras. The adjective describes the options as easy to distinguish or understand. elegir is the infinitive “to choose.” After para, an infinitive commonly expresses purpose: opciones para elegir means “options to choose from.” The infinitive does not show a separate subject here; the sentence presents the options as available for choosing. Together, Eso les da means “That gives them,” and dos opciones claras para elegir means “two clear options or directions to choose from.” The complete utterance is therefore: “That gives them two clear directions to choose from.”

9. Cuando sepa qué dirección seguir, podré revisarla rápidamente.

   Once I know the direction, I can revise it quickly.

   Cuando

   once / when

   sepa

   I know

   qué

   which / what

   dirección

   direction

   seguir

   to follow

   podré

   I will be able to

   revisarla

   revise it

   rápidamente

   quickly

   More detail

   Cuando introduces the condition or time at which the next event will happen. With a future-oriented event, Spanish commonly uses cuando + the subjunctive: “once/when …”. Example: Cuando llegue, empezamos. — “When I arrive, we’ll start.” sepa is the first-person singular present subjunctive of saber (“to know”). Here it refers to a point not yet reached: once I know which direction to follow. The form is sé for “I know” in the indicative, but sepa after this future-oriented cuando clause. qué is an interrogative determiner meaning “which/what” here. It modifies the singular feminine noun dirección; it is not the subject of the sentence. Compare qué dirección (“which direction”) with qué opciones (“which options”). dirección is a feminine singular noun meaning “direction” in this sentence. Its article and related forms show the number and gender: la dirección, las direcciones. The surrounding context also uses direction-related wording, but this sentence specifically chooses the noun dirección. seguir is the infinitive of seguir, “to follow.” In qué dirección seguir, the infinitive expresses the action whose direction is being determined: “which direction to follow.” Example: No sé qué camino seguir. — “I don’t know which path to follow.” podré is the first-person singular future of poder (“to be able to”): podré, “I will be able to.” Its subject is the speaker, and it combines with the infinitive revisar inside revisarla. Compare present puedo (“I can”) with future podré (“I will be able to”). revisarla consists of the infinitive revisar (“to review/revise”) plus the attached direct-object clitic la. The clitic is feminine singular because it refers to la dirección; thus revisarla means “to revise it.” With a masculine singular object, the corresponding form would be revisarlo, as in revisar el documento → revisarlo. The full form remains an infinitive after podré. rápidamente is an adverb meaning “quickly.” It describes how the reviewing will be done, not which direction is followed. Many Spanish adverbs ending in -mente are formed from an adjective, such as rápida → rápidamente, but the adverb itself does not change for gender or number. The sentence is assembled as Cuando + sepa qué dirección seguir (“once I know which direction to follow”) + podré revisarla rápidamente (“I will be able to revise it quickly”). Together: “Once I know which direction to follow, I can revise it quickly.” The future form podré presents the ability as available after the condition is met.

10. Una orientación clara puede evitar reescribir sin necesidad.

    Clear guidance can save unnecessary rewriting.

    orientación

    guidance

    clara

    clear

    puede

    can

    evitar

    avoid

    reescribir

    rewrite

    sin necesidad

    unnecessarily

    More detail

    orientación means “guidance” here. It is a feminine noun; its plural is orientaciones. In this sentence it refers to guidance or direction in a general sense, without specifying a particular document or person. clara describes orientación, so it agrees with that feminine singular noun. The masculine singular form is claro; plural forms are claras and claros, according to the noun described. Here, clara means that the guidance is easy to understand or follow. puede is a form of poder, “to be able to” or “can.” It is third-person singular present tense, agreeing with Una orientación clara. A useful pattern is algo puede + infinitive: “something can do something.” evitar is an infinitive meaning “to avoid” or “to prevent.” After puede, Spanish uses an infinitive: puede evitar, “can avoid/prevent.” Evitar can be followed by a noun or by another infinitive, as here. reescribir is an infinitive meaning “to rewrite.” It contains the prefix re-, which here indicates doing the writing again; the base verb is escribir, “to write.” In this sentence, reescribir is the activity that can be avoided. sin necesidad is a construction meaning “without necessity,” naturally “unnecessarily” in this sentence. Sin means “without,” and necesidad means “necessity” or “need.” It describes the circumstances of the rewriting, not a separate action. The structure is Una orientación clara + puede evitar + reescribir + sin necesidad: “Clear guidance can prevent rewriting when there is no need for it.” The subject is the clear guidance, and the possible result is avoiding unnecessary rewriting.