Planning a group dinner | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Tenemos que elegir un restaurante para nuestro grupo el sábado.

   We need to choose a restaurant for our group on Saturday.

   Tenemos que

   we have to

   elegir

   choose

   restaurante

   restaurant

   grupo

   group

   sábado

   Saturday

   More detail

   Tenemos que expresses obligation or necessity: “we have to.” Tenemos is the first-person plural present form of tener (“to have”), and que links it to the action that is necessary. The reusable pattern is tener que + infinitive: Tengo que salir means “I have to leave,” while tenemos que salir means “we have to leave.” elegir is the infinitive “to choose.” After tener que, Spanish uses the infinitive, so the action is not separately marked for person here; tenemos identifies the “we” subject. The present-tense form for “we choose” is elegimos, but tenemos que elegir means “we have to choose.” restaurante means “restaurant.” It is a masculine noun: el restaurante, and its plural is los restaurantes. In this sentence, un is an indefinite article introducing a nonspecific restaurant; it does not by itself state a numeric count. grupo means “group,” a collective noun for people or things considered together. It is masculine: el grupo; the plural is los grupos. In nuestro grupo, nuestro agrees with this masculine singular noun. Nuestro grupo means “our group,” without specifying how many people are in it. sábado means “Saturday.” Spanish normally writes the names of days of the week in lowercase, as in el sábado; the accent in sábado is part of the spelling. Here, para nuestro grupo identifies the group for which the restaurant is intended, and el sábado places the plan on Saturday. Together, Tenemos que elegir un restaurante para nuestro grupo el sábado means “We need to choose a restaurant for our group on Saturday.” The obligation is expressed by tenemos que, the required action is elegir un restaurante, para nuestro grupo gives the intended group, and el sábado gives the time.

2. Entonces deberíamos conocer las preferencias alimentarias de todos antes de hacer una reserva.

   Then we should check everyone's food preferences before making a reservation.

   Entonces

   then

   deberíamos

   should

   conocer

   know; check

   preferencias

   preferences

   alimentarias

   food-related

   todos

   everyone

   hacer

   make; do

   reserva

   reservation

   More detail

   Entonces means “then” here and links this proposal to the preceding situation. It can also mean “so” when it introduces a consequence. deberíamos is the first-person plural conditional of deber: deber → debemos (we must/should, present) → deberíamos (we should, or ought to). The ending -íamos identifies “we” in this form. Here it presents a recommendation, not a command to the listener. For example: Deberíamos llamar hoy. — “We should call today.” conocer is the infinitive of conocer. In this sentence, it means finding out or being aware of the relevant preferences, which the translation conveys as “check.” The infinitive follows deberíamos: deberíamos conocer means “we should know/check.” Do not confuse conocer with saber: conocer is commonly used for familiarity with people, places, or information as something known, while saber often focuses on knowing a fact or how to do something. preferencias is the feminine plural noun preferencia (“preference”). The plural ending -s shows that there is more than one preference. For example: Mis preferencias cambian. — “My preferences change.” alimentarias is the feminine plural form of the adjective alimentario (“food-related”). It agrees with the feminine plural noun preferencias: preferencia alimentaria is singular, and preferencias alimentarias is plural. The adjective identifies the preferences as related to food; it is not the noun’s base form. todos is a plural form meaning “everyone” in this context. It refers collectively to all the people whose food preferences matter for the group. Its masculine plural form can function as a mixed-group or general-person reference in Spanish; the form alone does not identify the individuals. hacer is the infinitive of “to do/make.” In hacer una reserva, it forms the ordinary expression “to make a reservation.” The infinitive follows antes de, which means “before” here: antes de + infinitive expresses an action that should happen earlier. For example: Lávate las manos antes de comer. — “Wash your hands before eating.” reserva is the feminine singular noun reserva, meaning “reservation” here. The article una marks it as an indefinite singular noun phrase, but does not by itself state a numerical count. hacer una reserva means “to make a reservation,” while the noun can have other meanings in other contexts. Together, Entonces deberíamos conocer means “Then we should check/know,” las preferencias alimentarias de todos means “everyone’s food preferences,” and antes de hacer una reserva means “before making a reservation.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Then we should check everyone’s food preferences before making a reservation.”`

3. Algunas personas quieren sushi, pero otras prefieren una comida caliente.

   Some people want sushi, but others prefer a hot meal.

   Algunas

   some

   personas

   people

   quieren

   want

   sushi

   sushi

   otras

   others

   prefieren

   prefer

   comida

   food; meal

   caliente

   hot

   More detail

   Algunas means “some” here and is the feminine plural form agreeing with personas. The form changes with the noun: algún/alguna are singular, while algunos/algunas are plural; the ending also reflects grammatical gender. personas means “people” or “persons.” It is a feminine plural noun grammatically, even when the people themselves are of mixed or unspecified gender. The singular is persona. quieren is the third-person plural present form of querer, “to want” here. A useful pattern is querer + noun or querer + infinitive: Quieren té. means “They want tea.” Other forms include quiero “I want” and queremos “we want.” sushi is the food name “sushi.” In this sentence it is the thing wanted. It is commonly used as an unchanging loanword; the surrounding article or adjective, when present, carries the relevant agreement. otras means “others” here, specifically other people contrasted with algunas personas. It is feminine plural because it refers to personas; the corresponding masculine or mixed-group form is otros. This form does not identify exactly who those people are beyond that contrast. prefieren is the third-person plural present form of preferir, “to prefer.” Preferir has a stem change in several present-tense forms: prefiero, prefieres, prefiere, and prefieren, but preferimos and preferís keep the unstressed stem. A reusable pattern is preferir A a B: Prefieren sopa al arroz. means “They prefer soup to rice.” comida means “food” or, as here, “a meal.” It is a feminine noun; its singular form is comida and its plural is comidas. The preceding una is an indefinite article agreeing with this singular feminine noun; it introduces an unspecified meal and does not by itself assert a numerical count. caliente means “hot” in this sentence, describing the temperature of the meal. It is an adjective whose singular form is the same for masculine and feminine nouns: un plato caliente, una comida caliente. Its plural form is calientes. Here it follows and agrees with singular comida in number; its form does not show a feminine ending. Together, Algunas personas quieren sushi means “Some people want sushi.” Pero introduces a contrast, so otras prefieren una comida caliente says that other people prefer a hot meal. The complete utterance is therefore: “Some people want sushi, but others prefer a hot meal.”

4. Un lugar con un menú variado sería más flexible.

   A place with a varied menu would be more flexible.

   lugar

   place

   menú

   menu

   variado

   varied

   sería

   would be

   más flexible

   more flexible

   More detail

   lugar means “place” here. It is a masculine noun: un lugar uses the masculine singular article. Its plural is lugares. Example: Busco un lugar tranquilo. — “I’m looking for a quiet place.” menú means “menu.” The accent on ú is part of the spelling. It is masculine, so the sentence has un menú; its plural is menús. Example: El menú cambia cada día. — “The menu changes every day.” variado describes menú as having variety. It is a masculine singular adjective because it agrees with menú; the feminine singular is variada, and the plural forms are variados and variadas. Example: una carta variada — “a varied menu.” sería is the third-person singular conditional form of ser (“to be”). The conditional presents the situation as a possibility or consequence: sería = “would be.” The form agrees with the singular subject un lugar; it does not mean that the place is definitely flexible now. Example: El plan sería útil. — “The plan would be useful.” más flexible expresses comparison: más means “more,” and flexible means “flexible.” Flexible is singular here and has the same singular form with masculine and feminine nouns; its plural is flexibles. The comparison pattern is más + adjective: más flexible = “more flexible.” Example: Esta opción es más flexible. — “This option is more flexible.” The structure is Un lugar con un menú variado (“A place with a varied menu”) plus sería más flexible (“would be more flexible”). Con links the place to the menu it has or offers, and un menú variado describes that menu. Together, the utterance says that a place offering a varied menu would accommodate preferences more flexibly; it does not assert that such a place has definitely been chosen or that it is flexible at present.

5. Encontré un restaurante informal con opciones vegetarianas y mesas grandes.

   I found a casual restaurant with vegetarian options and big tables.

   Encontré

   I found

   restaurante

   restaurant

   informal

   casual

   opciones

   options

   vegetarianas

   vegetarian

   mesas

   tables

   grandes

   big

   More detail

   Encontré is the first-person singular preterite of encontrar (“to find”): encontrar → encontré. It presents the finding as completed. Example: Encontré las llaves. — “I found the keys.” restaurante is a masculine singular noun meaning “restaurant.” The article in the utterance is un, so un restaurante introduces one restaurant without making a separate numerical claim beyond the indefinite reference. Example: Busco un restaurante. — “I’m looking for a restaurant.” informal describes restaurante. It agrees with this masculine singular noun, although the adjective itself has the same form for masculine and feminine singular: un restaurante informal; una reunión informal. Here it means “casual,” referring to the restaurant’s style or atmosphere. opciones is the feminine plural of opción (“option”). The plural ending -es is used because the singular ends in a consonant: opción → opciones. Example: Hay varias opciones. — “There are several options.” vegetarianas describes opciones. It is feminine plural to agree with opciones: opción vegetariana → opciones vegetarianas. Example: El menú tiene opciones vegetarianas. — “The menu has vegetarian options.” mesas is the feminine plural of mesa (“table”): mesa → mesas. Example: El restaurante tiene mesas. — “The restaurant has tables.” grandes describes mesas. It is plural and has the same form for masculine and feminine plural: mesas grandes; restaurantes grandes. The base form is grande, and the adjective does not change to a special feminine form here. Example: Necesitamos mesas grandes. — “We need big tables.” The structure is Encontré [un restaurante informal] [con [opciones vegetarianas] y [mesas grandes]]. Con introduces what the restaurant has or offers: vegetarian options and big tables. Together, the utterance means “I found a casual restaurant with vegetarian options and big tables.”

6. Parece una opción más segura para un grupo con preferencias diferentes.

   That sounds like a safer choice for a mixed group.

   Parece

   sounds / seems

   opción

   choice / option

   más segura

   safer

   grupo

   group

   preferencias

   preferences

   diferentes

   different

   More detail

   Parece is the third-person singular present form of parecer, meaning “seems” or, in this evaluation, “sounds.” A useful pattern is parece + noun/adjective for an impression: Parece buena. = “It seems good.” This form does not specify who has the impression. opción is a feminine singular noun meaning “option” or “choice.” Its plural is opciones: Hay varias opciones. = “There are several options.” Here, the noun is the thing being evaluated as safer. más segura expresses a comparison. segura is the feminine singular form of seguro, agreeing with opción; más makes it “safer,” literally “more safe.” A reusable pattern is más + adjective + que: Esta opción es más segura que la otra. = “This option is safer than the other one.” The adjective is segura, not the noun opción. grupo is a masculine singular noun meaning “group.” Its plural is grupos: Dos grupos llegaron. = “Two groups arrived.” Here it refers to the group for which the option is being presented as safer. preferencias is the plural of the feminine noun preferencia, meaning “preferences.” Preferencias diferentes means “different preferences”: Tenemos preferencias diferentes. = “We have different preferences.” The adjective diferentes is plural because it describes preferencias; it does not describe grupo. Together, una opción más segura means “a safer option,” and para un grupo con preferencias diferentes specifies that the option is intended for a group whose preferences differ. The whole utterance therefore means: “That sounds like a safer choice for a mixed group.” Here, “mixed” conveys the differing preferences expressed in the Spanish, not a separate claim about the group’s identity.

7. ¿Debería preguntarle al grupo antes de reservar o elegirlo ahora?

   Should I ask the group before booking, or choose it now?

   Debería

   should

   preguntarle

   ask them

   grupo

   group

   reservar

   book

   elegirlo

   choose it

   ahora

   now

   More detail

   Debería is the conditional form of deber, used here for “should/ought to.” In this question, the omitted subject is understood as yo from the fixed meaning “Should I...”; debería is also the form used with él, ella, or usted, so the form alone does not identify the subject. preguntarle combines the infinitive preguntar (“to ask”) with the attached indirect-object clitic le. Here le refers to the group named in al grupo, so the meaning is “ask the group”; Spanish uses singular le because grupo is grammatically singular, even though English commonly uses “them” for a group. The pattern preguntar + le is reusable when asking someone or a singularly construed group. grupo means “group.” In al grupo, al is the contraction of a + el, marking the group as the recipient of the asking. grupo is a masculine singular noun, but the noun’s grammatical gender is separate from the group’s real-world composition. reservar is the infinitive “to book” or “to reserve.” After antes de, Spanish uses an infinitive when the understood subject is the same as in the surrounding action: antes de reservar means “before booking.” elegirlo combines elegir (“to choose”) with the direct-object clitic lo. The clitic means “it” here, matching the fixed translation, but the supplied sentence does not identify exactly what it is. lo is used for a masculine singular or certain non-human/abstract singular direct object; it is not the indirect-object form used in preguntarle. ahora means “now,” locating the possible choice at the present time. It modifies the action elegirlo, so elegirlo ahora means “choose it now.” The question first asks whether the speaker should ask the group, then places that action before booking: debería preguntarle al grupo antes de reservar. The conjunction o introduces the alternative elegirlo ahora, “or choose it now.” Together, the utterance asks whether the speaker should consult the group before making the booking or choose the unspecified item immediately.

8. Dales dos opciones y pídeles una respuesta rápida.

   Give them two options and ask for a quick response.

   Dales

   Give them

   dos

   two

   opciones

   options

   pídeles

   ask them

   respuesta

   response

   rápida

   quick

   More detail

   Dales means “give them” here. It is the affirmative tú command of dar: da + the attached indirect-object pronoun les. The pronoun means “to them”; the sentence does not identify exactly who they are. In affirmative commands, les is attached to the verb: Dales una opción = “Give them an option.” dos is the cardinal number “two” and states the quantity of opciones. opciones is the plural noun “options”; its singular form is opción. The plural ending is -es because the singular ends in a consonant. Dos opciones means “two options,” not just options in general. pídeles means “ask them” here. It is the affirmative tú command of pedir, pide, with the attached indirect-object pronoun les: pide + les → pídeles. The written accent keeps the intended stress after the pronoun is attached. For example, Pídeles una opinión means “Ask them for an opinion.” respuesta is the feminine singular noun “response” or “answer.” Its plural is respuestas. The noun phrase here includes the indefinite article una: una respuesta means “a response” in this request. rápida agrees with respuesta. rápida is the adjective “quick” here, describing respuesta. It is feminine singular to agree with that noun: una respuesta rápida. The masculine singular form is rápido, as in un mensaje rápido. Together, Dales dos opciones means “Give them two options,” and pídeles una respuesta rápida means “ask them for a quick response.” The commands are addressed to one tú listener, while les marks the people who receive the options and are asked for the response. The conjunction y links the two commands: “Give them two options and ask them for a quick response.”

9. Enviaré una encuesta breve para que podamos decidir esta noche.

   I will send a short poll so we can decide tonight.

   Enviaré

   I will send

   encuesta

   poll

   breve

   short

   para que podamos

   so we can

   decidir

   decide

   esta noche

   tonight

   More detail

   Enviaré is the first-person singular future of enviar (“to send”): enviaré = “I will send.” The ending -é identifies the speaker as the future subject. For example, Enviaré el informe mañana. means “I will send the report tomorrow.” encuesta means “survey” or “poll”; here it is the noun intended for collecting opinions or choices. Its base form is encuesta, and the plural is encuestas. The feminine article una agrees with this noun: una encuesta. breve describes the survey as short or brief. It is singular here because it describes singular encuesta. The form is the same for masculine and feminine singular nouns; in the plural it becomes breves, as in dos encuestas breves (“two short surveys”). para que podamos introduces a purpose: “so that we can.” Podamos is the first-person plural present subjunctive of poder (“to be able to, can”). The subjunctive appears because this clause expresses the intended purpose of sending the survey, not an independently asserted fact. For example, Lo explico para que podamos empezar. means “I explain it so that we can start.” decidir is the infinitive “to decide.” After podamos, the infinitive states the action that “we” can carry out: podamos decidir = “we can decide.” The infinitive does not mark a separate subject here; its understood subject is the same we expressed by podamos. esta noche is the time expression “tonight.” Esta agrees with the feminine noun noche; together they identify the relevant evening. For example, Trabajaremos esta noche. means “We will work tonight.” Together, Enviaré una encuesta breve means “I will send a short poll.” para que podamos decidir adds the purpose, “so we can decide,” and esta noche places that deciding tonight. The complete utterance therefore means: “I will send a short poll so we can decide tonight.”

10. Eso debería ayudar a que el plan avance sin pedirles opinión a demasiadas personas.

    That should keep the plan moving without asking too many people for opinions.

    Eso

    That

    debería

    should

    ayudar a que

    help ... to

    plan

    plan

    avance

    move forward

    sin

    without

    pedirles

    ask them

    opinión

    opinion

    demasiadas

    too many

    personas

    people

    More detail

    Eso means “that” and is a demonstrative pronoun referring to an already identifiable idea, action, or situation. Its exact referent is not named in this sentence, so do not treat it as a specific noun. Spanish demonstratives also include esto (“this”) and aquello (“that over there” or “that more distant idea”), with the choice depending on the speaker’s presentation of the referent. debería is the conditional form of deber for a third-person singular subject. Here, debería ayudar expresses an expected or likely result: “should help.” The conditional can also express a recommendation in other contexts, but this sentence presents an expectation rather than a direct command. A useful chain is deber → debería → deberían for a plural subject. ayudar a que introduces the result that is expected to occur: “help [so that] ...”. After a que, Spanish uses a finite subordinate clause, and its verb here is in the subjunctive because the result is presented as intended or expected rather than asserted as an established fact. The reusable pattern is ayudar a que + subjunctive. el plan names the plan being advanced. plan is a masculine singular noun, so it appears with el here. Its plural is planes: el plan / los planes. avance is the present subjunctive form of avanzar for a third-person singular subject: “move forward” or “advance.” The subject is el plan, not the people mentioned later. Compare the indicative avanza (“it moves forward”) with the subjunctive avance after a que in this sentence. sin means “without” and introduces something that does not happen. The pattern sin + infinitive is also common when the understood subject is clear, as in sin esperar (“without waiting”). Here, however, sin is followed by the infinitive phrase pedirles opinión. pedirles combines the infinitive pedir (“to ask for” or “to request”) with the indirect-object clitic les (“to them”). pedir is irregular in some present-tense forms: pido, pides, pide, but the infinitive remains pedir; les does not mark gender and is plural. In this sentence, the people are the ones being asked, while opinión is what is requested. For example: Voy a pedirles ayuda. — “I am going to ask them for help.” opinión means “opinion.” In pedir opinión, the singular noun can refer generally to an opinion or feedback rather than asserting that there is exactly one opinion. With a specific plural set of views, Spanish can also say pedirles opiniones (“ask them for opinions”). demasiadas means “too many” and agrees with the feminine plural noun personas. The form belongs to demasiado (“too much” / “too many”): demasiado tiempo, demasiada información, demasiados casos, demasiadas personas. It marks an excessive amount or number, not merely a large number. personas means “people” and is the feminine plural noun corresponding to persona; its singular is persona. Although persona is grammatically feminine, it can refer to people of any gender. The phrase a demasiadas personas identifies the people from whom the opinion would be requested; a is used here with the indirect recipient of pedir. Together, Eso debería ayudar a que el plan avance means “That should help the plan move forward.” The following sin pedirles opinión a demasiadas personas adds the condition avoided: this progress should happen without asking too many people for their opinions. The full utterance therefore means: “That should keep the plan moving without asking too many people for opinions.”