Rescheduling a trip when a friend is sick | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Una amiga dice que tiene fiebre y probablemente no podrá viajar mañana.

   A friend says she has a fever and probably cannot travel tomorrow.

   amiga

   female friend

   dice

   says

   tiene

   has

   fiebre

   fever

   probablemente

   probably

   podrá

   will be able to

   viajar

   to travel

   mañana

   tomorrow

   More detail

   amiga means “female friend” here. It is the feminine form of the noun amigo; this form refers to a female friend. Example: Mi amiga vive aquí. — “My female friend lives here.” dice is a present-tense form of decir (“to say”): here, dice means “she says,” because its subject is una amiga. The same form can also mean “he says” or “you (formal) say” in other contexts. Spanish often leaves the subject pronoun unstated when the verb form and context make the subject clear. Example: Ella dice la verdad. — “She tells the truth.” tiene is the third-person singular present form of tener (“to have”). In this sentence, the friend is the one who has the fever. Example: Tiene tiempo. — “He/She has time.” fiebre means “fever.” With tener, Spanish uses the pattern tener fiebre to express having a fever. Example: El niño tiene fiebre. — “The child has a fever.” This example introduces a new referent and is not a fact about the supplied conversation. probablemente means “probably” and marks the following prediction as likely rather than certain. It does not mean that the event definitely happens. podrá is the third-person singular future form of poder (“to be able to”): poder → podrá. The future form agrees with the understood subject, the friend, and expresses ability or possibility in the future. Here, no comes before it, so no podrá means “will not be able to” or, in the fixed translation, “cannot.” Example: Mañana podrá venir. — “Tomorrow he/she will be able to come.” viajar is the infinitive “to travel.” After poder, Spanish uses an infinitive: poder viajar = “to be able to travel.” The infinitive does not itself show the subject or tense; podrá supplies those features. Example: No puedo viajar hoy. — “I cannot travel today.” mañana means “tomorrow,” a time expression referring to the day after the relevant day. It appears after viajar here, but its meaning applies to the predicted travel event. Together, Una amiga dice means “A female friend says,” and que introduces what she says. tiene fiebre states that she has a fever. The second part, probablemente no podrá viajar mañana, says that she probably will not be able to travel tomorrow. Thus the complete utterance means: “A friend says she has a fever and probably cannot travel tomorrow.”

2. Entonces deberíamos tenerla en cuenta y hablar de si debemos cambiar la fecha.

   Then we should be considerate and discuss whether to reschedule.

   deberíamos

   we should

   tenerla en cuenta

   take her into account

   hablar de

   talk about

   debemos

   we must

   cambiar

   change; reschedule

   fecha

   date

   More detail

   deberíamos is the nosotros form of the conditional of deber (“should” here): deber → debemos (present, “we must/should”) and deberíamos (conditional, “we should”). The conditional presents this as a recommendation rather than a direct statement of obligation. Example: Deberíamos esperar. — “We should wait.” tenerla en cuenta is a reusable expression meaning “to take her into account” or “to consider her.” Tener en cuenta is the basic expression; la is the feminine singular direct-object pronoun referring here to the female friend mentioned in the context. The pronoun agrees with that person, not with fecha, which is feminine but is not the object replaced here. Example: Debemos tenerlos en cuenta. — “We must take them into account.” hablar de means “to talk about” or “to discuss.” The preposition de introduces what is discussed; here, the following si clause gives the issue under discussion. Example: Hablamos de cambiar el plan. — “We talked about changing the plan.” debemos is the first-person plural present form of deber: deber → debemos, “we must” or “we should.” In this sentence it appears inside si debemos cambiar..., so it asks whether changing the date is the action the speakers ought to take. Example: Debemos decidir hoy. — “We must decide today.” cambiar is the infinitive “to change.” In this context, changing the date means rescheduling it; the infinitive follows debemos because a modal-like verb such as deber is followed by another verb in the infinitive. Example: Podemos cambiar la fecha. — “We can change the date.” fecha means “date.” The phrase cambiar la fecha refers here to changing the scheduled date, that is, rescheduling. Its feminine gender is shown by the article la, but that does not determine the gender or referent of the separate pronoun la in tenerla. Together, deberíamos tenerla en cuenta says that the speakers should consider the friend’s situation. y hablar de si debemos cambiar la fecha adds that they should discuss whether they ought to reschedule. The complete meaning is: “Then we should take her situation into account and discuss whether we should reschedule.”

3. Puede ser difícil cambiar la fecha del viaje si esperamos mucho más.

   It may be hard to reschedule the trip if we wait much longer.

   Puede ser

   may be

   difícil

   difficult

   cambiar

   to change; to reschedule

   fecha

   date

   viaje

   trip

   si

   if

   esperamos

   we wait

   mucho más

   much more

   More detail

   Puede ser expresses possibility: “may be” or “can be.” Puede is the third-person singular present form of poder; here it combines with the infinitive ser rather than naming a specific person who can do something. A useful pattern is puede ser + adjective: Puede ser útil. = “It may be useful.” difícil means “difficult” here. It is an adjective, and it describes the situation expressed by the following infinitive phrase. In ser difícil + infinitive, Spanish presents an activity as difficult: Es difícil explicar esto. = “It is difficult to explain this.” cambiar is the infinitive “to change.” In this sentence, the context and fixed translation make “reschedule” the intended meaning: changing the date of the trip. The same verb can refer more generally to changing a thing or arrangement. Quiero cambiar la fecha. = “I want to change the date.” fecha means “date.” It is a feminine singular noun, as shown by la fecha. The phrase cambiar la fecha means “change the date”; the definite article identifies the relevant date in the situation rather than asserting a quantity. viaje means “trip.” In la fecha del viaje, del is the contraction of de + el, meaning “of the.” Thus, la fecha del viaje is “the date of the trip.” Viaje is masculine singular, which is why the contracted form contains el. si introduces the condition “if.” It links the possible difficulty to the condition that follows. This is the conditional conjunction si, not the accented question-word form sí, which means “yes.” esperamos means “we wait” or, in this context, “we wait too long.” It is the first-person plural present indicative form of esperar: esperar → esperamos. The subject is understood as “we” from the verb ending; Spanish commonly leaves this subject unstated. Si esperamos, salimos tarde. = “If we wait, we leave late.” mucho más means “much more.” Más marks comparison, and mucho intensifies the comparison. Together with esperamos, the comparison concerns time, so the full clause expresses “if we wait much longer.” No esperes mucho más. = “Do not wait much longer.” Together, Puede ser difícil gives “It may be hard.” cambiar la fecha del viaje specifies what may be difficult: changing or rescheduling the trip’s date. The conditional clause si esperamos mucho más adds the condition “if we wait much longer.” The complete meaning is: “It may be hard to reschedule the trip if we wait much longer.”

4. ¿Podemos cambiar la reserva en vez de cancelarla por completo?

   Can we move the booking instead of canceling it completely?

   Podemos

   we can

   cambiar

   to change; to move

   reserva

   booking

   en vez de

   instead of

   cancelarla

   to cancel it

   por completo

   completely

   More detail

   Podemos is the first-person plural present form of poder (“to be able to,” “can”): podemos = “we can.” In this question, the subject is understood as “we,” and the form asks whether that group can do the action. Poder is followed by an infinitive: podemos cambiar = “we can change.” Cambiar is an infinitive meaning “to change.” Here it means to move or reschedule the booking, as confirmed by the fixed translation and the context about changing a travel date. The same verb can also mean to change one object for another, depending on its complement. Example: Quiero cambiar la fecha. — “I want to change the date.” La reserva means “the booking” or “the reservation.” Reserva is a feminine singular noun, so the article is la. A useful related contrast is reservar, “to book/reserve,” which is a verb; reserva here is the noun naming the booking. En vez de is a reusable construction meaning “instead of.” It introduces the alternative being chosen or considered. It can be followed by an infinitive: en vez de cancelar = “instead of canceling.” Cancelar means “to cancel.” It is an infinitive after en vez de. In cancelarla, the final -la is the direct-object clitic pronoun la, referring here to the feminine singular reserva: cancelar la reserva becomes cancelarla. The clitic is attached to an infinitive. Compare the plural form in a different example: cancelar las reservas → cancelarlas. Por completo is an adverbial phrase meaning “completely” or “entirely.” It modifies the cancellation, so the question concerns not canceling the booking completely, rather than merely canceling some aspect of it. Together, ¿Podemos cambiar la reserva...? asks whether “we” can move or reschedule the booking. En vez de cancelarla por completo presents complete cancellation as the alternative: “instead of canceling it completely.” The full utterance therefore means, “Can we move the booking instead of canceling it completely?”

5. Déjame llamar y preguntar qué opciones hay.

   Let me call and ask what options are available.

   Déjame

   let me

   llamar

   call

   preguntar

   ask

   qué

   what

   opciones

   options

   hay

   there are; are available

   More detail

   Déjame means “let me” here. It is the affirmative tú command of dejar (“to let/allow”) with the object pronoun me attached: deja + me → déjame, with an accent added to preserve the stress. The construction déjame + infinitive is a reusable way to ask for permission or announce that you will do something: Déjame comprobarlo. — “Let me check it.” llamar is the infinitive “to call.” After déjame, it names the action the speaker wants permission to carry out. The infinitive stays unchanged for the person because déjame already expresses the command to the listener and llamar names the requested action. preguntar means “to ask.” It is another infinitive coordinated with llamar by y: llamar y preguntar — “call and ask.” Spanish commonly places two infinitives in sequence when one person is proposing or undertaking both actions. Example: Voy a llamar y preguntar. — “I’m going to call and ask.” qué means “what” in the embedded question qué opciones hay. Its accent marks the interrogative word. It asks which options exist or are available; it is different from the unaccented conjunction que, which can introduce a statement rather than a question. opciones means “options.” It is the plural of the noun opción; the plural ending is -es because the singular ends in a consonant. Example: Hay varias opciones. — “There are several options.” hay is the present form of the impersonal verb haber, used to say that something exists or is available. It does not change to agree with plural opciones: Spanish says hay una opción and hay varias opciones, not a plural form of hay. In this sentence, qué opciones hay literally asks “what options there are,” with the intended meaning “what options are available.” Together, Déjame llamar y preguntar asks the listener to let the speaker call and ask, while qué opciones hay gives the content of the question: which options are available. The whole utterance means, “Let me call and ask what options are available.”

6. También pregunta si ella se sentiría cómoda si fuéramos sin ella.

   Also ask whether she would be comfortable with us going without her.

   También

   also

   pregunta

   asks

   si

   whether

   ella

   she

   se sentiría

   would feel

   cómoda

   comfortable

   fuéramos

   we went / were going

   sin ella

   without her

   More detail

   También adds this request to something already being asked or done: “also.” It normally comes before the verb here. Example: También quiero ir. — “I also want to go.” pregunta means “ask” in this sentence. Because the fixed translation gives a request, this is the affirmative tú command of preguntar, even though pregunta also has the same form as the third-person singular present (“he/she asks”). The command pattern is pregunta for one person addressed as tú; pregunte would address one person as usted. Example: Pregunta a Ana. — “Ask Ana.” si introduces an indirect yes/no question: “whether” or “if.” It does not mean the conditional “if” in this use. Example: Pregunta si vienen. — “Ask whether they are coming.” ella is the feminine singular pronoun “she.” Here, the fixed translation identifies her as the person whose comfort is being checked. Spanish pronouns can be omitted when the verb ending makes the subject clear, but ella is stated to identify or emphasize the person. se sentiría means “would feel.” It is the conditional form of the reflexive verb sentirse (“to feel”). The ending -ía marks conditional meaning, and se belongs to sentirse; it is not a separate translation for “her.” The subject is ella, so the form is third-person singular. Example: ¿Te sentirías cómodo? — “Would you feel comfortable?” cómoda means “comfortable” here. It is an adjective agreeing in feminine singular with ella, the person described as feeling comfortable. Its masculine singular form is cómodo; plural forms are cómodos and cómodas. Example: Ella está cómoda aquí. — “She is comfortable here.” fuéramos means “we went” or, in this construction, “we were to go.” It is the first-person plural imperfect subjunctive of ir. After conditional si, this form presents the going as hypothetical rather than asserting that it happened. Example: Si fuéramos mañana, sería más fácil. — “If we went tomorrow, it would be easier.” sin ella means “without her.” sin expresses absence or exclusion, and ella is the feminine singular pronoun for the person who would not accompany the group. Example: No queremos salir sin ella. — “We do not want to leave without her.” Together, pregunta si asks someone to check a yes/no matter. ella se sentiría cómoda asks about her hypothetical comfort, while si fuéramos sin ella supplies the situation being considered: the people referred to by fuéramos going without her. Thus the whole utterance means: “Also ask whether she would be comfortable with us going without her.”

7. Preferiría posponerlo, porque estaba planeado como un viaje en grupo.

   I would rather postpone, because it was planned as a group trip.

   Preferiría

   I would prefer

   posponerlo

   postpone it

   estaba planeado

   was planned

   viaje

   trip

   en grupo

   as a group

   More detail

   Preferiría is the first-person singular conditional of preferir (“to prefer”): preferir → preferiría (“I would prefer”). Here it presents the speaker’s preference in the tentative form used by “I would prefer.” Example: Preferiría esperar. — “I would prefer to wait.” posponerlo combines the infinitive posponer (“to postpone”) with the attached direct-object pronoun lo (“it”): posponer → posponerlo (“to postpone it”). Lo is singular masculine in form; the supplied sentence does not identify more specifically what it refers to. In Spanish, an infinitive can carry a direct-object pronoun at its end. Example: Quiero posponerlo. — “I want to postpone it.” Together, Preferiría posponerlo means “I would prefer to postpone it.” Preferiría expresses the preference, and posponerlo names the preferred action. estaba planeado uses estaba, the third-person singular imperfect of estar, with planeado, the masculine singular form of the participle/adjectival form from planear (“to plan”). Here the combination means “was planned.” The imperfect presents that planning as a past state or arrangement. Planeado is not an inflection of estaba; it is the form that carries the masculine singular agreement. The exact noun or situation represented by the singular “it” is not identified in the supplied sentence. Example: El evento estaba planeado para mayo. — “The event was planned for May.” viaje is a masculine singular noun meaning “trip.” Its plural is viajes. Example: El viaje empieza mañana. — “The trip starts tomorrow.” en grupo is a reusable prepositional construction meaning “as a group” or “in a group.” Here it describes the trip’s group arrangement. Example: Viajamos en grupo. — “We travel as a group.” The second clause, porque estaba planeado como un viaje en grupo, gives the reason for the preference. Porque means “because”; estaba planeado supplies the past planned state, and como un viaje en grupo describes what it was planned as. The full utterance therefore means: “I would rather postpone it, because it was planned as a group trip.”

8. Tiene sentido, especialmente si solo necesita unos días para recuperarse.

   That makes sense, especially if she only needs a few days to recover.

   Tiene sentido

   That makes sense

   especialmente

   especially

   si

   if

   solo

   only

   necesita

   needs

   días

   days

   recuperarse

   to recover

   More detail

   Tiene sentido is a common Spanish expression meaning “that makes sense.” Here tiene is the third-person singular present form of tener; the full expression is used to evaluate an idea or situation. Example: Tiene sentido. — “That makes sense.” especialmente means “especially” and highlights the condition that follows. It does not replace or exclude that condition; it gives it extra importance. si introduces a condition: “if.” It is different from sí, which means “yes.” Example: Si llueve, nos quedamos. — “If it rains, we’ll stay.” solo means “only” here. It limits what she needs: the sentence presents a few days as the extent of the time needed, not as an alternative to something else. In current Spanish spelling, solo is commonly written without an accent. necesita is the third-person singular present form of necesitar, “to need.” In this fixed translation, the subject is she: “if she needs.” The form also agrees with a singular usted subject in other contexts, but that is not the intended reading here. Example: Ella necesita ayuda. — “She needs help.” días is the plural of día, “day.” The phrase unos días means “a few days” or “some days”; unos is an indefinite plural determiner, while días supplies the noun and the time unit. Example: Necesito dos días. — “I need two days.” recuperarse is the infinitive of the reflexive verb recuperarse, “to recover.” The ending -se marks the reflexive form, and the infinitive follows necesita: necesita recuperarse means “needs to recover.” The person understood for the infinitive is the same as the subject of necesita, namely she. Example: Después de la operación, necesita recuperarse. — “After the operation, she needs to recover.” Together, especialmente si solo necesita unos días para recuperarse means “especially if she only needs a few days to recover.” The preposition para introduces the purpose or goal of those days, and the whole sentence combines that condition with Tiene sentido: “That makes sense, especially if she only needs a few days to recover.”

9. Les escribiré a todos con las opciones y una actualización clara.

   I will message everyone with the options and a clear update.

   Les

   to them

   escribiré

   I will write / message

   a todos

   everyone

   opciones

   options

   actualización

   update

   clara

   clear

   More detail

   Les is an indirect-object pronoun meaning “to them” here: it marks the people who will receive the message. Its singular counterpart is le; the plural form is les. The pronoun itself does not identify exactly which people; a todos supplies the intended group. escribiré is the first-person singular future of escribir (“to write”). The ending -é shows “I will”; the complete form can mean “I will write” or, in a messaging context like this one, “I will message.” For example: Te escribiré mañana. — “I will write to you tomorrow.” a todos identifies the recipients as everyone in the relevant group. todos is the plural form of todo used here for people; the preposition a introduces the person or people affected by the action. Together with les, it makes the recipient explicit: “to everyone.” las opciones means “the options.” opciones is the plural of the feminine noun opción; the article las agrees with that noun in feminine plural. The singular is la opción — “the option.” una actualización means “an update.” actualización is a feminine singular noun, so it takes una; its plural is actualizaciones. The noun refers here to information that will be communicated, not to the act of updating something. clara describes actualización: “clear.” It is the feminine singular form of the adjective claro, agreeing with the feminine singular noun actualización. For example: una explicación clara — “a clear explanation.” Assembled, Les escribiré a todos means “I will message everyone,” and con las opciones y una actualización clara specifies what the message will contain: “with the options and a clear update.” The full utterance therefore means: “I will message everyone with the options and a clear update.”

10. La gente aceptará mejor el cambio si conoce el motivo y el momento.

    People will handle the change better if they know the reason and timing.

    La gente

    people

    aceptará

    will accept

    mejor

    better

    el cambio

    the change

    conoce

    knows

    el motivo

    the reason

    el momento

    the timing

    More detail

    La gente means “people” here. Gente is a collective noun that is grammatically singular in Spanish, so it takes singular forms: la gente conoce, not la gente conocen. Although it refers to multiple people, the noun itself is normally treated as singular. For an explicitly plural group, Spanish can use las personas. aceptará is the future form of aceptar, “to accept.” The ending -ará marks third-person singular future: “will accept.” Its subject here is la gente. A useful chain is aceptar → aceptó (“accepted”) → aceptará (“will accept”). mejor means “better” and modifies how the acceptance happens: the people will accept the change better. It is the comparative form associated with bien (“well”): bien → mejor. Unlike an adjective describing a noun, it is used here adverbially, describing the verb aceptará. el cambio means “the change.” Cambio is a masculine noun, which is why the article is el. It is related to cambiar, “to change,” but the noun refers to the change itself. Example: El cambio fue importante. — “The change was important.” conoce is the third-person singular present indicative form of conocer, “to know” in the sense of being familiar with or aware of something. Here si conoce means “if [the people] know.” Because la gente is grammatically singular, the verb is singular. Conocer is commonly used for knowing a person or being acquainted with something; saber is commonly used for knowing a fact or information. Example: Si conoce el lugar, puede ayudar. — “If he or she knows the place, that person can help.” The same conoce form can also address one formal person with usted, but that is not the reading in this sentence. el motivo means “the reason” or “the motive.” In this sentence it identifies the reason for the change. Motivo is a masculine noun, so it takes el. A nearby useful contrast is la causa, also “the cause,” which often emphasizes a causal explanation; motivo can emphasize the reason behind an action or decision. el momento means “the timing” here, literally “the moment.” Momento is a masculine noun, so it takes el. The fixed translation supports the contextual sense “timing,” not merely one isolated instant. Example: El momento es importante. — “The timing is important.” Together, La gente aceptará mejor el cambio means “People will handle/accept the change better.” The conditional clause si conoce el motivo y el momento adds the condition “if they know the reason and the timing.” Spanish uses the present form conoce after si for this open future condition, while aceptará expresses the expected future result. The complete utterance is therefore: “People will handle the change better if they know the reason and timing.”