Safe hiking plans | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. El sendero de montaña parece hermoso, pero puede ser demasiado difícil para principiantes.

   The mountain trail looks beautiful, but it may be too difficult for beginners.

   sendero

   trail

   montaña

   mountain

   parece

   looks; seems

   hermoso

   beautiful

   puede ser

   may be

   demasiado

   too; excessively

   difícil

   difficult

   principiantes

   beginners

   More detail

   sendero means “trail” here. Its base form is the masculine noun sendero; the plural is senderos. Example: El sendero es estrecho. — “The trail is narrow.” montaña means “mountain.” It is a feminine noun, and its plural is montañas. In sendero de montaña, de montaña identifies the type of trail: “mountain trail.” Example: La montaña está lejos. — “The mountain is far away.” parece comes from parecer, “to seem” or “to look.” Parece is the third-person singular present form, used here with el sendero: “the trail looks.” It can connect a subject with an adjective, as in El camino parece seguro. — “The path looks safe.” hermoso means “beautiful” here. It is an adjective agreeing with the masculine singular noun sendero: sendero hermoso. Its feminine singular form is hermosa, and its plural forms are hermosos and hermosas according to the noun’s gender and number. Example: La vista parece hermosa. — “The view looks beautiful.” puede ser combines puede, the third-person singular present form of poder, with the infinitive ser, “to be.” With an infinitive, poder expresses ability or possibility; in this sentence, puede ser means “may be” or “can be.” The subject remains el sendero, understood from the clause. Example: El camino puede ser largo. — “The path may be long.” demasiado means “too” or “excessively.” Before the adjective difícil, it says that the difficulty is excessive for the relevant purpose: “too difficult.” It can also modify a noun or verb in other contexts, but its role here is to strengthen the adjective. Example: La ruta es demasiado larga. — “The route is too long.” difícil means “difficult.” This adjective has the same singular form with masculine and feminine nouns; its plural is difíciles. In demasiado difícil, it describes the trail’s level of difficulty. Example: El ejercicio es difícil. — “The exercise is difficult.” principiantes means “beginners.” It is the plural of principiante, a noun for a person who is new to an activity; this form is the same for masculine and feminine people, while number is shown by the plural ending. Para principiantes means “for beginners,” identifying the people for whom the trail may be excessively difficult. Example: Este curso es para principiantes. — “This course is for beginners.” Together, El sendero de montaña parece hermoso says “The mountain trail looks beautiful.” The contrast word pero then introduces a different consideration: puede ser demasiado difícil para principiantes, “it may be too difficult for beginners.” The complete utterance therefore means: “The mountain trail looks beautiful, but it may be too difficult for beginners.”

2. Comprobemos la distancia, el desnivel y el pronóstico del tiempo antes de decidir.

   Let's check the distance, elevation, and weather forecast before we decide.

   Comprobemos

   let's check

   distancia

   distance

   desnivel

   elevation difference

   pronóstico

   forecast

   tiempo

   weather

   antes de

   before

   decidir

   to decide

   More detail

   Comprobemos comes from comprobar, “to check” or “to verify.” Its first-person plural form is used here as a suggestion involving the speaker and others: “let’s check.” Compare comprobar (infinitive) and comprobamos (we check / we checked, depending on context); comprobemos presents the checking as a proposal or exhortation. distancia is a feminine noun meaning “distance.” The article la agrees with it: la distancia. The phrase refers to the distance of the route or outing, without specifying a particular unit of measurement. desnivel is a noun for the difference in elevation or change in height along a route. It is useful for describing how much a path rises and falls. Example: El desnivel es considerable. — “The elevation change is considerable.” pronóstico means “forecast.” In el pronóstico del tiempo, it is the forecast related to the weather. The article el belongs with this masculine noun: el pronóstico. tiempo has several uses in Spanish, including “time” and “weather.” Here, del tiempo means “of the weather,” because it occurs in the established expression pronóstico del tiempo. The form del combines de + el. antes de introduces something that happens earlier. Before an infinitive, the reusable pattern is antes de + infinitive: antes de decidir means “before deciding” or, in this sentence’s perspective, “before we decide.” The infinitive does not show person or number; the understood subject is supplied by the surrounding meaning. decidir is the infinitive “to decide.” Its stem is used in forms such as decido (“I decide”) and decidimos (“we decide”). Here it names the decision that is later than the checking. Together, Comprobemos la distancia, el desnivel y el pronóstico del tiempo proposes checking three things: the distance, the elevation change, and the weather forecast. antes de decidir places that checking before the group makes a decision. The complete meaning is: “Let’s check the distance, elevation, and weather forecast before we decide.”

3. Es una ruta bastante larga.

   It is a fairly long route.

   Es una

   It is a/an

   ruta

   route

   bastante

   fairly; quite

   larga

   long

   More detail

   Es una combines es, the third-person singular present form of ser, with the feminine singular indefinite article una. Here, es links the understood subject to a description, and una agrees with the feminine singular noun that follows. An indefinite article does not by itself assert a numerical count; it introduces the noun without identifying it more specifically. ruta means “route” or “course.” It is a feminine noun, so the matching article and adjective here are una and larga. Example: La ruta cambia mañana. — “The route changes tomorrow.” bastante is a degree adverb meaning “fairly” or “quite” here. It increases the degree of the adjective that follows, without changing for gender or number. In other contexts, bastante can mean “enough”; its meaning depends on how it is used. larga is the feminine singular form of the adjective largo, “long.” The adjective agrees with ruta in gender and number: largo is masculine singular, larga feminine singular, largos masculine plural, and largas feminine plural. Example: Es una ruta corta. — “It is a short route.” In that example, corta gives the opposite description to larga. Together, Es una ruta bastante larga means “It is a fairly long route.” The structure is ser + indefinite article + noun + degree adverb + adjective: the sentence identifies something as a route and describes that route as relatively long.

4. El pronóstico anuncia lluvia ligera por la tarde.

   The forecast says light rain in the afternoon.

   pronóstico

   forecast

   anuncia

   announces; says

   lluvia

   rain

   ligera

   light

   por la tarde

   in the afternoon

   More detail

   pronóstico means “forecast” here. Its base form is pronóstico; the plural is pronósticos. It is a masculine noun, so a matching article would be el pronóstico or un pronóstico. Example: El pronóstico cambia. — “The forecast changes.” anuncia comes from anunciar, “to announce” or “to say/report.” Here it is the present-tense third-person singular form, matching el pronóstico: el pronóstico anuncia. Other useful forms are anuncio (“I announce”) and anuncian (“they announce”). In this sentence, anuncia presents the forecast as reporting information, not as a person making a deliberate announcement. Example: La señal anuncia lluvia. — “The sign reports rain.” lluvia means “rain.” It is a feminine noun: la lluvia; its plural is lluvias. In the sentence, it is what the forecast announces. Example: La lluvia empieza. — “The rain begins.” ligera means “light” in the sense of not heavy or intense. It is the feminine singular form of the adjective ligero, agreeing with feminine singular lluvia: lluvia ligera. The masculine singular form is ligero, as in viento ligero (“light wind”); the plural forms are ligeras and ligeros. Example: Se espera una lluvia ligera. — “Light rain is expected.” por la tarde is a time expression meaning “in the afternoon.” The preposition por combines with la tarde to locate something within that part of the day. Compare por la mañana (“in the morning”) and por la noche (“at night”). Example: Trabajo por la tarde. — “I work in the afternoon.” Together, El pronóstico is the subject, anuncia is the reporting verb, and lluvia ligera is the reported weather event. Por la tarde specifies when it is expected. The complete meaning is: “The forecast says light rain in the afternoon.”

5. Entonces tenemos que salir temprano y tener un plan alternativo.

   Then we need an early start and a backup plan.

   Entonces

   Then

   tenemos que

   we need to

   salir

   leave

   temprano

   early

   tener

   have

   plan

   plan

   alternativo

   backup

   More detail

   Entonces means “then” here: it links the statement to the situation just mentioned, rather than marking a new time in a detailed schedule. Example: Entonces, empezamos. — “Then, we’ll start.” tenemos que expresses necessity: “we need to” or “we have to.” Tenemos is the first-person plural present form of tener (“to have”), and que introduces the required action. The subject is “we,” and the construction is followed by an infinitive: Tenemos que esperar. — “We have to wait.” salir is the infinitive “to leave” or “to go out.” After tener que, it names the action that is necessary. Example: Tenemos que salir ahora. — “We have to leave now.” temprano is an adverb meaning “early.” It describes when the leaving happens. It does not change for the “we” subject in this use. Example: Llegamos temprano. — “We arrive early.” tener is the infinitive “to have.” In this sentence it is coordinated with salir, so the same tenemos que construction applies to both actions: tenemos que salir ... y tener ... — “we need to leave ... and have ...” Example: Tenemos que tener cuidado. — “We have to be careful.” plan is a masculine singular noun meaning “plan.” The indefinite article un introduces one unspecified plan, but by itself it does not establish a numerical contrast. Example: Necesitamos un plan. — “We need a plan.” alternativo is a masculine singular adjective meaning “alternative” or, in this context, “backup.” It agrees with the masculine singular noun plan: plan alternativo. The feminine singular form is alternativa, as in una ruta alternativa (“an alternative route”). Together, tener un plan alternativo means “to have a backup plan.” The two infinitive phrases coordinated by y are salir temprano (“leave early”) and tener un plan alternativo (“have a backup plan”). With Entonces and tenemos que, the complete utterance means: “Then we need an early start and a backup plan.”

6. Hay una ruta más corta que regresa a la misma estación.

   There is a shorter route that returns to the same station.

   Hay

   there is

   ruta

   route

   más corta

   shorter

   regresa

   returns

   misma

   same

   estación

   station

   More detail

   Hay is the present-tense existential form of haber: it introduces something that exists or is available, as in Hay una solución (“There is a solution”). In this sentence, hay does not change to agree with ruta; the noun phrase introduced after it is una ruta. ruta means “route” or “path.” It is a feminine singular noun, which is why it appears with una and with the feminine singular adjective form corta: una ruta más corta. Example: La ruta es larga means “The route is long.” más corta means “shorter.” Corta is the adjective, based on corto, and it agrees here with the feminine singular noun ruta: una ruta más corta. Más marks the comparative, so the pattern más + adjective means “more [adjective]” or “-er.” The masculine form would be más corto, as in un camino más corto (“a shorter path”). regresa comes from regresar (“to return” or “to go back”). It is the present indicative form for third-person singular, and in the relative clause it describes ruta: la ruta regresa (“the route returns”). Here it begins the relative clause que regresa...; que links that clause to the route and does not itself identify a separate participant. Example: El tren regresa a la estación means “The train returns to the station.” misma means “same.” It is the feminine singular form of mismo, agreeing with estación in la misma estación. The pattern el/la mismo/a + noun identifies something as identical to a previously relevant one. Example: Volvemos a la misma casa means “We return to the same house.” estación means “station.” It is a feminine singular noun, so the phrase is la misma estación. In this utterance, the route returns to that same station; estación does not mean “season” in this context. Together, Hay una ruta más corta says “There is a shorter route.” The relative clause que regresa a la misma estación specifies which route: it is one that returns to the same station. Thus the complete meaning is “There is a shorter route that returns to the same station.”

7. Eso parece más seguro si las condiciones del sendero se vuelven resbaladizas.

   That sounds safer if the trail conditions become slippery.

   Eso

   That

   parece

   seems

   más seguro

   safer

   si

   if

   condiciones

   conditions

   sendero

   trail

   se vuelven

   become

   resbaladizas

   slippery

   More detail

   Eso is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” It points to something understood from the situation, but the supplied sentence does not identify a more specific referent. Unlike a demonstrative adjective, it stands on its own here. parece is the present-tense third-person singular form of parecer, “to seem” or “to appear.” It agrees with eso: eso parece. Example: La idea parece útil. — “The idea seems useful.” más seguro means “safer.” Seguro is an adjective; its base form is seguro, and más seguro forms a comparison. The adjective is masculine singular here, matching the neuter masculine-form agreement used with eso. A comparison normally has an understood point of comparison or context; Spanish can leave it unstated when the context makes it clear. si introduces a condition: “if.” It does not mean “whether” in this sentence. Example: Iremos si no llueve. — “We will go if it does not rain.” condiciones is the plural of the noun condición, “condition.” In this sentence it refers to conditions in the relevant setting. The phrase del sendero specifies which conditions: del is the contraction of de + el, and sendero means “trail” or “path.” se vuelven comes from volverse, “to become” or “to turn,” with se marking the change of state. Vuelven is the present-tense third-person plural form of volver, and the plural subject is las condiciones. Compare La superficie se vuelve resbaladiza. — “The surface becomes slippery.” resbaladizas means “slippery.” It is the feminine plural form of the adjective resbaladizo, agreeing with condiciones. The agreement is carried by this adjective, not by sendero. Together, Eso parece más seguro means “That seems safer,” and si las condiciones del sendero se vuelven resbaladizas gives the condition: “if the trail conditions become slippery.” The complete utterance is: “That sounds safer if the trail conditions become slippery.”

8. ¿Deberíamos decirles a todos que traigan calzado adecuado y agua?

   Should we tell everyone to bring proper shoes and water?

   Deberíamos

   should we

   decirles

   tell them

   a todos

   everyone

   traigan

   bring

   calzado

   footwear

   adecuado

   suitable

   agua

   water

   More detail

   Deberíamos is the first-person plural conditional of deber: deber → debemos (we should / must, present) → deberíamos (we should / ought to, conditional). Here it makes a suggestion about what we should do together, so the question asks whether we should take that action. Example: ¿Deberíamos esperar? — “Should we wait?” decirles combines the infinitive decir (“to tell/say”) with the attached indirect-object pronoun les (“to them”): decir + les → decirles. Les is plural and does not mark the recipients’ gender. Example: Voy a decirles la verdad. — “I am going to tell them the truth.” a todos identifies the recipients as everyone. The preposition a marks the people receiving the telling, while todos is a masculine-plural form used here for the explicitly intended group of people; it is not a numeric count. Spanish commonly repeats an indirect object with both a pronoun and an a-phrase, as in decirles a todos. traigan is the third-person plural present subjunctive of traer (“to bring”). In decirles ... que traigan, it appears in the subordinate clause after the understood que and expresses what everyone is being told to do. Its plural form matches the plural group represented by les and a todos; it is not the first-person plural form of “we bring.” Example: Les pido que traigan agua. — “I ask them to bring water.” calzado is a noun meaning “footwear” or, in this context, “shoes.” It is singular in form even though it can refer to footwear generally. Example: Necesito calzado cómodo. — “I need comfortable footwear.” adecuado is the masculine-singular form of the adjective adecuado (“suitable” or “appropriate”). It agrees with calzado, which is grammatically masculine singular: calzado adecuado. The adjective changes with the noun it describes: ropa adecuada means “suitable clothing.” agua means “water.” It is a feminine noun, although singular forms with an article normally use el agua because of the stressed initial a: el agua fría — “the cold water.” The adjective remains feminine (fría), and the source has no article before agua. Together, decirles a todos que traigan means “tell everyone to bring.” The two coordinated things they should bring are calzado adecuado (“suitable footwear”) and agua (“water”). Thus the whole question asks whether we should tell everyone to bring suitable footwear and water.

9. Deberían traer las dos cosas.

   They should bring both.

   Deberían

   should

   traer

   bring

   las dos cosas

   both things

   More detail

   Deberían means “they should” here. It is the conditional form of deber for third-person plural: debería = “he/she/you formal should,” while deberían = “they/you plural should.” The conditional expresses a recommendation or expectation, not a direct command. Example: Deberían descansar. — “They should rest.” Traer means “to bring” and is the infinitive. After deberían, the infinitive names the action that is recommended: deberían traer = “they should bring.” The related verb llevar usually means “to take/carry” something away from the speaker’s reference point, whereas traer presents it as being brought toward that point. Example: Deben traer agua. — “They must/should bring water.” Las dos cosas means “both things.” Cosas is the feminine plural noun “things”; las and dos agree with it in the plural and feminine form. In this sentence, las dos cosas identifies two things together, without needing to name them again. The pattern las dos + plural noun is useful for “both [things/persons described by that noun].” Example: Necesito las dos llaves. — “I need both keys.” Together, Deberían traer las dos cosas means “They should bring both things.” The subject is understood from deberían, the recommended action is traer, and las dos cosas is what they should bring. In the supplied context, “both” refers to the two items previously mentioned: proper shoes and water.

10. Deberíamos dejar claro que nos daremos la vuelta si hace falta.

    We should make it clear that we will turn back if needed.

    Deberíamos

    we should

    dejar claro

    make clear

    nos daremos la vuelta

    we will turn back

    si hace falta

    if needed

    More detail

    Deberíamos is the first-person plural conditional of deber (deber → deberíamos). Here it means “we should,” expressing a recommendation or a proposed obligation for the speaker and others together. Compare deberían in the previous sentence: that is third-person plural, “they should.” Dejar claro is a reusable verb-plus-adjective construction meaning “to make clear” or “to clarify.” Dejar is followed by claro here because the construction presents something as clear. After deberíamos, the next verb stays in the infinitive: deberíamos dejar (“we should make”), not a second conjugated verb. Example: Quiero dejar claro el plan. — “I want to make the plan clear.” Nos daremos la vuelta means “we will turn back.” Daremos is the first-person plural future of dar (dar → daremos), while nos is a first-person plural reflexive pronoun referring to the same “we” as deberíamos. The expression darse la vuelta commonly means to turn around or turn back; in this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the intended sense as turning back. The future form presents this as what the group will do if the condition is met. Example: Nos daremos la vuelta en la siguiente salida. — “We will turn back at the next exit.” Si hace falta means “if needed.” Si introduces a condition. Hace falta is the impersonal expression “to be needed” or “to be necessary”; hace is the third-person singular form of hacer, and falta is singular in this fixed expression. Example: Llama si hace falta. — “Call if needed.” Together, Deberíamos dejar claro gives the recommendation, que introduces what should be made clear, and nos daremos la vuelta si hace falta states that content: “we will turn back if needed.” The complete utterance is therefore: “We should make it clear that we will turn back if needed.”

11. Compartiré el mapa de la ruta y la hora de encuentro esta noche.

    I will share the route map and meeting time tonight.

    Compartiré

    I will share

    mapa

    map

    ruta

    route

    hora

    time

    encuentro

    meeting

    esta noche

    tonight

    More detail

    Compartiré means “I will share” here. It is the first-person singular future of compartir (“to share”): compartiré = I will share, compartirás = you will share, and compartirá = he, she, or usted will share. The written accent marks the final stressed syllable in this future form. Example: Compartiré el informe mañana. — “I will share the report tomorrow.” mapa means “map” here. It is a masculine noun, despite ending in -a, so the article is el mapa; its plural is los mapas. Example: El mapa está aquí. — “The map is here.” ruta means “route.” It is a feminine noun: la ruta, plural las rutas. In el mapa de la ruta, de links the map to the route it represents: “the map of the route.” Example: La ruta es larga. — “The route is long.” hora means “time” in the sense of a specific clock time or scheduled time. It is feminine: la hora, plural las horas. Example: La hora está confirmada. — “The time is confirmed.” encuentro means “meeting” here. It is a masculine noun: el encuentro, plural los encuentros. In la hora de encuentro, de links the time to the meeting, giving “the meeting time.” Example: El encuentro comienza a las ocho. — “The meeting begins at eight.” esta noche means “tonight.” Esta is a feminine singular demonstrative determiner agreeing with the explicitly stated feminine noun noche; together they form a time expression. Example: Trabajaré esta noche. — “I will work tonight.” Putting the parts together, Compartiré supplies the future action and the speaker as its subject. el mapa de la ruta is the first thing to be shared, while la hora de encuentro is the second, joined by y. esta noche specifies when the sharing will happen. The complete utterance therefore means: “I will share the route map and meeting time tonight.”

12. Eso debería ayudar a todos a prepararse y decidir si pueden unirse.

    That should help everyone prepare and decide if they can join.

    Eso

    that

    debería

    should

    ayudar

    help

    todos

    everyone

    prepararse

    prepare themselves

    decidir

    decide

    pueden

    can

    unirse

    join

    More detail

    Eso is a neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” It points to something already understood from the context, but the supplied sentence does not identify a more specific referent. Unlike a demonstrative adjective, it stands on its own rather than modifying a noun. debería is the third-person singular conditional form of deber. Here debería + infinitive expresses “should” or an expected helpful result: debería ayudar = “should help.” The form agrees with singular eso; it is not the present-tense form debe. ayudar is an infinitive meaning “to help.” After debería, Spanish uses the infinitive: debería ayudar, not a finite verb. The construction ayudar a + person + a + infinitive can express helping someone do something, as in Ayudo a Ana a estudiar (“I help Ana study”). todos means “everyone” or “all [of them]” here. It is a plural form referring to the people being helped. In Spanish, todos can represent a mixed or unspecified group; the sentence itself does not identify the group’s exact composition. prepararse means “to prepare oneself” or, in this sentence, “to prepare.” It is the infinitive preparar with the reflexive/pronominal pronoun se attached. The people who prepare are understood to be todos: ayudar a todos a prepararse = “help everyone prepare.” With a different subject, the pronoun changes, for example prepararme (“to prepare myself”) or prepararnos (“to prepare ourselves”). decidir means “to decide.” It is another infinitive coordinated with prepararse: prepararse y decidir = “prepare and decide.” A useful pattern is decidir si... (“to decide whether/if...”); si introduces the question being decided. pueden is the third-person plural present form of poder, “can” or “be able to.” Its understood subject is the same group as todos, so pueden unirse means “they can join.” The infinitive after poder remains unchanged: pueden venir = “they can come.” unirse means “to join” or “to join in.” It is the infinitive unir with the attached pronominal pronoun se. In pueden unirse, the whole verb expresses joining; se is part of the Spanish verb form rather than a separate English word that must be translated independently. The sentence combines these parts as Eso debería ayudar a todos (“That should help everyone”), followed by the two actions prepararse y decidir (“prepare and decide”). The decision is specified by si pueden unirse (“whether they can join”), so the complete meaning is: “That should help everyone prepare and decide if they can join.”