Fixing a printing problem in the library | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Mi documento está atascado en la cola de la impresora y no sale nada.

   My document is stuck in the printer queue, and nothing is coming out.

   documento

   document

   está

   is

   atascado

   stuck

   cola

   queue

   impresora

   printer

   sale

   comes out

   nada

   nothing

   More detail

   documento means “document” here. It is a masculine singular noun; its plural is documentos. The possessive mi means “my” and does not change for masculine or feminine singular nouns: mi documento, mi impresora. está is the third-person singular present form of estar, “to be.” Here it agrees with the singular subject mi documento and introduces its current state. Compare están with a plural subject: Los documentos están aquí — “The documents are here.” atascado means “stuck” here. It is the masculine singular form of the adjective or past participle atascado, derived from the verb atascar (“to jam” or “to block”). It agrees with documento; the feminine singular form is atascada, and the plural forms are atascados and atascadas. Estar plus this form describes a current or resulting state: El papel está atascado — “The paper is stuck.” cola means “queue.” In la cola, the article and noun are feminine singular. de la impresora identifies the queue associated with the printer. impresora means “printer” and is a feminine noun, so la impresora is the matching form. La cola de la impresora está llena means “The printer queue is full.” sale is the third-person singular present form of salir, “to come out” in this context. A plural subject takes salen: Los documentos salen — “The documents come out.” nada means “nothing.” In no sale nada, Spanish uses negative concord: no comes before the verb and nada after it, together expressing that nothing comes out. Putting the parts together, Mi documento está atascado en la cola de la impresora says “My document is stuck in the printer queue.” The final chunk, y no sale nada, adds “and nothing is coming out.” The whole utterance therefore means: “My document is stuck in the printer queue, and nothing is coming out.”

2. Comprobemos la pantalla antes de volver a enviar el trabajo.

   Let's check the screen before sending the job again.

   Comprobemos

   Let’s check

   la pantalla

   the screen

   antes de

   before

   volver a enviar

   send again

   el trabajo

   the job

   More detail

   Comprobemos means “let’s check” here. It is the first-person plural form used for an affirmative suggestion or command addressed to a group that includes the speaker. The base verb is comprobar; compare compruebo (“I check”) and comprobamos (“we check” as a statement). Example: Comprobemos la dirección. — “Let’s check the address.” la pantalla means “the screen.” Pantalla is a feminine singular noun, so it takes the article la. In this sentence it is the thing being checked. Example: La pantalla muestra un error. — “The screen shows an error.” antes de introduces something that happens earlier: “before.” When the following action has the same understood subject, Spanish commonly uses antes de + an infinitive, as here. Example: Guarda el archivo antes de cerrar. — “Save the file before closing.” volver a enviar expresses sending again. Volver is the infinitive “to return,” but in the construction volver a + infinitive it marks repetition: “to do something again.” The second infinitive is enviar, “to send.” Example: Voy a volver a llamar. — “I am going to call again.” el trabajo means “the job” in this translation. Trabajo is a masculine singular noun, so it takes el. Depending on context, the same noun can also mean “work” or refer to a piece of work; here the fixed translation supports “the job.” Example: Terminé el trabajo. — “I finished the job.” Together, Comprobemos la pantalla gives “Let’s check the screen.” antes de volver a enviar el trabajo adds the time relation: this check should happen before sending the job again. The complete utterance is therefore “Let’s check the screen before sending the job again.”

3. Elegí la impresión a doble cara, pero la pantalla muestra un error.

   I chose double-sided printing, but the display shows an error.

   Elegí

   I chose

   impresión

   printing

   doble

   double

   cara

   side

   pero

   but

   pantalla

   screen

   muestra

   shows

   error

   error

   More detail

   Elegí is the first-person singular preterite of elegir (“to choose”). It says that the speaker made the choice in the past: Elegí la opción. — “I chose the option.” The present first-person form is elijo (“I choose / I am choosing”), while elegí refers to a completed past choice. impresión is the noun “printing” here, referring to the selected printing option or mode. It is related to imprimir (“to print”), but the noun names the activity or setting rather than an action by itself. Example: La impresión está lista. — “The printing is ready.” doble means “double” and modifies cara in the reusable expression a doble cara. Here it is the singular adjective form; Spanish adjectives ending in -e do not change for masculine versus feminine, while the plural form is dobles. Example: una copia doble — “a double copy.” cara means “side” in this expression. Together, a doble cara describes something used or printed on both sides. With impresión, impresión a doble cara means “double-sided printing.” pero connects two contrasting clauses. It means “but”: the speaker reports the selected option, then contrasts that with what the display is showing. Example: Quería continuar, pero faltaba tiempo. — “I wanted to continue, but there was not enough time.” pantalla is the noun “screen” or “display.” In this sentence it is the display that presents the error. Example: La pantalla está encendida. — “The screen is on.” muestra is the third-person singular present form of mostrar (“to show” or “to display”). Its subject here is la pantalla, so la pantalla muestra means “the display shows.” Compare muestro (“I show”) and muestran (“they show”). Example: El panel muestra la hora. — “The panel shows the time.” error is the noun “error” here. The article un presents it as an indefinite singular error; it does not by itself emphasize a numerical count. Example: El sistema muestra un error. — “The system displays an error.” Together, Elegí la impresión a doble cara means “I chose double-sided printing.” Pero la pantalla muestra un error contrasts that completed choice with the current display: “but the display shows an error.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I chose double-sided printing, but the display shows an error.”

4. Puede que haya un atasco de papel, así que no toque los controles por ahora.

   There may be a paper jam, so leave the controls alone for now.

   Puede que

   may / might

   haya

   there be

   atasco

   jam / blockage

   papel

   paper

   así que

   so

   no toque

   do not touch

   controles

   controls

   por ahora

   for now

   More detail

   Puede que introduces a possibility: “it may be that …”. It is reusable with a verb in the subjunctive: Puede que llegue tarde means “I/he/she may arrive late.” haya is the subjunctive form of haber used impersonally in puede que haya: “there may be”. In this construction, haber does not agree with the following noun; haya remains singular even before a plural noun. Compare Puede que haya problemas (“There may be problems”). atasco means a jam or blockage. Here it is a printer-related paper jam. Its plural is atascos. The noun is modified by de papel, which identifies what is jammed. papel means paper. In atasco de papel, de links the blockage with the material involved: “paper jam.” así que connects a reason or situation to its consequence: “so” or “therefore”. It does not itself express the possibility; that comes from Puede que haya un atasco de papel. no toque is a negative command addressed to one person with the formal singular usted form: “do not touch”. Spanish negative commands use no plus the appropriate subjunctive form. The verb is tocar; toque is the usted form here. Example: No toque ese botón — “Do not touch that button.” controles means controls. It is the plural of control. In this sentence, los controles is the direct object of toque; the article and noun together refer to the controls the listener is being told not to touch. por ahora means “for now” or “at present”. It limits the instruction in time: the listener should leave the controls untouched at this stage, without claiming that the instruction will last indefinitely. Together, Puede que haya un atasco de papel presents a possible explanation for the problem: “There may be a paper jam.” Así que no toque los controles por ahora gives the resulting instruction: “so do not touch the controls for now.” The complete utterance is therefore: “There may be a paper jam, so leave the controls alone for now.”

5. No quiero volver a enviarlo y añadir otro trabajo a la cola.

   I do not want to resend it and add another job to the queue.

   No quiero

   I do not want to

   volver a

   do again

   enviarlo

   send it

   añadir

   add

   otro

   another

   trabajo

   job; work

   cola

   queue

   More detail

   No quiero uses querer in the present tense, first-person singular: quiero means “I want.” No negates that desire, so the meaning here is “I do not want,” not “I cannot.” volver a is a reusable pattern meaning “to do something again” when followed by an infinitive. Here it introduces enviar: volver a enviar = “send again.” enviarlo combines the infinitive enviar (“to send”) with the direct-object clitic lo (“it”). The clitic is attached to the end of the infinitive. In this sentence, lo refers to the item being resent, while the exact item is not named here. With a feminine singular noun, the corresponding form would be enviarla; plural objects use enviarlos or enviarlas. añadir is an infinitive meaning “to add.” It is coordinated with volver a enviarlo, so the same understood subject—“I”—applies to both actions: “resend it and add …” otro means “another” or “an additional.” It is masculine singular here because it agrees with trabajo: otro trabajo. It presents the job as an additional one, without stating a numerical count. trabajo can mean “work” or “job.” In this utterance, the queue context supports the operational meaning “job,” such as a task submitted for processing. The phrase otro trabajo therefore means “another job.” cola means “queue.” The preposition a in añadir otro trabajo a la cola marks the destination or place to which something is added: “add another job to the queue.” Together, No quiero volver a enviarlo means “I do not want to resend it.” The coordinated infinitive y añadir otro trabajo a la cola adds the second unwanted action: “and add another job to the queue.” The complete utterance is: “I do not want to resend it and add another job to the queue.”

6. Puedo cancelar el trabajo fallido antes de que lo intente de nuevo.

   I can cancel the failed job before you try again.

   Puedo

   I can

   cancelar

   to cancel

   trabajo

   job; work

   fallido

   failed

   antes de que

   before

   lo

   it (masculine object)

   intente

   try

   de nuevo

   again

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present of poder, “to be able to/can.” It expresses the speaker’s ability or permission here. The usual pattern is poder + infinitive: Puedo salir = “I can leave.” cancelar is the infinitive “to cancel.” After a conjugated form of poder, Spanish keeps the second verb in the infinitive: Puedo cancelar = “I can cancel.” trabajo means “job” here, rather than general “work.” It is a masculine singular noun: el trabajo; its plural is los trabajos. In this sentence, it refers to the job that was not successful. fallido means “failed.” It is an adjective here and agrees with trabajo in masculine singular: un trabajo fallido. Its feminine singular form is fallida, as in una tarea fallida; plural forms are fallidos and fallidas. antes de que means “before” and introduces a clause. With this conjunction, the verb in the following clause is in the subjunctive because the trying is presented as a condition not yet carried out. Compare: Antes de que llegues, llamaré = “Before you arrive, I will call.” lo is a masculine singular direct-object pronoun, “it.” Here it replaces el trabajo, supported by the fixed translation’s “the failed job.” Spanish object pronouns agree with the noun they replace: lo for a masculine singular object, la for a feminine singular object, and los/las for plurals. intente is the present subjunctive form of intentar, “to try,” in the clause after antes de que. In this sentence the understood subject is “you,” as shown by the fixed translation. This exact form can correspond to usted as well as to él/ella in other contexts, so the form alone does not establish the listener’s person; here the translation identifies the intended actor. Intentar de nuevo means “to try again.” de nuevo means “again” or “anew.” It modifies intente, showing that the trying would be repeated. A reusable example is Prueba de nuevo = “Try again.” Together, Puedo cancelar el trabajo fallido means “I can cancel the failed job.” Antes de que lo intente de nuevo means “before you try it again,” with lo referring back to the job. The complete utterance is therefore: “I can cancel the failed job before you try again.”

7. ¿Podría revisar la impresora antes de que yo envíe algo más?

   Could you check the printer before I send anything else?

   ¿Podría

   Could you

   revisar

   check

   impresora

   printer

   antes de que

   before

   yo

   I

   envíe

   send

   algo más

   anything else

   More detail

   ¿Podría is a conditional form of poder used here to make a polite request: “Could you…?” The form is singular and can correspond grammatically to yo, él, ella, or usted; the request context and the surrounding formal address support the usted reading here. Example: ¿Podría ayudarme? — “Could you help me?” revisar is the infinitive “to check” or “to inspect.” It follows podría, so podría expresses the request while revisar names the action. Example: Necesito revisar el documento. — “I need to check the document.” impresora is a feminine singular noun meaning “printer.” The article in the full phrase, la impresora, agrees with it in feminine singular form. Example: La impresora funciona. — “The printer works.” antes de que introduces a subordinate clause meaning “before.” With a future or pending event such as the sending here, Spanish uses the subjunctive in the following clause. Example: Llámame antes de que salgas. — “Call me before you leave.” yo is the explicit first-person singular subject pronoun “I.” Spanish can often omit this pronoun because the verb ending identifies the subject, but it is included here to identify the sender explicitly. envíe is the present subjunctive form of enviar for first-person singular or third-person singular. The explicit subject yo establishes the first-person reading here: “I send.” Its accent mark is part of the observed spelling. After antes de que, this subjunctive presents the sending as a future or pending event relative to the checking. Example: Antes de que yo envíe el archivo, revisaré la dirección. — “Before I send the file, I will check the address.” algo más means “anything else” in this context: algo is an indefinite pronoun meaning “something,” and más adds the sense of “additional” or “else.” It does not assert a specific additional item. Example: ¿Necesitas algo más? — “Do you need anything else?” Together, ¿Podría revisar la impresora asks one person politely to check the printer, and antes de que yo envíe algo más sets the timing: the check should happen before the speaker sends anything additional. The complete meaning is: “Could you check the printer before I send anything else?” This is a polite request addressed formally to one person, consistent with the usted form used in the surrounding context.

8. Voy a echar un vistazo, pero por favor, no abra la máquina por su cuenta.

   I'll take a look, but please do not open the machine yourself.

   Voy a

   I’m going to

   echar un vistazo

   take a look

   por favor

   please

   abra

   open

   máquina

   machine

   por su cuenta

   on your own

   More detail

   Voy a combines first-person singular voy (from ir) with a and an infinitive to express a near or intended action: “I am going to …”. It does not by itself mean that the action is already happening. Example: Voy a revisar el documento. — “I’m going to check the document.” echar un vistazo is a fixed expression meaning “to take a look”; echar is the infinitive used after voy a. The noun vistazo is masculine, hence un. Example: Voy a echar un vistazo al informe. — “I’m going to take a look at the report.” por favor is a polite request marker meaning “please”. It softens the following request but does not change who the command addresses. abra is the form of abrir used for a negative command addressed to one usted listener: no abra. The ending is not a general marker of politeness alone; here the exact command form is singular formal second person. Example: Por favor, no abra la puerta. — “Please, do not open the door.” máquina is a feminine noun meaning “machine”. In the full sentence, la máquina is the direct object of abra, so the instruction concerns opening the machine. Example: La máquina funciona. — “The machine works.” por su cuenta is a fixed expression meaning “on your own” or “by yourself”. In this context, su addresses the same singular usted listener identified by the translation and surrounding context; su does not itself show the listener’s gender. The expression adds that the listener should not perform the opening independently. Example: No lo haga por su cuenta. — “Do not do it on your own.” Here lo refers to a masculine singular object; the form would change with a feminine object, as in No la abra por su cuenta. — “Do not open it on your own.” Together, Voy a echar un vistazo means “I’m going to take a look”. pero introduces a contrast, and por favor, no abra la máquina por su cuenta means “but please do not open the machine yourself”. The whole utterance therefore says: “I’ll take a look, but please do not open the machine yourself.”

9. Esperaré aquí mientras usted la revisa.

   I'll wait here while you check it.

   Esperaré

   I’ll wait

   aquí

   here

   mientras

   while

   usted

   you (formal singular)

   la

   it (feminine direct object)

   revisa

   checks/reviews

   More detail

   Esperaré is the first-person singular future of esperar (“to wait”): esperar → esperaré (“I will wait”). The ending -é identifies “I” in this future form. Example: Esperaré afuera. — “I’ll wait outside.” aquí means “here,” referring to the speaker’s location. It commonly appears after a verb of staying or waiting: Me quedaré aquí. — “I’ll stay here.” mientras introduces a time clause meaning “while.” It connects actions that take place during the same period: Mientras trabajas, esperaré. — “While you work, I’ll wait.” usted is the formal singular word for “you.” Although it refers to one listener, it takes third-person singular verb forms, as in usted revisa, not the second-person singular form tú revisas. la is a feminine singular direct-object clitic meaning “it” here. It stands for the thing being checked, while its noun is not stated in this sentence. The clitic’s feminine singular form agrees with that object: lo is used for a masculine singular object, and las for a feminine plural object. In la revisa, la is the object and revisa is the verb. revisa is the present indicative form of revisar (“to check” or “to review”) for él, ella, or usted. Here it agrees with usted: usted revisa means “you check.” In this future-time clause, the present form presents the checking as taking place while the speaker waits; it does not by itself mean that the checking is happening at this exact moment. Example: Usted revisa la solicitud. — “You check the application.” Together, mientras usted la revisa means “while you check it”: usted is the person doing the checking, la is the feminine singular thing checked, and revisa is the verb. The complete utterance, Esperaré aquí mientras usted la revisa., means “I’ll wait here while you check it.”

10. Eso nos ayudará a solucionar el problema sin añadir más trabajos de impresión.

    That will help us clear the problem without adding more print jobs.

    Eso

    That

    nos

    us

    ayudará

    will help

    solucionar

    to solve

    problema

    problem

    sin

    without

    añadir

    to add

    más

    more

    trabajos

    jobs

    impresión

    printing

    More detail

    Eso means “that” here: a demonstrative referring to something already identified in the surrounding situation. Its form is singular and neuter; it does not itself identify a masculine or feminine noun. nos is the unstressed object pronoun “us.” It refers to the speaker together with at least one other person and appears before the conjugated verb here. Spanish object pronouns can attach to an infinitive too: ayudarnos means “to help us.” ayudará is the third-person singular future form of ayudar, “to help”: ayudar → ayudará, “will help.” The ending shows that the subject is singular; the subject here is Eso, not nos. A useful contrast is ayudaremos, “we will help,” where the subject is “we.” solucionar is the infinitive “to solve” or “to resolve.” After ayudar, Spanish commonly uses a plus an infinitive: ayudará a solucionar means “will help [us] solve.” The infinitive does not mark its own person or number; the understood doer of solucionar is the same nos who are being helped. problema means “problem.” In the sentence, el problema is the direct object of solucionar: the problem is what is to be resolved. The noun is masculine singular, which is reflected by the article el in the fixed sentence. A plural form is problemas. sin means “without” and introduces something that does not occur. It is followed here by the infinitive añadir, so sin añadir means “without adding.” This construction describes the manner or condition of solving the problem; it does not replace the solving itself. añadir means “to add.” It is an infinitive after sin, so it has no person or number marking here. Its spelling includes ñ; anadir would not be the same correctly written Spanish form. Example: Añadir más datos puede ayudar. — “Adding more data can help.” más means “more” in this phrase. It modifies the plural noun trabajos, indicating an additional amount or number beyond what is already understood. The accent mark distinguishes it from mas, a formal conjunction meaning “but.” trabajos means “jobs” or “tasks” here. It is the plural of trabajo, “job” or “work”; the plural ending -s is visible. In the fixed translation, the context makes “print jobs” the intended sense rather than a general reference to employment. impresión means “printing” in trabajos de impresión, the noun phrase “print jobs.” The preposition de links the type or purpose of the jobs to printing. The accent mark is part of the spelling. Impresión can also refer to an impression in other contexts, but “printing” is the supported meaning here. Together, Eso nos ayudará says “That will help us.” a solucionar el problema specifies what the help will enable us to do: solve the problem. sin añadir más trabajos de impresión adds the condition “without adding more print jobs.” The whole utterance therefore means: “That will help us clear the problem without adding more print jobs.”