Responding politely to noise in a quiet area | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. La gente que está detrás de nosotros está hablando en la zona silenciosa.

   The people behind us are talking in the silent area.

   gente

   people

   detrás de nosotros

   behind us

   está hablando

   is talking

   zona

   area

   silenciosa

   silent

   More detail

   gente means “people” here, but la gente is grammatically singular in Spanish. That is why the sentence uses singular forms: está, not a plural form. The word gente refers to the people as one group. detrás de nosotros is a reusable location pattern: detrás de means “behind,” followed by the pronoun for the people being used as the reference point. nosotros is the first-person plural form meaning “us” in this sentence; it includes the speaker and at least one other person. Spanish also has nosotras for an all-feminine group, but the fixed sentence uses nosotros. está hablando combines estar with the gerund hablando, from hablar (“to talk”): estar + gerund expresses an action in progress. está is the third-person singular present form of estar, matching singular la gente. For example, La gente está esperando means “The people are waiting.” zona means “area” or “zone.” It is a feminine singular noun, as shown by la zona. The article and adjective around it must match its grammatical gender and number. silenciosa is the feminine singular form of the adjective silencioso (“silent”). It agrees with zona: zona silenciosa. The masculine singular form is silencioso, while plural forms include silenciosos and silenciosas, depending on the noun’s grammatical gender and number. For example, una calle silenciosa means “a quiet street.” Putting the parts together, La gente que está detrás de nosotros means “The people who are behind us.” The relative word que connects la gente with the description está detrás de nosotros; the singular verb está still agrees with gente. está hablando says that this group is talking now or is in the process of talking, and en la zona silenciosa places that action in the silent area. The complete meaning is: “The people behind us are talking in the silent area.”

2. Nos distrae, pero podemos resolverlo con educación.

   It's distracting, but we can handle it politely.

   Nos distrae

   It distracts us

   podemos

   we can

   resolverlo

   handle it

   con educación

   politely

   educación

   politeness

   More detail

   Nos distrae means “It distracts us” here. distrae is the present-tense third-person singular form of distraer (“to distract”); nos is the object pronoun meaning “us.” The English translation identifies an unspecified “it” as the thing causing the distraction, without naming it. Compare me distrae (“it distracts me”) and nos distrae (“it distracts us”). podemos is the first-person plural present form of poder (“can; to be able to”). It means “we can” and expresses the speakers’ ability or possibility. The useful pattern is podemos + infinitive: Podemos esperar. — “We can wait.” resolverlo combines the infinitive resolver (“to solve; to handle”) with the attached direct-object pronoun lo (“it”). In this sentence, it means “handle it,” referring to the matter being dealt with. Here, lo is the form used for this singular or neuter direct-object reference; the form alone does not establish that the unnamed matter is a masculine noun. For a feminine singular noun, Spanish uses la, as in resolverla (“solve/handle it”). con educación is the phrase “politely,” using con (“with”) plus the noun educación. It describes the manner of handling the situation. The pattern con + noun can express manner: con cuidado means “carefully.” educación is a feminine singular noun. In this sentence it means “politeness” or “good manners,” not schooling. The same word can also mean “education” in other contexts, for example: La educación es importante. — “Education is important.” The connector pero means “but” and sets up a contrast: the situation is distracting, yet the speakers say they can handle it. The full structure is Nos distrae, pero podemos resolverlo con educación: “It distracts us, but we can handle it politely.”

3. ¿Debería hablar con ellos o preguntarle al bibliotecario?

   Should I speak to them or ask the librarian?

   Debería

   should

   hablar

   speak; talk

   ellos

   them

   preguntarle

   ask him/her

   bibliotecario

   librarian

   More detail

   Debería is the conditional form of deber, “should / ought to.” In this question it agrees with the first-person subject understood from the translation: “Should I…?” The same form can also refer to a third-person singular subject, so the form alone does not identify the subject. A useful pattern is debería + infinitive: Debería descansar means “I should rest.” hablar is the infinitive “to speak” or “to talk.” After debería, Spanish uses the infinitive for the action being considered: Debería hablar con ella means “I should speak with her.” Hablar con introduces the person one speaks with. ellos is a third-person plural pronoun meaning “them” here. Its masculine-plural form is ellos; the feminine-plural form is ellas. The sentence identifies the people only as the group being spoken to, without specifying who they are. preguntarle combines the infinitive preguntar, “to ask,” with the attached indirect-object pronoun le, “to him/her.” In this sentence, le refers to the librarian: preguntarle al bibliotecario means “ask the librarian.” The pronoun le does not show whether that person is male or female; the noun bibliotecario supplies the masculine form here. With a feminine noun, for example, preguntarle a la bibliotecaria means “ask the librarian” with a female referent. bibliotecario is the masculine singular noun “librarian.” The phrase al bibliotecario is a + el bibliotecario; al is the contraction of a and el. The noun’s feminine counterpart is bibliotecaria. In this utterance, the preposition a marks the person being asked. The two alternatives are joined by o, “or.” First, debería hablar con ellos presents speaking with them as one possible action. Then o preguntarle al bibliotecario presents asking the librarian as the other option. Together, ¿Debería hablar con ellos o preguntarle al bibliotecario? means “Should I speak to them or ask the librarian?”

4. Primero intenta pedirles en voz baja que guarden silencio, a menos que te resulte incómodo.

   Try a quiet reminder first, unless that feels uncomfortable.

   Primero

   first

   intenta

   try

   pedirles

   ask them

   en voz baja

   quietly

   guarden silencio

   keep quiet

   a menos que

   unless

   te resulte incómodo

   feel uncomfortable

   More detail

   Primero is an adverb meaning “first” or “to begin with.” It places this suggestion before any later step. Example: Primero lee las instrucciones. — “First, read the instructions.” intenta means “try” here. In this sentence it is the affirmative tú command of intentar, addressed to one person. The command has the same form as the third-person singular present indicative, so context identifies its use here. Example: Intenta hablar más despacio. — “Try to speak more slowly.” pedirles combines the infinitive pedir (“to ask”) with the plural indirect-object clitic les (“to them”). The reusable pattern pedirle(s) a alguien que + subjunctive means “ask someone to do something.” The clitic is plural here because the people being asked are plural; les does not mark their gender. Example: Puedes pedirles que esperen. — “You can ask them to wait.” en voz baja is a fixed adverbial expression meaning “in a low voice” or “quietly.” Voz is the noun “voice,” and baja agrees with it in feminine singular. Example: Habla en voz baja. — “Speak quietly.” guarden silencio uses the construction guardar silencio, literally “keep silence,” meaning “remain quiet” or “keep quiet.” Guarden is the present subjunctive of guardar for a third-person plural subject. It appears after pedirles que because the clause expresses what the people are being asked to do. Example: Les pedí que guardaran silencio. — “I asked them to keep quiet.” a menos que introduces an exception and means “unless.” It is normally followed by a subjunctive clause because the exception is conditional rather than presented as an established fact. Example: Iré, a menos que llueva. — “I will go unless it rains.” te resulte incómodo means “feel uncomfortable to you” or, naturally here, “feel uncomfortable.” Resulte is the present subjunctive of resultar, triggered by a menos que; te marks the person experiencing the reaction. Incómodo is an adjective in masculine singular, agreeing with the understood situation or action rather than with te. Example: Si te resulta incómodo, podemos parar. — “If it feels uncomfortable for you, we can stop.” Together, Primero intenta gives the instruction “try first.” pedirles ... que guarden silencio specifies the action: ask the people to keep quiet, and en voz baja specifies doing so quietly. The final clause, a menos que te resulte incómodo, adds the exception: do this first unless that action feels uncomfortable to you. Thus the whole utterance means: “Try a quiet reminder first, unless that feels uncomfortable.”

5. Podría pedirles que continúen la conversación afuera.

   I could ask them to take the conversation outside.

   Podría

   could

   pedirles

   ask them

   continúen

   continue

   conversación

   conversation

   afuera

   outside

   More detail

   Podría is the conditional form of poder for yo or él/ella/usted; here, with “I,” it means “could” and presents the action as a possibility rather than a firm statement. Example: Podría ayudarte. — “I could help you.” pedirles combines the infinitive pedir (“to ask”) with the attached indirect-object pronoun les (“to them”). The form les marks a plural recipient; it does not itself identify who those people are. The pattern pedirle algo a alguien means “to ask someone for something,” while pedirle a alguien que... means “to ask someone to...”. Here, pedirles que introduces the action requested of them. continúen is the present subjunctive form of continuar for ellos/ellas/ustedes. After pedirles que, the requested action is expressed with the subjunctive: Pídeles que continúen. — “Ask them to continue.” The accent mark is part of this form and preserves the pronunciation. This is not an imperative addressed directly to the people in the subordinate clause; it is the verb inside the clause describing what they are asked to do. conversación is a feminine noun meaning “conversation.” Its plural is conversaciones. In the source, la is the feminine singular definite article agreeing with conversación: la conversación. Together, this noun phrase is the object of continúen. afuera is an adverb meaning “outside” or “outdoors.” It does not change for number or gender. In this sentence it indicates where the conversation should continue. Together, Podría pedirles que means “I could ask them to,” and continúen la conversación afuera means “continue the conversation outside.” The complete utterance is: “I could ask them to take the conversation outside.”

6. Así queda claro sin que parezca grosero.

   That keeps it clear without sounding rude.

   Así

   that way

   queda

   ends up; remains

   claro

   clear

   sin que

   without ...

   parezca

   seems; sounds

   grosero

   rude

   More detail

   Así means “in this way” or “that way.” Here it points to the manner or result described by the sentence as a whole. A reusable example is Así funciona. = “That’s how it works.” Queda is the third-person singular present form of quedar. Here quedar describes a resulting state: something ends up or remains clear. Así is an adverb modifying the clause, not the subject. A reusable pattern is queda + adjective: El mensaje queda claro. = “The message ends up clear.” Claro is an adjective meaning “clear” here, in the sense of understandable or unambiguous. The observed form is masculine singular; in this sentence, the specific noun or proposition receiving that description is not named. Other forms include clara, claros, and claras, selected when the adjective agrees with the relevant noun or other agreeing expression. Example: La explicación queda clara. = “The explanation remains clear.” Sin que introduces an avoided or non-asserted circumstance: “without ...”. It is followed here by parezca, a subjunctive form. A reusable pattern is sin que + subjunctive: Salió sin que nadie lo viera. = “They left without anyone seeing them.” Parezca is a present subjunctive form of parecer; its form can serve first-person singular or third-person singular, though here the omitted subject is naturally understood as the relevant situation or manner: “it seems” or, with speaking or presentation, “it sounds.” Compare indicative parece (“it seems”) with subjunctive parezca after a trigger such as sin que. Example: Lo explica sin que parezca difícil. = “They explain it without it seeming difficult.” Grosero is a masculine-singular adjective meaning “rude” or “impolite” here. It describes how the relevant manner or expression comes across; the sentence does not name a person as its referent. Its other agreeing forms include grosera, groseros, and groseras. Together, Así queda claro means “That way, it stays/ends up clear.” Sin que parezca grosero adds that this result is achieved without the manner seeming rude. The complete meaning is “That keeps it clear without sounding rude.”

7. Si siguen hablando, podemos pedirle al bibliotecario que intervenga.

   If they keep talking, we can ask the librarian to step in.

   siguen

   keep going

   hablando

   talking

   podemos

   we can

   pedirle

   ask him or her

   bibliotecario

   librarian

   intervenga

   step in

   More detail

   siguen is the present-tense third-person plural form of seguir (“to continue/follow”). Here it refers to the people who keep talking: si siguen... means “if they continue...”. The singular counterpart is sigue; the plural subject is shown by -en. hablando is the gerund of hablar (“to speak/talk”). After seguir, the pattern seguir + gerund expresses continuing an activity: siguen hablando = “they keep talking.” The gerund names the ongoing activity; it does not itself mark the subject as singular or plural. podemos is the first-person plural present form of poder (“to be able to/can”). With the understood subject nosotros/nosotras, podemos means “we can.” Compare puedo (“I can”) and pueden (“they/you plural can”). pedirle combines the infinitive pedir (“to ask/request”) with the attached indirect-object clitic le. In this sentence, pedirle means “ask the librarian,” and le refers to that singular person as the recipient of the request. The same clitic is used for a singular masculine or feminine indirect object; its form does not identify the person’s gender. With a plural recipient, Spanish uses les: pedirles. al bibliotecario is a + el bibliotecario, contracted to al. Bibliotecario is the noun “librarian”; its feminine counterpart is bibliotecaria. The preposition a marks the person being asked here, while le in pedirle also marks that person as the indirect object. The phrase therefore identifies who will receive the request, not a numeric count. intervenga is the third-person singular present subjunctive form of intervenir (“to intervene/step in”). The pattern pedirle a alguien que + subjunctive expresses asking someone to do something: pedirle al bibliotecario que intervenga = “ask the librarian to step in.” The librarian is the understood subject of intervenga; this is a subordinate request clause, not a direct command to the learner. The indicative form interviene would instead present the action as a statement. Together, Si siguen hablando sets the condition “If they keep talking.” podemos pedirle al bibliotecario adds the possibility “we can ask the librarian,” and que intervenga specifies the requested action, “to step in.” The whole utterance is: “If they keep talking, we can ask the librarian to step in.”

8. Así evitamos que se arme una escena.

   That way, it doesn't turn into a scene.

   Así

   that way

   evitamos

   we avoid

   se arme

   breaks out

   escena

   scene

   More detail

   Así means “that way” here: it links the proposed action with its intended result. It can also mean “like this” when referring to a manner, so the surrounding clause determines the reading. evitamos is the first-person plural present form of evitar, “to avoid.” The ending -amos identifies “we” in this form. Evitar que is commonly followed by a subjunctive clause because it expresses preventing an event: Evitamos que llegue tarde means “We prevent him/her from arriving late.” se arme comes from armarse, used here in the expression armarse una escena, “for a scene to break out” or “turn into a scene.” Arme is the third-person singular present subjunctive form of armar; the subjunctive is required after evitamos que. The reflexive se belongs to the construction and does not identify a separate actor. In this use, armarse is not the ordinary meaning “to arm oneself.” escena is a feminine singular noun meaning “scene.” The indefinite article una marks a singular, nonspecific scene; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. Together, evitamos que expresses prevention, and se arme una escena names the event being prevented. Thus Así evitamos que se arme una escena means “That way, it doesn’t turn into a scene.”

9. Preferiría hacer eso a quejarme en voz alta.

   I'd rather do that than complain loudly.

   Preferiría

   I’d prefer

   hacer

   to do

   eso

   that

   quejarme

   to complain

   en voz alta

   aloud

   More detail

   Preferiría is the first-person singular conditional of preferir (“to prefer”): preferiría = “I would prefer.” It presents a preference, often followed by an infinitive. Example: Preferiría esperar. — “I would prefer to wait.” hacer is the infinitive “to do” or “to make.” Here it means “to do,” and it supplies the action being preferred. Example: Prefiero salir. — “I prefer to leave.” eso is the neuter demonstrative pronoun “that.” In this sentence it points to an already understood action or situation, rather than naming a specific masculine or feminine noun. Example: No quiero eso. — “I don’t want that.” quejarme means “to complain.” It consists of the infinitive quejar with the attached first-person singular reflexive pronoun me; the standard dictionary form of the verb is quejarse. The me identifies the speaker as the person complaining. Example: No quiero quejarme. — “I don’t want to complain.” en voz alta is the fixed expression “aloud” or “out loud.” Literally, it describes using a high voice, but here it modifies quejarme, so the complaining would be audible rather than silent. Example: Lee en voz alta. — “Read aloud.” Together, preferiría hacer eso means “I would prefer to do that.” The comparison pattern preferir X a Y sets the preferred action before a and the less-preferred alternative after it: Preferiría hacer eso a quejarme en voz alta. The whole utterance therefore means, “I’d rather do that than complain loudly.”

10. Preguntémosles en voz baja y luego volvamos a estudiar.

    Let's ask quietly, then get back to studying.

    Preguntémosles

    let’s ask them

    en voz baja

    quietly

    luego

    then

    volvamos

    let’s return

    estudiar

    study

    More detail

    Preguntémosles means “let’s ask them.” It is a first-person plural affirmative command: the speaker includes themself and addresses a group. les is an attached indirect-object pronoun referring to the people being asked; the sentence does not identify who they are. The base verb is preguntar. Compare Preguntemos (“Let’s ask”) without the pronoun. The written accent remains in Preguntémosles when the pronoun is attached. Example: Preguntémosles mañana. — “Let’s ask them tomorrow.” en voz baja describes speaking with a low voice, so here it gives the practical meaning “quietly.” Its useful contrast is en voz alta, “out loud.” Example: Hablemos en voz baja. — “Let’s speak quietly.” luego is a time adverb meaning “then” or “afterward.” It places the next action after the asking; it does not replace that action. Example: Primero leamos y luego escribamos. — “First let’s read, and then let’s write.” volvamos comes from volver, “to return” or “to go back.” Here it is a first-person plural affirmative command: “let’s return/go back.” In this form, the stem is volv-; the usual o-to-ue change seen in other present-tense forms of volver does not appear in the nosotros form. With a plus an infinitive, volver a + infinitive means “to do something again” or “to get back to doing something.” estudiar is the infinitive “to study.” After volver a, it names the activity that the group resumes. Volvamos a estudiar therefore means “let’s get back to studying,” not simply “let’s return to a place called studying.” Example: Volvamos a practicar. — “Let’s get back to practicing.” Together, Preguntémosles en voz baja gives the first proposed action: the group should ask them quietly. y luego connects a later action, and volvamos a estudiar says that the same group should then resume studying. The whole utterance is: “Let’s ask them quietly, then get back to studying.”