Borrowing and caring for a non-stick pan | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. ¿Puedo tomar prestada tu sartén antiadherente para algo que estoy cocinando?

   Can I borrow your non-stick pan for something I am cooking?

   Puedo

   I can; may I

   tomar

   to take

   prestada

   borrowed

   sartén

   pan

   antiadherente

   non-stick

   algo

   something

   estoy cocinando

   I am cooking

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder, “to be able to; can.” In this sentence, ¿Puedo...? asks permission: “May I...?” The subject is the speaker, so the form is puedo; puedes means “you can,” and puede means “he/she/you formal can.” tomar is the infinitive “to take.” After the conjugated puedo, Spanish uses the infinitive: puedo tomar = “I can/may take.” In the reusable pattern ¿Puedo + infinitive...?, the infinitive names the action for which permission is requested. prestada means “borrowed” here and agrees with sartén. The expression tomar prestado/a means “to borrow,” literally presenting the thing as taken on loan. Because sartén is feminine singular in this sentence, the form is prestada; with a masculine singular noun it would be prestado, and with plural nouns prestados or prestadas as required. This is an adjective carrying agreement, not a form of the verb prestar. sartén means “frying pan” or “pan.” It is feminine here: la sartén, so the agreeing adjective is prestada. Example: Necesito una sartén grande. — “I need a large pan.” antiadherente means “non-stick.” It describes the pan’s surface or coating. The singular form is the same for masculine and feminine nouns: un revestimiento antiadherente, una sartén antiadherente; the plural is antiadherentes. algo is an indefinite pronoun meaning “something.” It refers to an unspecified thing, without identifying what that thing is. Example: Quiero comer algo. — “I want to eat something.” estoy cocinando means “I am cooking.” Estoy is the first-person singular present form of estar, and cocinando is the gerund of cocinar. Together, estar + gerund presents an action as in progress: Estoy leyendo = “I am reading.” Here, the speaker is cooking the unspecified algo; the relative clause que estoy cocinando means “that I am cooking.” Putting the chunks together, ¿Puedo tomar prestada tu sartén antiadherente para algo que estoy cocinando? asks, “Can I borrow your non-stick pan for something I am cooking?” tu marks the pan as belonging to the person addressed, para introduces the purpose, and the final clause specifies the thing being cooked. The sentence is a natural, polite request for permission.

2. Sí, pero no uses utensilios de metal con ella, por favor.

   You can, but please do not use metal utensils on it.

   Sí

   yes

   no uses

   don't use

   utensilios

   utensils

   metal

   metal

   con ella

   with it

   por favor

   please

   More detail

   Sí means “yes” here, confirming that the requested action is allowed. It is also used by itself as an affirmative answer. no uses is a negative command addressed to one tú person: “do not use.” The verb is usar; uses is the form used after no for a negative tú command. Compare the affirmative command usa (“use!”) with no uses (“don’t use!”). This form is not the usted command. utensilios means “utensils” or “tools used for cooking.” Its base form is the masculine singular noun utensilio; utensilios is its masculine plural form. For example: Necesito dos utensilios — “I need two utensils.” metal identifies the material: “metal.” In utensilios de metal, de metal means “made of metal” or “metal” as a material. The noun metal does not become plural here because it names the material, while utensilios is the plural item being described. con ella means “with it” in this sentence. ella is a feminine singular pronoun, and here it refers to the feminine noun sartén (“pan”) from the preceding context. The phrase specifies the pan as the object or surface involved in the use of the utensils; the fixed translation renders this naturally as “on it.” por favor is the polite expression “please.” It softens the command without changing who is being addressed or the command’s negative meaning. The connector pero means “but” and sets up a contrast: permission is given in Sí, while a restriction follows. Together, Sí, pero no uses utensilios de metal con ella, por favor means: “You can, but please do not use metal utensils on it.” The reusable pattern is Sí, pero no uses [thing] con ella, por favor — “You can, but please don’t use [thing] with/on it.”

3. Usaré una cuchara de madera para no rayar la superficie.

   I will use a wooden spoon so I do not scratch the surface.

   Usaré

   I will use

   cuchara

   spoon

   madera

   wood

   para no

   so as not to

   rayar

   scratch

   superficie

   surface

   More detail

   Usaré is the first-person singular future of usar, “to use”: usaré = “I will use.” The ending -é identifies the speaker as the person who will perform the action. Example: Usaré la llave. — “I will use the key.” cuchara means “spoon.” It is a feminine singular noun, so the indefinite article is una: una cuchara. The article presents one spoon without independently asserting a numerical count as the main point. Example: Necesito una cuchara. — “I need a spoon.” madera means “wood.” In una cuchara de madera, de madera describes the material: “made of wood” or “wooden.” de can introduce the material of an object. Example: una mesa de madera — “a wooden table.” para no introduces a purpose that the speaker wants to avoid: “so as not to.” It is followed here by the infinitive rayar, rather than a conjugated verb. Example: Cierro la puerta para no despertar al bebé. — “I close the door so as not to wake the baby.” rayar means “to scratch” in this context: to mark or damage a surface with contact. It is an infinitive, so it does not itself show the person performing the action; here, the understood actor is the same speaker who will use the spoon. Example: No quiero rayar la mesa. — “I do not want to scratch the table.” superficie means “surface.” It is a feminine singular noun, which is why the definite article is la: la superficie. Here, it is the surface that the speaker intends not to scratch. Example: La superficie está limpia. — “The surface is clean.” Together, Usaré una cuchara de madera says “I will use a wooden spoon.” para no rayar la superficie gives the purpose of that choice: the speaker will avoid scratching the surface. The complete utterance therefore means: “I will use a wooden spoon so I do not scratch the surface.”

4. Mantén también el fuego a temperatura media, porque el fuego alto puede dañar el revestimiento.

   Keep the heat at medium too, because high heat can damage the coating.

   Mantén

   keep / maintain

   también

   also / too

   fuego

   heat

   temperatura

   temperature

   media

   medium

   alto

   high

   puede

   can

   dañar

   damage

   revestimiento

   coating

   More detail

   Mantén is the affirmative tú-singular command of mantener (“to keep, maintain”). The accent marks the stressed final syllable in this command. For example: Mantén la puerta cerrada. — “Keep the door closed.” también adds another instruction or fact: “also” or “too.” Here it adds this heat instruction to the surrounding cooking guidance. fuego means “fire” in many contexts, but here el fuego means the heat level used for cooking. It is a masculine singular noun; its plural is fuegos, though that plural is not needed here. temperatura is a feminine singular noun meaning “temperature.” In a temperatura media, the preposition a introduces the setting or level: “at medium temperature.” media is the feminine singular form of medio, agreeing with temperatura. The masculine form appears with a masculine noun, as in fuego medio — “medium heat.” alto is a masculine singular adjective modifying fuego, so fuego alto means “high heat.” Its feminine singular form is alta, as in temperatura alta — “high temperature.” puede is the third-person singular present form of poder, “can” or “is able to.” Poder is followed by an infinitive: puede dañar — “can damage.” The subject here is el fuego alto, not an unnamed person. dañar is the infinitive “to damage.” After a conjugated form of poder, it remains in the infinitive: puede dañar, not a second conjugated verb. Example: El calor puede dañar la pintura. — “Heat can damage the paint.” revestimiento is a masculine singular noun meaning “coating” or “lining.” In this sentence, it is the thing that high heat may damage. Together, Mantén también el fuego a temperatura media means “Keep the heat at medium too.” The clause beginning with porque gives the reason: el fuego alto puede dañar el revestimiento means “high heat can damage the coating.” The complete utterance therefore instructs the listener, in the tú-singular form, to maintain medium heat because high heat may harm the coating.

5. Prefiero preguntar ahora que adivinar y estropearla.

   I would rather ask now than guess and ruin it.

   Prefiero

   I prefer

   preguntar

   to ask

   ahora

   now

   que

   than

   adivinar

   to guess

   estropearla

   to ruin it

   More detail

   Prefiero is the first-person singular present form of preferir, “to prefer.” The stem changes from e to ie in several present-tense forms: prefiero, prefieres, prefiere; the infinitive remains preferir. Here it introduces the action preferred by the speaker. preguntar is an infinitive meaning “to ask.” After prefiero, an infinitive states the preferred action. Example: Prefiero esperar. — “I prefer to wait.” ahora means “now,” locating the asking in the present situation. It modifies preguntar, not the other action. que links the preferred action with the alternative: preferir X que Y means “to prefer X rather than Y” or “would rather X than Y.” In this sentence it is a comparison linker, not the relative pronoun “that/which.” adivinar is an infinitive meaning “to guess.” It is the alternative action after que. Example: Prefiero preguntar que adivinar. — “I prefer to ask rather than guess.” estropearla consists of the infinitive estropear, “to ruin” or “to damage,” followed by the attached direct-object clitic la. La is feminine singular; the form of the clitic reflects the grammatical gender and number of the object, whose specific referent is not identified in this utterance. With a plural feminine object, the corresponding form would be estropearlas. The two infinitives after que, adivinar and estropearla, are joined by y: the speaker prefers asking now instead of guessing and thereby ruining the object referred to by la. The whole utterance therefore means: “I would rather ask now than guess and ruin it.”

6. Eso ayuda. Debería durar más si se trata con cuidado.

   That helps. It should last longer if it is handled carefully.

   Eso

   That

   ayuda

   helps

   Debería

   should

   durar

   last

   más

   longer

   si

   if

   se trata

   is handled

   cuidado

   care

   More detail

   Eso means “that” here. It is a demonstrative pronoun: it stands for something already identifiable from the situation, without naming that thing again. Demonstratives also include esto (“this”) and aquello (“that over there”); the choice depends on the speaker’s spatial or discourse perspective. ayuda comes from ayudar, “to help.” Here it is the present-tense form for a third-person singular subject: “it helps” or “that helps.” The form ayudo means “I help,” while ayudan means “they help” or “you all help.” Debería comes from deber. This conditional form expresses what is expected or should happen: “should.” Its subject is understood from the following clause, not stated as a separate pronoun. Compare debe durar (“it must/is supposed to last”) with debería durar (“it should last,” a somewhat less direct expectation). durar is the infinitive “to last.” After a form such as debería, Spanish uses the infinitive: debería durar, not a finite form such as dura. Example: La batería debería durar todo el día. — “The battery should last all day.” más means “more” and, with a duration verb, produces the comparison “longer.” The comparison is between the expected duration here and some other or previous duration; the sentence does not specify the exact amount. menos is the contrasting word “less.” si introduces a condition: “if.” It is different from sí with an accent, which means “yes.” Example: Durará más si lo cuidas. — “It will last longer if you take care of it.” se trata is a form of tratarse used here in the construction tratarse con cuidado, meaning “to be handled/treated carefully.” The se makes the thing being handled the grammatical subject while leaving the handler unspecified. Trata without se normally means that someone treats or deals with something, as in Ella trata el objeto con cuidado — “She handles the object carefully.” cuidado is the noun “care.” In this sentence, con cuidado is the fixed adverbial expression “carefully,” literally “with care.” The preposition con is outside the selected quote but combines with it to form that expression. The adjective cuidadoso means “careful,” but it is not the form used here. Together, Eso ayuda means “That helps.” Then Debería durar más states an expectation that it will last longer, and si se trata con cuidado gives the condition: “if it is handled carefully.” The complete utterance is therefore: “That helps. It should last longer if it is handled carefully.”

7. ¿Debo lavarla a mano en lugar de meterla en el lavavajillas?

   Should I wash it by hand instead of putting it in the dishwasher?

   Debo

   I should / I must

   lavarla

   wash it

   a mano

   by hand

   en lugar de

   instead of

   meterla

   putting it

   lavavajillas

   dishwasher

   More detail

   Debo is the first-person singular present form of deber. In the question pattern ¿Debo + infinitive...?, it asks whether the speaker should or ought to do something. The form debo itself means “I should” or “I must”; the question context supplies the English question form. lavarla combines the infinitive lavar (“to wash”) with the attached direct-object pronoun la. La marks a feminine singular object; here it refers to the item being discussed. Compare lavarlo for a masculine singular object and lavarlas for feminine plural objects. The -la is the object pronoun, not part of the verb stem. a mano is the fixed expression “by hand.” It describes the method of washing. Example: Lavo la prenda a mano. — “I wash the garment by hand.” en lugar de introduces an alternative and is followed here by an infinitive: en lugar de + infinitive means “instead of + -ing.” It contrasts washing the item by hand with the other action while keeping hand-washing as the option under consideration. meterla combines meter (“to put”) with the feminine singular direct-object pronoun la. Since the pronoun is attached to an infinitive, meterla has the structure “to put it.” The destination and the meaning “in the dishwasher” come from the following phrase. Example: Voy a meterla en la caja. — “I am going to put it in the box.” lavavajillas means “dishwasher” here. This noun has the same form in singular and plural: el lavavajillas means “the dishwasher,” while los lavavajillas means “the dishwashers.” The article or another determiner shows the number. Together, ¿Debo lavarla a mano asks whether the speaker should wash the feminine singular item by hand, and en lugar de meterla en el lavavajillas presents putting that same item in the dishwasher as the alternative. The whole utterance means: “Should I wash it by hand instead of putting it in the dishwasher?”

8. Lávala suavemente a mano y sécala antes de devolverla.

   Wash it gently by hand and dry it before you bring it back.

   Lávala

   Wash it

   suavemente

   gently

   a mano

   by hand

   sécala

   dry it

   antes de devolverla

   before returning it

   More detail

   Lávala means “wash it” here. lava is the affirmative command form of lavar for tú singular. The final -la is a feminine singular direct-object clitic, referring to the item being washed; Spanish attaches this clitic to an affirmative command. Compare lávala (“wash it”) with lávela, the corresponding usted command. Suavemente is an adverb meaning “gently” or “carefully.” It describes how the washing should be done. It is related to the adjective suave (“gentle,” “soft”), but the observed form is the adverb. A mano is a reusable expression meaning “by hand,” contrasting with using a machine. Example: Lava la prenda a mano. — “Wash the garment by hand.” Sécala means “dry it.” seca is the affirmative tú command of secar, and -la is again a feminine singular direct-object clitic. The accent in sécala preserves the command’s stress when the clitic is attached. The form seque is not the same command form: seque is used for usted in an affirmative command, as in Séquela (“Dry it,” addressed to one person formally). Antes de devolverla means “before returning it.” Antes de introduces an action that must occur earlier; devolverla consists of the infinitive devolver (“to return”) plus the attached feminine singular direct-object clitic -la. Here the translation specifies that the item is to be brought back. The utterance coordinates two tú commands: Lávala suavemente a mano (“Wash it gently by hand”) and sécala (“dry it”). Antes de devolverla sets the time relation for the drying: the item should be dry before it is brought back. Together: “Wash it gently by hand and dry it before you bring it back.”

9. La devolveré limpia cuando termine de cocinar.

   I will return it clean after I finish cooking.

   La

   it

   devolveré

   I will return

   limpia

   clean

   termine

   I finish

   cocinar

   to cook

   More detail

   La is a feminine singular direct-object pronoun, meaning “it” here. Its form agrees with the feminine singular thing being returned; the sentence itself does not name that thing. In Spanish, lo would be used for a masculine singular object, while los and las are plural forms. devolveré comes from devolver, “to return” or “to give back.” The ending -é marks the first-person singular future: devolveré = “I will return.” The pronoun can be placed before a conjugated verb, as in La devolveré. limpia means “clean” here. It is the feminine singular form of the adjective limpio, agreeing with the object referred to by la. The sentence presents cleanliness as the state in which the object will be returned. For example: Te entregaré la llave limpia. — “I will hand you the key clean.” termine comes from terminar, “to finish.” Here it is first-person singular present subjunctive, matching “I”: cuando termine = “when I finish.” After a future or other not-yet-realized event, Spanish commonly uses the subjunctive in a time clause introduced by cuando; it does not make termine a command. cocinar is the infinitive “to cook.” The construction terminar de + infinitive means “to finish doing something,” so termine de cocinar means “I finish cooking.” The infinitive does not show a separate person or tense; termine carries those features. Together, La devolveré limpia means “I will return it clean,” and cuando termine de cocinar specifies when: “after/when I finish cooking.” The whole utterance is therefore: “I will return it clean after I finish cooking.”

10. Dime cómo queda el plato.

    Let me know how the dish turns out.

    Dime

    Tell me

    cómo queda

    how it turns out

    plato

    dish

    More detail

    Dime is the affirmative command form of decir for tú (singular, informal). The attached me means “to me,” so dime means “tell me” or “let me know.” The command is directed to one person; it is not the usted form dígame or the plural form díganme. cómo queda asks about the result or final state. Cómo has an accent because it is the question word in an indirect question: cómo queda ... = “how ... turns out.” Queda is the third-person singular present form of quedar, agreeing here with el plato. In this use, quedar describes the result or condition something ends up having, not merely its location. Example: Mira cómo queda la salsa. — “Look at how the sauce turns out.” plato is a masculine singular noun meaning “dish.” With the definite article, el plato means “the dish,” referring to the particular dish identified by the context. The noun is singular, so the verb form is queda; with a plural noun, the corresponding form would be quedan, as in Mira cómo quedan los platos. — “Look at how the dishes turn out.” Together, Dime introduces a request for information, and cómo queda el plato specifies that the information concerns the dish’s final result or condition. The whole utterance means: “Let me know how the dish turns out.”