Preparing for Changeable Weather on a Hike | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. El pronóstico para la caminata sigue cambiando, con sol y posibles lluvias.

   The forecast for the hike keeps changing, with sun and possible showers.

   pronóstico

   forecast

   caminata

   hike; walk

   sigue cambiando

   keeps changing

   sol

   sun

   posibles

   possible

   lluvias

   showers; rain

   More detail

   pronóstico means “forecast” here. Its base form is pronóstico; the written accent marks the stressed syllable. It is a masculine noun, as shown by el pronóstico. Example: El pronóstico cambia. — “The forecast changes.” caminata means “hike” here. It is a feminine noun, and la agrees with it in la caminata. The word refers to the walking activity or outing, not to the act of walking expressed as a verb. Example: La caminata empieza temprano. — “The hike starts early.” sigue cambiando expresses “keeps changing.” The form sigue comes from seguir, “to continue,” and is the present-tense third-person singular form, agreeing with el pronóstico. cambiando is the gerund of cambiar, “to change.” Spanish commonly uses seguir + gerund for an action that continues: El tiempo sigue mejorando. — “The weather keeps improving.” The space before sigue belongs to the surrounding sentence; the selected construction itself combines sigue with cambiando. sol means “sun” in this weather description. With con, the phrase con sol means “with sun” or “with sunny conditions.” Example: Mañana habrá sol. — “There will be sun.” posibles means “possible.” It is the plural form of posible and agrees in number with the plural noun lluvias; this adjective does not change for masculine versus feminine gender: posible is singular and posibles is plural. Example: Hay cambios posibles. — “There are possible changes.” lluvias means “showers” or “rain” here. It is the plural of lluvia, “rain” or “a rainfall event.” In posibles lluvias, the plural adjective and noun describe possible episodes of rain. Example: Se esperan lluvias. — “Rain is expected.” The sentence begins with El pronóstico para la caminata, “the forecast for the hike.” para links the forecast to the activity it concerns. sigue cambiando then says that this forecast continues to change. Finally, con sol y posibles lluvias adds the currently described conditions: sun together with possible showers. As a whole: “The forecast for the hike keeps changing, with sun and possible showers.”

2. Vístete con varias capas y trae una chaqueta impermeable.

   Wear layers and bring a waterproof jacket.

   Vístete

   get dressed

   capas

   layers

   trae

   bring

   chaqueta

   jacket

   impermeable

   waterproof

   More detail

   Vístete means “get dressed” here. It is the affirmative command for tú singular of reflexive vestirse: viste + te, with the written accent preserving the stress after the pronoun is attached. The reflexive pronoun indicates that the person dressing is the person being addressed. Compare vístase for a singular usted command and vestíos for a plural vosotros command. capas means “layers.” It is the plural of the feminine noun capa; una capa means “a layer,” while varias capas means “several layers.” Example: Lleva varias capas. — “Wear several layers.” trae means “bring” here. It is the affirmative tú command of traer. Do not confuse it with the present-tense form used in a statement: Él trae una chaqueta means “He brings a jacket.” For a plural ustedes command, use traigan. chaqueta means “jacket.” It is a feminine noun, so the article and other agreeing words are feminine: una chaqueta. Example: La chaqueta está aquí. — “The jacket is here.” impermeable means “waterproof” in this sentence. It describes chaqueta and agrees with it in number, but its singular form is the same for masculine and feminine nouns: un abrigo impermeable, una chaqueta impermeable; the plural is impermeables. Together, Vístete con varias capas gives the instruction “Get dressed in several layers,” and trae una chaqueta impermeable adds “bring a waterproof jacket.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Wear layers and bring a waterproof jacket.”

3. El sendero está abierto, pero la parte más alta puede estar embarrada.

   The trail is open, but the higher section may be muddy.

   sendero

   trail

   está

   is

   abierto

   open

   parte

   section; part

   más alta

   higher

   puede estar

   may be

   embarrada

   muddy

   More detail

   sendero means “trail” here. It is a masculine noun; its plural is senderos. Example: El sendero es estrecho. — “The trail is narrow.” está is the third-person singular present form of estar, used here for the trail’s current condition. Estar is commonly used for temporary states or conditions: La puerta está abierta. — “The door is open.” abierto is an adjective meaning “open” in this sentence. It is masculine singular because it describes sendero: el sendero abierto. The feminine singular form is abierta, as in la puerta abierta; plural forms are abiertos and abiertas. parte means “part” or “section.” It is a feminine noun, so the phrase uses la parte. Its plural is partes. más alta describes the section as higher. Alta is the feminine singular form of alto, agreeing with parte; más marks comparison. The basic comparison pattern is más + adjective + que: Esta parte es más alta que la otra. — “This section is higher than the other one.” In la parte más alta, the fixed translation identifies the intended meaning as “the higher section.” puede estar combines puede, the third-person singular present form of poder, with the infinitive estar. This construction expresses possibility here: “may be.” Because poder is followed by an infinitive, the second verb remains estar, rather than taking a personal ending. Example: El camino puede estar cerrado. — “The path may be closed.” embarrada means “muddy” here. It is feminine singular because it describes parte: la parte embarrada. The masculine counterpart is embarrado, as in el camino embarrado; plural forms are embarradas and embarrados. Together, El sendero está abierto says that the trail is open. Pero introduces a contrast: la parte más alta puede estar embarrada says that the higher section may be muddy. The complete meaning is: “The trail is open, but the higher section may be muddy.”

4. Deberíamos ir despacio, especialmente en las partes de bajada.

   We should take it slowly, especially on the downhill parts.

   Deberíamos

   we should

   ir

   go

   despacio

   slowly

   especialmente

   especially

   partes

   parts

   bajada

   downhill section

   More detail

   Deberíamos is the first-person plural conditional form of deber. Here it expresses a recommendation: “we should.” The ending -íamos identifies “we”; it does not mark gender. Compare deberíamos (“we should”) with deberemos (“we will have to / should in the future”), which is future rather than conditional. Ir is the infinitive meaning “to go.” After deberíamos, the infinitive names the action being recommended: deberíamos ir = “we should go.” A reusable pattern is deberíamos + infinitive, for example: Deberíamos esperar. — “We should wait.” Despacio is an adverb meaning “slowly” or “at a slow pace.” It describes how the going should happen, not a person or thing. In ir despacio, it gives the practical idea “go slowly” or “take it slowly.” Especialmente means “especially” and highlights one part of the situation as particularly relevant. It does not replace the broader recommendation; it adds emphasis to the following detail. Partes is the plural of the noun parte, “part” or “section.” The plural refers to more than one section. In las partes, las agrees with the feminine plural noun partes; the noun itself carries the number distinction here, while parte is feminine in this use. Bajada is a feminine singular noun meaning a downhill section or descent. In partes de bajada, the construction identifies sections characterized by going downhill: “downhill sections.” It is not the noun being made plural; partes is plural, while bajada remains singular within the de phrase. Compare una bajada (“a downhill section”) with varias bajadas (“several downhill sections”) when the descents themselves are being counted. Together, deberíamos ir despacio gives “we should go slowly,” and especialmente en las partes de bajada specifies where extra care is needed: “especially on the downhill sections.” The complete utterance is therefore: “We should take it slowly, especially on the downhill parts.”

5. Si empeora el tiempo, podemos dar la vuelta en el mirador.

   If the weather turns bad, we can turn back at the viewpoint.

   empeora

   gets worse

   el tiempo

   the weather

   podemos

   we can

   dar la vuelta

   turn back

   el mirador

   the viewpoint

   More detail

   empeora means “gets worse” here and is the third-person singular present form of empeorar. The subject is el tiempo, so the verb agrees with that singular subject. Compare empeoro (“I get worse”) and empeoran (“they get worse”). Example: Si empeora, volvemos. — “If it gets worse, we’ll go back.” el tiempo means “the weather” in this sentence. Spanish tiempo can also mean “time,” so the surrounding meaning determines the sense; here the conditional concerns worsening weather. The masculine singular article is el. podemos means “we can” and is the first-person plural present form of poder. It expresses the group’s ability or available option. The infinitive that follows identifies the action: podemos descansar means “we can rest.” dar la vuelta is a reusable expression meaning “to turn back” in this context. Its literal components are dar (“to give”), la (“the”), and vuelta (“turn” or “round”), but together they form the relevant expression. After a conjugated form such as podemos, dar stays in the infinitive: Podemos dar la vuelta. — “We can turn back.” el mirador means “the viewpoint” or “lookout.” It is a masculine singular noun, so it takes el; its plural is los miradores. In this sentence, en el mirador locates the turning-back action at the viewpoint. The whole sentence begins with Si empeora el tiempo, “If the weather gets worse.” Spanish commonly uses si plus a present-tense clause for a real or possible condition, followed here by podemos dar la vuelta, “we can turn back.” Thus the complete meaning is: “If the weather turns bad, we can turn back at the viewpoint.”

6. Digámoslo antes de empezar, para que nadie se sienta presionado a continuar.

   Let's say that before we start, so no one feels pressured to continue.

   Digámoslo

   let’s say it

   antes de

   before

   empezar

   start

   para que

   so that

   nadie

   no one

   se sienta

   feels

   presionado

   pressured

   continuar

   continue

   More detail

   Digámoslo is an exhortation meaning “let’s say it.” Its verb is the irregular form digamos, from decir, used for first-person plural affirmative commands; lo is an attached direct-object clitic referring here to the content to be said. Compare Digámoslo ahora (“Let’s say it now”), where lo remains attached to the command. antes de means “before” and is followed here by the infinitive empezar, “to start.” An infinitive does not show person; here its understood subject is “we,” as in the fixed translation. The reusable pattern is antes de + infinitive: Antes de salir, cerramos la puerta (“Before leaving, we close the door”). para que introduces a purpose clause, “so that,” and normally takes the subjunctive. nadie means “no one” and is grammatically singular, so the verb is se sienta, not a plural form. se sienta comes from sentirse, “to feel” or “to feel oneself in a state.” sienta is the third-person singular present subjunctive of sentir; the vowel change is e to ie, as in siento (“I feel”). The se belongs to the pronominal verb sentirse, not to nadie as a separate meaning. Example: Espero que nadie se sienta mal means “I hope no one feels bad.” presionado is the masculine singular form of the adjective or past participle presionado, from presionar, “to pressure.” Here it describes the person represented by nadie, in the sense of feeling pressured. The form changes with the described person or group: presionada is feminine singular and presionados is masculine or mixed plural. This sentence itself does not identify the gender of any particular person. continuar is the infinitive “to continue.” In presionado a continuar, a + infinitive identifies the action someone feels pressure to perform. Example: No quiero que te sientas presionado a responder means “I don’t want you to feel pressured to respond.” Together, Digámoslo antes de empezar means “let’s say it before we start.” para que nadie se sienta presionado a continuar gives the purpose: this is said so that no one feels pressured to continue. The complete utterance is therefore: “Let’s say that before we start, so no one feels pressured to continue.”

7. ¿Deberíamos recordar al grupo que no use zapatos informales?

   Should we remind the group not to wear casual shoes?

   Deberíamos

   should we

   recordar

   remind

   grupo

   group

   use

   wear

   zapatos

   shoes

   informales

   casual

   More detail

   Deberíamos is the conditional form of deber for nosotros/nosotras. Here it expresses a suggestion involving “we”: “should we…?” The useful pattern is deberíamos + infinitive, as in Deberíamos salir ahora — “We should leave now.” recordar is an infinitive meaning “to remind” in this sentence. After a conjugated form such as deberíamos, the following verb stays in the infinitive: deberíamos recordar — “we should remind.” Recordar can also mean “to remember”; the construction and the following content here give it the “remind someone” meaning. grupo is a masculine singular noun meaning “group.” In al grupo, al is the contraction of a + el; it marks the group as the people being reminded. The noun itself remains singular even though a group can contain several people. use is the present subjunctive form of usar for a third-person singular subject. After recordar ... que, it introduces what the group is being reminded to do or not do. The negative command-like content is que no use...: “that [the group] not wear...” The form use is singular, matching the singular collective noun grupo as treated in this sentence. For comparison, usen is the corresponding present subjunctive form for a plural subject. zapatos is the plural noun “shoes.” In usar zapatos, it is the thing worn. Its plural form fits the meaning of a pair or multiple shoes; singular zapato means “shoe.” informales is an adjective meaning “casual” here. It follows zapatos and is plural to agree with that noun. Its singular form is informal, and the same form is used with masculine and feminine singular nouns; the plural is informales. Together, deberíamos recordar al grupo means “should we remind the group,” and que no use zapatos informales says what the reminder should contain: that the group should not wear casual shoes. The whole utterance therefore means “Should we remind the group not to wear casual shoes?”

8. Pídeles que lleven zapatos adecuados; los senderos embarrados pueden estar resbaladizos.

   Ask them to wear proper shoes; muddy trails can be slippery.

   Pídeles

   ask them

   lleven

   wear / carry

   zapatos

   shoes

   adecuados

   suitable

   senderos

   trails

   embarrados

   muddy

   pueden

   can

   estar

   be

   resbaladizos

   slippery

   More detail

   Pídeles means “ask them.” It is the affirmative tú command of pedir with the indirect-object clitic les (“to them”): pide + les becomes pídeles, with an accent added to preserve the stress. A reusable pattern is Pídele que... for asking one person and Pídeles que... for asking several people. lleven means “wear” here. It is the third-person plural present subjunctive of llevar, required after que because it expresses what the people are being asked to do. In other contexts, llevar can mean “carry” or “take,” so the object and situation determine the sense. Example: Pídeles que lleven agua. — “Ask them to carry water.” zapatos means “shoes.” It is the plural form of zapato. The adjective later in the same noun phrase must agree with this masculine plural noun. adecuados means “suitable” or “proper.” It is the masculine plural form of adecuado, agreeing with zapatos: zapatos adecuados. The adjective describes the shoes as appropriate for the situation, not merely as existing shoes. Together, que lleven zapatos adecuados means “that they wear proper shoes,” giving the content of the request. senderos means “trails.” It is the plural of sendero and is the subject of the second clause. embarrados means “muddy.” It is the masculine plural form of embarrado, agreeing with senderos: senderos embarrados. This describes the trails as covered with or affected by mud. pueden means “can” in this sentence. It is the third-person plural present form of poder, agreeing with senderos. Here it expresses possibility: the muddy trails may be slippery. The pattern puede/pueden is selected according to the subject’s number; with a singular subject, use puede. estar means “be.” It is an infinitive following pueden, forming pueden estar (“can be”). With estar, resbaladizos describes a temporary or situational condition rather than an inherent identity. resbaladizos means “slippery.” It is the masculine plural form of resbaladizo, agreeing with senderos. The sentence therefore describes the trails as potentially slippery under these muddy conditions. The complete utterance asks the listeners to wear suitable shoes, then explains why: muddy trails can be slippery. The semicolon joins the request with this practical reason.

9. Un recordatorio para preparar la mochila esta noche sería útil.

   A packing reminder tonight would help.

   recordatorio

   reminder

   preparar

   to prepare

   mochila

   backpack

   esta noche

   tonight

   sería

   would be

   útil

   useful

   More detail

   recordatorio means a reminder here. It is a masculine noun; its plural is recordatorios. The article un marks an indefinite noun phrase, but it does not by itself state a numeric count. Example: Necesito un recordatorio. — “I need a reminder.” preparar is the infinitive “to prepare.” After para, Spanish uses an infinitive when the purpose is understood without introducing a separate subject: para preparar means “to prepare” or “in order to prepare.” Example: Uso una lista para preparar la mochila. — “I use a list to prepare the backpack.” mochila is a feminine noun meaning “backpack.” Its plural is mochilas. The phrase la mochila refers to the backpack as a specific item in this sentence; the noun’s feminine grammatical gender is shown by la, not by the act of preparing it. Example: La mochila está lista. — “The backpack is ready.” esta noche is the time expression “tonight.” Esta agrees with the feminine noun noche; here the expression identifies the relevant evening, not a separate action. Example: Voy a preparar la mochila esta noche. — “I am going to prepare the backpack tonight.” sería is the conditional form of ser (“to be”) for third-person singular. In this sentence it presents the reminder as something that would be useful, rather than asserting directly that it is useful. The conditional pattern sería + adjective can express a tentative or hypothetical assessment. Example: Sería conveniente salir temprano. — “It would be advisable to leave early.” útil means “useful.” It is an adjective and has the same written form for masculine and feminine singular nouns; its plural is útiles. Here it describes un recordatorio, so the meaning is that such a reminder would help. Example: Una lista sería útil. — “A list would be useful.” Together, Un recordatorio supplies the subject: “a reminder.” para preparar la mochila states its purpose, “to prepare the backpack,” and esta noche specifies when the preparation is relevant. sería útil says that this reminder would be useful. The complete meaning is: “A reminder to prepare the backpack tonight would help.”

10. Envíalo con suficiente antelación para que todos puedan prepararse.

    Send it early enough for everyone to prepare.

    Envíalo

    send it

    suficiente

    enough; sufficient

    antelación

    advance

    para que

    so that

    todos

    everyone

    puedan

    can; are able to

    prepararse

    prepare themselves; get ready

    More detail

    Envíalo combines the affirmative tú command envía (“send”) with the direct-object clitic lo (“it”). The written accent preserves the command’s stress when lo is attached: envía → envíalo. The translation identifies lo as the thing being sent, but does not specify what that thing is. This is an informal singular command; it is not the usted form. suficiente means “enough” here and modifies the following time expression. It can also modify a noun: suficiente tiempo means “enough time.” In this sentence it helps set the required degree of advance rather than describing the item being sent. antelación is a noun meaning “advance” in time expressions. The reusable pattern con suficiente antelación means “early enough” or literally “with enough advance.” The noun antelación is commonly used in this expression for doing something before the relevant time. para que introduces a purpose clause: “so that.” Because this clause expresses the intended result or purpose of sending the item early, the verb after para que is in the subjunctive rather than the indicative. todos is a plural form meaning “everyone” in this context. It is the grammatical subject of the purpose clause. Spanish uses a plural form here even though the English equivalent “everyone” is singular in form; the important point is that puedan agrees with todos as a third-person plural subject. puedan is the third-person plural present subjunctive of poder, “to be able to” or “can.” The useful present-indicative contrast is pueden (“they can”), while puedan is selected here after para que: para que puedan... means “so that they can...” prepararse is the infinitive of the reflexive verb prepararse, “to prepare oneself” or “to get ready.” Its reflexive pronoun se refers back to the subject of this clause, todos; it does not refer to the item marked by lo. The infinitive itself does not show person or number here. Example: Necesitan prepararse. — “They need to get ready.” Together, Envíalo gives the command “Send it,” con suficiente antelación specifies that it should be sent with enough advance, and para que todos puedan prepararse gives the purpose: “so that everyone can get ready.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Send it early enough for everyone to prepare.”