Checking travel bags before leaving | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Tenemos que revisar las bolsas de viaje por última vez antes de salir.

   Our travel bags need a final check before we go.

   Tenemos que

   have to

   revisar

   check

   bolsas

   bags

   viaje

   travel

   última

   last

   vez

   time

   antes de

   before

   salir

   leave

   More detail

   Tenemos que expresses obligation: “we have to” or “we need to.” Tenemos is the first-person plural present form of tener; with que and an infinitive, the pattern is tener que + infinitive. Example: Tenemos que estudiar. — “We have to study.” revisar means “to check” or “to inspect.” It is an infinitive, so it follows tener que without a person ending. Example: Tengo que revisar el documento. — “I have to check the document.” las bolsas means “the bags.” Bolsas is the plural of bolsa, and las marks a feminine plural noun phrase. The noun can refer to bags or similar containers; here, de viaje specifies that they are travel bags. de viaje means “for travel” or “travel-.” De links viaje to bolsas and describes their purpose or type. Viaje is a masculine singular noun meaning “trip” or “journey.” Example: un seguro de viaje — “travel insurance.” por última vez means “one last time” or “for the last time.” Última is the feminine singular form of último, agreeing with the feminine noun vez. Vez means “time” in the sense of an occurrence, not a duration. Example: Lo reviso por última vez. — “I’ll check it one last time.” antes de introduces something that happens earlier: “before.” When it is followed by an action, Spanish uses an infinitive, as in antes de salir. Example: Lávate las manos antes de comer. — “Wash your hands before eating.” salir is the infinitive “to leave” or “to go out.” Here it refers to leaving, with the subject understood from the sentence as “we,” because salir follows the obligation expressed by Tenemos que. Example: Tenemos que salir temprano. — “We have to leave early.” Together, Tenemos que revisar las bolsas de viaje por última vez antes de salir means “Our travel bags need a final check before we go.” More literally, it says “We have to check the travel bags one last time before leaving.” The sentence presents checking the bags as an obligation for the speakers and places that check before their departure.

2. Empieza por las cosas que necesitas durante el viaje.

   Start with the items you need during the journey.

   Empieza por

   Start with

   las cosas

   the things/items

   necesitas

   you need

   durante

   during

   el viaje

   the journey

   More detail

   Empieza por combines the affirmative command empieza with por to mean “start with.” Empieza is the tú singular command of empezar; the command addresses one person informally. The same verb in the present for “you start” is also empiezas, but empieza here is specifically the command form. Example: Empieza por aquí. — “Start here.” Las cosas means “the things/items” here. Cosas is the plural of the feminine noun cosa; the article agrees with it: la cosa becomes las cosas. In this sentence, the phrase refers broadly to the items needed for the journey, without naming them individually. Necesitas comes from necesitar, “to need.” It is the present-tense tú form: yo necesito, tú necesitas. The subject is understood as “you,” and the object of the need is las cosas: the items that you need. Example: Necesitas tus llaves. — “You need your keys.” Durante is a preposition meaning “during.” It introduces the time period in which something happens and does not change according to the noun that follows. El viaje means “the journey/trip.” Viaje is a masculine noun, so the singular definite article is el: el viaje; its plural is los viajes. Example: Durante el viaje, escucho música. — “During the journey, I listen to music.” Together, Empieza por las cosas que necesitas durante el viaje means “Start with the items you need during the journey.” The pattern Empieza por + [item or group] is reusable for telling one person what to handle first, while que necesitas durante el viaje specifies which items: those needed during the journey.

3. Tengo mis llaves, mis medicinas y una prenda abrigada.

   I have my keys, medicine, and a warm layer.

   Tengo

   I have

   mis

   my

   llaves

   keys

   medicinas

   medicine

   prenda

   garment or layer

   abrigada

   warm

   More detail

   Tengo is the first-person singular present form of tener (“to have”): yo tengo. Here it states possession. Example: Tengo agua. — “I have water.” mis is the possessive form meaning “my” before plural nouns. In this sentence it applies to both llaves and medicinas; it does not apply to prenda, which has the separate phrase una prenda. Compare mi llave (“my key”) with mis llaves (“my keys”). llaves is the plural of the feminine noun llave, “key.” The plural is formed with -s: una llave / dos llaves. medicinas is the plural of medicina, “medicine” or “medication.” The target form is plural, so it refers to medicines or medications in the sentence, even though the English translation uses the mass noun “medicine.” una prenda means “a garment” or, in this packing context, “a layer.” Prenda is feminine singular, which is why the article is una. The indefinite article presents an unspecified singular garment; it is not being used here as a separate claim about a numerical count beyond that noun phrase. abrigada is the feminine singular form of the adjective abrigado, meaning “warm” or “providing warmth.” It agrees with the feminine singular noun prenda: una prenda abrigada. The masculine form is abrigado, but the adjective must match the noun it describes; its form is not determined by tener. Example: una chaqueta abrigada — “a warm jacket.” Together, Tengo mis llaves, mis medicinas y una prenda abrigada. means “I have my keys, my medicine, and a warm layer.” The two possessive noun phrases are joined by y (“and”), and the final noun phrase adds an unspecified warm garment or layer to the list.

4. ¿Es fácil alcanzar los tentempiés y el agua?

   Are snacks and water easy to reach?

   Es fácil

   is easy

   alcanzar

   to reach

   tentempiés

   snacks

   agua

   water

   More detail

   Es fácil means “is easy” here. Es is the third-person singular present form of ser, and fácil is a descriptive adjective whose form does not change for masculine or feminine; its plural is fáciles. In this pattern, Es fácil + infinitive gives an impersonal evaluation: “It is easy to …”. Alcanzar is the infinitive “to reach” or “to be able to get to.” It follows es fácil as the action being evaluated. Example: Es fácil alcanzar la repisa. — “It is easy to reach the shelf.” Tentempiés means “snacks” in this sentence. The singular is tentempié, and the plural adds -s while retaining the written accent: tentempiés. The article los shows that the noun is plural and masculine in form. Agua means “water.” Although agua is feminine, singular el is used before it because its stressed first syllable begins with the sound /a/: el agua. This does not make the noun masculine; a feminine adjective still agrees with it: el agua fría — “the cold water.” In the plural, the usual feminine article appears: las aguas. Together, alcanzar los tentempiés y el agua means “to reach the snacks and the water.” The question uses ¿Es fácil ...? to ask whether that action is easy, producing the complete meaning: “Are the snacks and water easy to reach?”

5. Están en el bolsillo lateral.

   They are in the side pocket.

   Están

   are

   en el

   in the

   bolsillo

   pocket

   lateral

   side

   More detail

   Están is the present-tense form of estar for a plural subject: “are” here means “are located.” The subject is plural, but the sentence does not identify exactly which plural things it refers to. Compare está for a singular subject and están for a plural subject. Example: Las llaves están aquí. — “The keys are here.” en el combines the preposition en (“in/at/on,” depending on context) with the masculine singular definite article el (“the”). In this sentence, en introduces the location, and el agrees with the masculine singular noun that follows. En el does not itself express a numerical quantity. Bolsillo is a masculine singular noun meaning “pocket.” Its plural is bolsillos. Example: El bolsillo está vacío. — “The pocket is empty.” Lateral is an adjective meaning “side” or “lateral” here. It describes bolsillo and is singular; its form is the same for masculine and feminine singular nouns, while the plural form is laterales. In bolsillo lateral, the adjective follows the noun and identifies the pocket by its position or type. Together, están + en el bolsillo lateral gives “are in the side pocket”: the plural items referred to by están are located inside the side pocket. The sentence is a straightforward statement of location.

6. ¿Y los cargadores y las cosas pequeñas para estar cómodo?

   What about chargers and small comfort items?

   ¿Y

   What about…?

   cargadores

   chargers

   cosas

   things

   pequeñas

   small

   estar

   be

   cómodo

   comfortable

   More detail

   ¿Y introduces an additional item or topic, often naturally translated as “What about…?” here. The y simply adds this topic to what has already been mentioned; it does not replace the earlier topic. Example: ¿Y el pasaporte? — “What about the passport?” cargadores means “chargers.” Its singular base form is cargador; the final -es marks the plural here. The masculine plural form can refer to a group of chargers, including chargers of different types when the noun itself is masculine. cosas means “things” or “items.” Its singular base form is cosa, and cosas is feminine plural. In this utterance it is a broad noun for small items rather than a more specific object name. pequeñas means “small.” It is the feminine plural form of pequeño and agrees with cosas: cosa pequeña becomes cosas pequeñas. The adjective follows the noun in this phrase. Example: unas bolsas pequeñas — “some small bags.” estar is the infinitive “to be,” used for a temporary state or condition. In para estar, para plus an infinitive expresses purpose: “in order to be.” Example: Llevo agua para estar hidratado. — “I carry water in order to stay hydrated.” cómodo means “comfortable.” It is the masculine singular form of cómodo; the adjective changes to match the person or thing whose state is being described. Here it appears with the infinitive estar in the reusable pattern estar cómodo, “to be comfortable.” The form shown is masculine singular; the feminine singular counterpart is cómoda, and the plural forms are cómodos and cómodas. Together, los cargadores y las cosas pequeñas means “the chargers and the small things/items.” The phrase para estar cómodo adds their purpose: they are items for being comfortable. Thus the whole question asks whether chargers and small comfort items are also included or available: “What about chargers and small comfort items?”

7. Los guardé juntos para encontrarlos fácilmente.

   I packed them together so they are easy to find.

   Los

   them

   guardé

   packed away

   juntos

   together

   para encontrarlos

   to find them

   fácilmente

   easily

   More detail

   Los is a masculine plural direct-object pronoun meaning “them” here, referring to the items being packed. Spanish object pronouns come before a conjugated verb: los guardé = “I put them away.” The form los marks masculine plural; it is not the subject. guardé is the first-person singular preterite of guardar, “to keep, store, or put away.” The ending -é shows “I” in this completed past action. In this sentence, guardar describes putting the items in a place so they can be found later. Example: Guardé las llaves. — “I put the keys away.” juntos means “together.” It is the masculine plural form of junto and agrees with the plural masculine form los for the items referred to here. The feminine plural form is juntas, as in las puse juntas — “I put them together,” when las refers to feminine plural items. para encontrarlos expresses purpose: para + an infinitive means “in order to” or “so as to.” encontrar means “to find,” and los is attached to the infinitive because it is its direct object: encontrarlos = “to find them.” The pronoun remains masculine plural because it refers to the same items as the earlier los. fácilmente is an adverb meaning “easily.” It comes from the adjective fácil and describes how the finding can happen. Many Spanish adverbs are formed with -mente; the adjective keeps its accent here: fácilmente. Together, Los guardé juntos means “I put them away together,” and para encontrarlos fácilmente gives the purpose: “so as to find them easily.” The complete utterance is: “I packed them together so they are easy to find.”

8. Eso debería hacer que el viaje sea más tranquilo si cambian los planes.

   That should make the trip calmer if plans change.

   Eso

   that

   debería

   should

   hacer que

   make / cause

   viaje

   trip

   más tranquilo

   calmer

   si

   if

   cambian

   change

   planes

   plans

   More detail

   Eso is the neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It points to a previously mentioned situation or action, without identifying a specific noun. Unlike noun-linked forms such as ese or esa, eso does not show masculine or feminine gender. debería is the conditional form of deber for a third-person singular subject. In this sentence, debería + infinitive expresses an expected or probable result: “should make.” The infinitive after it is hacer, not a conjugated form. hacer que is a reusable causative pattern meaning “to make or cause something to happen.” It is followed here by el viaje as the affected subject and by sea, a subjunctive form of ser, because the construction presents the resulting state as caused by something. For example: La música hace que el trabajo sea más agradable. — “The music makes the work more pleasant.” viaje is the singular noun viaje, “trip.” Its plural is viajes. In the full sentence, the masculine singular article el and the adjective form tranquilo show the noun’s grammatical agreement; the selected quote contains only the noun itself. más tranquilo is the comparative form “calmer.” The adjective’s base form is tranquilo; más tranquilo compares a state with another state or with the relevant earlier expectation. It agrees with masculine singular viaje. Other useful forms include más tranquila with a feminine singular noun and más tranquilos with a masculine plural noun. For example: El camino es más tranquilo por la mañana. — “The road is calmer in the morning.” si introduces a condition: “if.” It does not mean “whether” in this sentence. Spanish commonly uses the present indicative after si for an open or possible condition, as in si cambian los planes. cambian is the present indicative, third-person plural form of cambiar, “to change.” The plural subject is los planes, so the verb is plural. The same form can mean “they change” or “the plans change”; here the fixed translation identifies the latter reading. The singular counterpart is cambia, used with a singular subject. planes is the plural noun plan, “plans.” Its singular form is plan, and its plural form is planes. In los planes, the plural article and noun make the subject of cambian explicit. Together, Eso debería hacer que presents an expected result, el viaje sea más tranquilo describes the trip becoming calmer, and si cambian los planes states the condition under which that result is expected. The complete intended meaning is that the previously mentioned situation or action should make the trip calmer if the plans change.

9. También dejé espacio extra para cualquier cosa que recojamos.

   I also left extra space for anything we pick up.

   También

   also

   dejé

   I left

   espacio

   space

   extra

   extra

   cualquier

   any

   cosa

   thing

   recojamos

   we pick up

   More detail

   También adds this action to something already mentioned: “also” or “too.” It does not replace the earlier information. Example: También traje agua. — “I also brought water.” Dejé means “I left” here. Its base form is dejar; dejé is the first-person singular preterite, used for a completed past action by the speaker. The accent marks the final é: dejé, not deje. Espacio is the noun “space.” In this sentence it means available room, as in room for additional items. Example: Hay espacio en la caja. — “There is space in the box.” Extra describes espacio as additional or more than the usual amount. It follows the noun here. Spanish extra does not change for masculine or feminine agreement in this use: espacio extra and, for example, ayuda extra. Cualquier means “any” before a singular noun. It is the shortened form used before a noun: cualquier cosa. The expression refers broadly to anything that fits the following condition; it does not state that a particular number of things will be picked up. Before a plural noun, Spanish uses cualesquiera in formal or careful usage, while everyday Spanish commonly uses other wording such as cualquier tipo de ... depending on the intended meaning. Cosa is the noun “thing.” Together, cualquier cosa means “anything” or “any thing,” with cualquier modifying the singular noun cosa. Recojamos means “we pick up” in this clause. Its base form is recoger; recojamos is the first-person plural present subjunctive. The spelling changes from the stem used in some forms so that the sound stays consistent before a: recoger but recojamos. Here the subjunctive is required in cualquier cosa que recojamos, because the thing being referred to is not identified as a specific known object. It means “anything that we pick up,” with we referring to the speaker together with others, without specifying who those others are. The structure para cualquier cosa que recojamos means “for anything we pick up”: para marks the purpose, cualquier cosa identifies an open-ended thing, and que recojamos describes the condition it meets. Combined with También dejé espacio extra, the full utterance means: “I also left extra space for anything we pick up.”

10. Entonces deberíamos poder salir sin tener que volver a hacer las maletas en la estación.

    Then we should be able to leave without repacking at the station.

    Entonces

    then

    deberíamos

    should; ought to

    poder

    be able to

    salir

    leave; go out

    sin tener que

    without having to

    volver a

    do again

    hacer las maletas

    pack one’s bags

    estación

    station

    More detail

    Entonces means “then” here. It can also introduce a consequence: Entonces, salimos. — “Then, we’re leaving.” deberíamos is the first-person plural conditional of deber, “should” or “ought to.” Its subject is “we.” The conditional presents this as an expectation or recommendation; debemos is the present form used for a current obligation or necessity. poder is the infinitive “to be able to” or “can.” After a conjugated verb such as deberíamos, the next verb remains in the infinitive: podemos salir — “we can leave.” salir means “to leave” or “to go out.” It is irregular in some forms: salir → salgo — “I leave/go out.” sin tener que means “without having to.” tener que + infinitive expresses necessity: Tengo que salir. — “I have to leave.” Adding sin presents that necessity as avoided: sin tener que esperar — “without having to wait.” volver a means “to do something again” when followed by an infinitive. volver can also mean “to return,” but volver a + infinitive marks repetition: volver a llamar — “call again.” hacer las maletas is the usual expression for “to pack one’s bags.” hacer by itself means “to do” or “to make,” while las maletas means “the bags/suitcases”; las agrees with the feminine plural noun maletas. Example: Tengo que hacer las maletas. — “I have to pack my bags.” estación means “station.” It is a feminine singular noun, as shown by la estación. The phrase en la estación means “at the station.” Together, deberíamos poder salir means “we should be able to leave.” sin tener que volver a hacer las maletas means “without having to pack the bags again.” In the fixed meaning, en la estación specifies that station as the place where the repacking would occur. The whole utterance means: “Then we should be able to leave without repacking at the station.”