Checking ingredients and substitutions | Learn Spanish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Antes de empezar a cocinar, revisemos los ingredientes y las posibles sustituciones.

   Before we start cooking, let's check the ingredients and any substitutions.

   Antes de

   before

   empezar

   to start

   cocinar

   to cook

   revisemos

   let’s check

   ingredientes

   ingredients

   posibles

   possible

   sustituciones

   substitutions

   More detail

   Antes de introduces something that happens earlier. With an infinitive, the pattern is antes de + infinitive: Antes de salir means “before leaving.” Here it begins the time phrase Antes de empezar a cocinar. empezar means “to start” and is the infinitive form. The pattern empezar a + infinitive means “to start doing something”: Empezamos a leer means “We start reading.” cocinar is the infinitive “to cook.” In empezar a cocinar, it names the activity that is starting. The two infinitives do not mark a separate tense or person here; the finite verb later in the sentence supplies the “let’s” perspective. revisemos comes from revisar, “to check” or “to review.” Its form is the first-person plural present subjunctive, used here as a suggestion or exhortation: “let’s check.” Compare the reusable pattern revisemos + noun, as in Revisemos la lista — “Let’s check the list.” ingredientes is the plural of ingrediente, meaning “ingredients.” In this sentence it is the first thing to be checked. Los ingredientes means “the ingredients”; the article and noun are plural. posibles is the plural form of the adjective posible, “possible” or “potential.” It agrees with the plural noun it describes, sustituciones, not with ingredientes: una opción posible becomes unas opciones posibles. sustituciones is the plural of sustitución, meaning “substitutions” or “replacements.” In las posibles sustituciones, it refers to possible items or ingredients that could replace something else. The adjective posibles agrees with this feminine plural noun. Together, Antes de empezar a cocinar gives the time frame “before we start cooking.” revisemos los ingredientes y las posibles sustituciones is a first-person-plural suggestion to check both the ingredients and the possible substitutions. The complete meaning is: “Before we start cooking, let’s check the ingredients and any substitutions.”

2. La receta lleva nueces y uno de los invitados tiene alergia a los frutos secos.

   The recipe calls for walnuts, and one guest has a nut allergy.

   receta

   recipe

   lleva

   calls for; contains

   nueces

   walnuts

   uno de los invitados

   one of the guests

   tiene

   has

   alergia a

   allergy to

   frutos secos

   nuts

   More detail

   receta means “recipe” here. Its plural is recetas; the noun is feminine, as shown by la receta. Example: Esta receta es fácil. — “This recipe is easy.” lleva is the third-person singular present form of llevar: llevar → lleva. In a recipe context, llevar means that a dish or recipe contains or calls for an ingredient, not that someone transports something. Because the subject is singular, la receta takes lleva. Example: La sopa lleva cebolla. — “The soup contains/calls for onion.” nueces is the plural of nuez, “walnut.” The plural ending is -es. Here it names the ingredient called for by the recipe. Example: La ensalada lleva nueces. — “The salad contains walnuts.” uno de los invitados means “one of the guests.” uno identifies a single member of a larger group, and de los invitados specifies that group. Invitados is the masculine plural form of invitado; Spanish uses this form for an all-male or mixed group. Example: Uno de los invitados llegó temprano. — “One of the guests arrived early.” tiene is the third-person singular present form of tener: tener → tiene. It agrees with the singular subject uno, not with the plural noun invitados. Example: Una invitada tiene fiebre. — “A female guest has a fever.” alergia a is the expression “allergy to.” Spanish commonly uses tener alergia a + noun to state what causes the allergy. The noun alergia is feminine; its plural is alergias. Example: Tiene alergia a la leche. — “They have an allergy to milk.” frutos secos is a plural noun phrase meaning “nuts” in the relevant food sense. Fruto is masculine, and secos is the masculine plural form of seco, agreeing with frutos; the phrase is not the same as the specific ingredient nueces, although walnuts belong to this broader food category. Example: Algunas personas evitan los frutos secos. — “Some people avoid nuts.” Together, La receta lleva nueces says that the recipe calls for or contains walnuts. uno de los invitados tiene alergia a los frutos secos says that one guest has an allergy to nuts. The conjunction y links these two facts: “The recipe calls for walnuts, and one guest has a nut allergy.”

3. Entonces deberíamos dejar las nueces fuera por completo.

   Then we should leave the walnuts out completely.

   Entonces

   then

   deberíamos

   we should

   dejar

   leave

   nueces

   walnuts

   fuera

   out

   por completo

   completely

   More detail

   Entonces means “then” here and links this decision to what has just been established. It can mark a result or next step in a conversation. Example: Entonces, empezamos. — “Then, we’ll start.” deberíamos is the first-person plural conditional form of deber, used here for “we should.” The ending identifies nosotros/nosotras; the conditional makes this a recommendation rather than a bare command. A useful pattern is deberíamos + infinitive: Deberíamos llamar antes. — “We should call first.” dejar is an infinitive meaning “to leave” in this sentence. With an object and fuera, dejar algo fuera means “to leave something out” or “exclude something,” rather than physically abandoning it. Example: Vamos a dejar la cebolla fuera. — “We are going to leave the onion out.” nueces is the plural of the feminine noun nuez, “walnut” here. Its plural changes the final z to ces: una nuez → dos nueces. The surrounding context identifies walnuts as the food to exclude because a guest has a nut allergy. fuera means “out” in this construction. It is an adverb, and it completes the reusable pattern dejar + object + fuera: the object is omitted from what is being prepared or included. Example: Deja los cacahuetes fuera. — “Leave the peanuts out.” por completo is an adverbial phrase meaning “completely” or “entirely.” It strengthens the exclusion: the walnuts are not to be included at all. Example: Quitaron el azúcar por completo. — “They removed the sugar completely.” Together, deberíamos dejar las nueces fuera means “we should leave the walnuts out,” and por completo adds “completely.” Entonces presents this as the resulting recommendation: “Then we should leave the walnuts out completely.”

4. Las semillas tostadas todavía le darían un toque crujiente al plato.

   Toasted seeds would still give the dish some crunch.

   semillas

   seeds

   tostadas

   toasted

   todavía

   still

   darían

   would give

   toque

   touch

   crujiente

   crunchy

   plato

   dish

   More detail

   semillas means “seeds” here. It is the plural of semilla, a feminine noun. Example: Las semillas son pequeñas. — “The seeds are small.” tostadas means “toasted” here. It is the feminine plural form of tostado, agreeing with semillas: semilla tostada means “toasted seed,” while semillas tostadas means “toasted seeds.” todavía means “still.” It presents the effect as continuing to hold at this point. Example: Todavía tenemos tiempo. — “We still have time.” darían means “would give.” It is the third-person plural conditional form of dar (“to give”). Here, the plural subject is Las semillas, and the conditional presents the result as hypothetical: the seeds would give the dish an added quality. Example: Las semillas darían más sabor. — “The seeds would give more flavor.” toque means “touch” in the sense of a small added quality or effect. It is the singular form of the masculine noun toque. The pattern dar un toque de + noun or dar un toque + adjective describes adding a particular quality. Example: La hierba da un toque fresco. — “The herb adds a fresh touch.” crujiente means “crunchy.” In un toque crujiente, it describes the quality being added. Crujiente has the same form for masculine and feminine singular nouns; its plural is crujientes. Example: Me gusta la textura crujiente. — “I like the crunchy texture.” plato means “dish” here, referring to the prepared food. It is the singular masculine noun plato. In al plato, al is the contraction of a + el; this marks the dish as the recipient of the added quality. Together, Las semillas tostadas is the subject: “the toasted seeds.” Todavía adds “still,” and le darían means “would give it,” with le marking the dish as the indirect object, consistent with the fixed translation. Un toque crujiente expresses an added crunchy quality, and al plato identifies the dish receiving it. The complete meaning is: “Toasted seeds would still give the dish some crunch.”

5. Usemos semillas en su lugar y mantengamos visible la nota sobre la alergia mientras cocinamos.

   Let's use seeds instead, and keep the allergy note visible while we cook.

   Usemos

   let’s use

   semillas

   seeds

   en su lugar

   instead

   mantengamos

   let’s keep

   visible

   visible

   nota

   note

   alergia

   allergy

   mientras

   while

   cocinamos

   we cook

   More detail

   Usemos means “let’s use.” It is the affirmative command form for nosotros: usar → usemos. It proposes a shared action by the speaker and others, rather than directing only one listener. Example: Usemos menos sal. — “Let’s use less salt.” semillas means “seeds.” It is the plural of semilla; the plural ending -s shows that more than one seed is meant. Example: Añadimos semillas. — “We add seeds.” en su lugar is a reusable expression meaning “instead” or “in its place.” Here it presents seeds as the replacement choice. In this expression, su modifies the singular noun lugar; possessive forms agree with the possessed noun in number, so su contrasts with plural sus. Su does not show the gender of lugar. mantengamos means “let’s keep” or “let’s maintain.” It is the nosotros affirmative command form of mantener: mantener → mantengamos. The stem changes from mant- to manteng- in this form. Example: Mantengamos la puerta abierta. — “Let’s keep the door open.” visible means “visible” or “kept where it can be seen.” It is an adjective describing the state of la nota; its form does not change for masculine or feminine, though its plural is visibles. Example: Deja el documento visible. — “Leave the document visible.” nota means “note.” It is a feminine noun, so the phrase uses la nota. Example: La nota está aquí. — “The note is here.” alergia means “allergy.” In la alergia, it is the feminine noun specified by the article la. The phrase la nota sobre la alergia means “the note about the allergy”: sobre links the note to its topic. Example: La alergia requiere atención. — “The allergy requires attention.” mientras introduces a time relationship and means “while.” It connects the main action with an action happening during the same period. It is not itself a verb or a command. Example: Leo mientras cocino. — “I read while I cook.” cocinamos means “we cook” here. It is the present indicative form of cocinar for nosotros; in this subordinate clause, the present tense describes the cooking period accompanying the proposed action. Example: Cocinamos juntos. — “We cook together.” Together, Usemos semillas en su lugar means “Let’s use seeds instead,” with en su lugar marking seeds as the replacement. y mantengamos visible la nota sobre la alergia adds a second shared proposal: “and let’s keep the note about the allergy visible.” Finally, mientras cocinamos specifies that both proposals apply while the group is cooking. The complete utterance is therefore: “Let’s use seeds instead, and keep the allergy note visible while we cook.”

6. Como es un plato al horno, aun así deberíamos seguir las medidas con cuidado.

   Since this is a baked dish, we should still follow the measurements closely.

   Como

   since

   es

   is

   plato

   dish

   al horno

   baked

   aun así

   even so

   deberíamos

   should

   seguir

   follow

   medidas

   measurements

   con cuidado

   carefully

   More detail

   Como introduces the reason for the main clause here: “since/because.” At the beginning of a sentence, it commonly presents a known or explanatory cause. Example: Como es tarde, nos vamos. — “Since it is late, we are leaving.” es is the third-person singular present form of ser, “to be.” Here it links the subject identified by the context with a description: un plato al horno. The present tense states the description as current or relevant now. The related verb estar is used for many temporary states or locations, but ser is the form used in this classification/description. plato means “dish” here, specifically a prepared food item. Its plural is platos. Example: Este plato es sencillo. — “This dish is simple.” al horno is the pattern a + el horno, with a + el contracted to al; literally, it refers to the oven. In this utterance, the phrase describes a dish made or cooked in the oven, so “baked” is the natural translation. Horno is masculine singular, which is why the contraction is al, not a la. Example: El pescado va al horno. — “The fish goes in the oven.” aun así is a contrast connector meaning “even so” or “still.” It keeps the preceding fact as relevant while introducing an action that nevertheless should happen. It does not replace or exclude the fact introduced by Como; the two parts mean “Since it is a baked dish, even so…” deberíamos is the first-person plural conditional form of deber, “to have to/should.” The ending -íamos marks “we” in this form, and the conditional gives a recommendation or expected action here: “we should.” Example: Deberíamos esperar. — “We should wait.” seguir is an infinitive meaning “to follow” here. After deberíamos, Spanish uses an infinitive: deberíamos seguir = “we should follow.” Seguir can also mean “to continue,” but the intended meaning in this sentence is following the measurements or instructions. Example: Debemos seguir la receta. — “We must follow the recipe.” medidas is the plural of medida, “measurement.” In this cooking context, it refers to the specified amounts or measurements to use. The plural indicates multiple measurements, without by itself specifying their exact number. Example: Anota las medidas. — “Write down the measurements.” con cuidado is an adverbial phrase meaning “carefully” or “with care.” It describes how the measurements should be followed. Example: Trabajamos con cuidado. — “We work carefully.” Together, Como es un plato al horno gives the reason “Since this is a baked dish.” aun así adds “even so/still,” and deberíamos seguir las medidas con cuidado says “we should follow the measurements carefully.” The complete meaning is: “Since this is a baked dish, we should still follow the measurements closely.”

7. ¿Tenemos suficiente leche o debería comprar más?

   Do we have enough milk, or should I buy more?

   Tenemos

   we have

   suficiente

   enough

   leche

   milk

   debería

   should

   comprar

   buy

   más

   more

   More detail

   Tenemos is the first-person plural present form of tener, “to have”: tenemos = “we have.” The ending -emos identifies “we” here. Example: Tenemos tiempo. — “We have time.” suficiente means “enough” and indicates that the amount meets a needed or expected level. It does not change for masculine or feminine nouns: suficiente leche and suficiente agua. Example: Hay suficiente comida. — “There is enough food.” leche is the noun “milk.” It is grammatically feminine in Spanish, as shown by forms such as la leche, but the adjective suficiente itself remains unchanged here. Example: Necesito leche. — “I need milk.” debería is a form of deber, followed here by an infinitive. In this sentence, debería comprar expresses what the speaker considers advisable: “should buy.” The form is the conditional and can refer to “I” or “he/she/you (formal)” depending on context; the fixed translation identifies the intended subject here as “I.” Example: Debería descansar. — “I should rest.” comprar is the infinitive “to buy.” After debería, the infinitive names the action that is advisable, without adding a separate person ending: debería comprar = “I should buy.” Example: Deberíamos comprar pan. — “We should buy bread.” más means “more.” With a quantity understood from the context, it can stand alone: comprar más means “buy more,” here meaning more milk. The accent mark distinguishes más (“more”) from mas, a formal conjunction meaning “but.” Example: ¿Quieres más? — “Do you want more?” The question first asks ¿Tenemos suficiente leche? — “Do we have enough milk?” Then o (“or”) introduces the alternative debería comprar más? — “should I buy more?” Together, the utterance asks whether the available milk is sufficient or whether the speaker should buy additional milk. It is a practical, neutral way to check what action is needed.

8. Tenemos suficiente, pero revisa la fecha antes de usarla.

   We have enough, but check the date before using it.

   Tenemos

   we have

   suficiente

   enough

   revisa

   check

   fecha

   date

   antes de

   before

   usarla

   use it

   More detail

   Tenemos is the first-person plural present form of tener: “we have.” The subject is nosotros/nosotras, whether or not it is stated separately. Example: Tenemos tiempo. — “We have time.” suficiente means “enough” here. It can come before a noun (suficiente leche, “enough milk”) or stand alone, as it does here, when the thing already understood from context is omitted. In this sentence it means that the available amount is sufficient; it does not itself specify a numerical quantity. revisa is the affirmative command for tú singular from revisar, “to check/review.” The exact form identifies a singular familiar addressee; it is not the usted command (revise) or the ustedes command (revisen). Example: Revisa el documento. — “Check the document.” fecha is the noun “date.” The article la in the full phrase la fecha marks this noun as feminine singular; it is the noun’s grammatical gender, not a statement about the number of dates. Example: La fecha está aquí. — “The date is here.” antes de introduces something that must happen earlier: “before.” With a verb, the usual pattern is antes de + infinitive, as in antes de usarla, “before using it.” Example: Lávate las manos antes de cocinar. — “Wash your hands before cooking.” usarla combines the infinitive usar, “to use,” with the attached direct-object pronoun la: usar + la. The pronoun is feminine singular and refers here to la fecha, matching its gender and number. Spanish attaches this pronoun to an infinitive; with a different feminine singular object, the same form could refer to that object instead. Example: Voy a usar la llave. / Voy a usarla. — “I am going to use the key.” / “I am going to use it.” Together, Tenemos suficiente says that the understood amount is enough. pero introduces a contrast, and revisa la fecha gives the singular familiar addressee a direct instruction to check the date. antes de usarla places that checking earlier than using the date. The complete meaning is: “We have enough, but check the date before using it.”

9. Los ingredientes parecen seguros y listos ahora.

   The ingredients look safe and ready now.

   ingredientes

   ingredients

   parecen

   seem; look

   seguros

   safe

   listos

   ready

   ahora

   now

   More detail

   ingredientes means “ingredients” here. Its base form is ingrediente; the plural ending -es marks more than one. The masculine plural article Los and the adjectives seguros and listos agree with this noun. Example: Los ingredientes son frescos. — “The ingredients are fresh.” parecen is the present-tense form of parecer for a third-person plural subject. With an adjective, parecer presents an appearance or impression: “seem” or “look.” The subject here is Los ingredientes, so the plural form is used. Example: Las instrucciones parecen claras. — “The instructions seem clear.” seguros means “safe” in this sentence. It is the masculine plural form of the adjective seguro, agreeing with ingredientes. The singular masculine form is seguro, and a feminine plural form is seguras; the correct form depends on the noun being described. Example: El recipiente parece seguro. — “The container looks safe.” listos means “ready” here. It is the masculine plural form of listo, again agreeing with ingredientes. The adjective listo can have other meanings in other contexts, but here it describes readiness. Example: Las herramientas están listas. — “The tools are ready.” ahora means “now” and places the stated appearance in the present time. It is an adverb, so it does not change for number or gender. Example: Parece seguro ahora. — “It looks safe now.” Together, Los ingredientes parecen seguros y listos ahora means “The ingredients look safe and ready now.” Parecen links the subject Los ingredientes to the two coordinated descriptions seguros and listos; y joins those descriptions, and ahora specifies the time of the assessment.

10. Esta revisión debería ayudarnos a evitar riesgos de alergia y a mantener el buen sabor del plato.

    This check should help us avoid allergy risks and keep the dish tasting right.

    Esta

    this

    revisión

    check; review

    debería

    should

    ayudarnos

    help us

    evitar

    avoid

    riesgos

    risks

    alergia

    allergy

    mantener

    keep; maintain

    buen

    good

    sabor

    flavor; taste

    plato

    dish

    More detail

    Esta is the feminine singular form of the demonstrative meaning “this.” It agrees with revisión, which is feminine singular. Demonstratives can identify a noun without themselves specifying who or what the noun refers to. revisión is a feminine noun meaning a check, review, or inspection. Its plural is revisiones. Example: La revisión fue breve. — “The check was brief.” debería is the third-person singular conditional form of deber. Here it expresses “should” or an expected helpful result: the review should help. The form agrees with the singular subject Esta revisión; it is not a command. The useful chain is deber → debe (“must/should,” present) → debería (“should,” conditional). ayudarnos combines the infinitive ayudar (“to help”) with the attached pronoun nos (“us”). In this sentence, the review is the thing expected to help us. With another object, the pronoun changes: ayudarme means “to help me,” while ayudarlos means “to help them” when los refers to a masculine plural object. Example: La guía debería ayudarnos. — “The guide should help us.” evitar is an infinitive meaning “to avoid.” It commonly introduces the thing being avoided: evitar riesgos — “avoid risks.” Example: Intentamos evitar errores. — “We try to avoid mistakes.” riesgos is the plural of the masculine noun riesgo, “risk.” The plural ending -s shows that more than one risk is meant. Example: Hay riesgos innecesarios. — “There are unnecessary risks.” alergia is a feminine noun meaning “allergy.” In riesgos de alergia, de alergia specifies the kind of risks: risks related to allergy. The noun remains singular because it names the relevant condition or category, not a stated count of allergies. mantener is an infinitive meaning “to keep” or “to maintain.” It can describe preserving a quality or condition: mantener el sabor means “keep the flavor.” Example: Queremos mantener la calidad. — “We want to maintain the quality.” buen is the shortened form of the adjective bueno used before a masculine singular noun. It agrees with sabor, not with plato: buen sabor means “good flavor.” In other positions, the form can be bueno, as in un sabor bueno, though un buen sabor is the usual compact phrasing here. The feminine form is buena, as in una buena receta. sabor is a masculine noun meaning “flavor” or “taste.” Its plural is sabores. Here it refers to the dish’s flavor, which the sentence presents as something to preserve. plato is a masculine noun meaning “dish” in the sense of prepared food. Its plural is platos. Example: El plato tiene buen sabor. — “The dish has good flavor.” The structure is Esta revisión + debería ayudarnos + a evitar riesgos de alergia + y a mantener el buen sabor del plato. The two infinitive phrases after ayudarnos are parallel: the review should help us avoid allergy risks and keep the dish’s good flavor. Together, the utterance means: “This check should help us avoid allergy risks and keep the dish tasting right.”