Following up on a job interview while protecting confidentiality | Learn Spanish in Engli…

Sentence explanations

1. ¿Podría aclararme cuáles son los próximos pasos del proceso?

   Could you clarify the next steps in the process?

   Podría

   could

   aclararme

   clarify for me

   cuáles

   which ones

   son

   are

   próximos

   next

   pasos

   steps

   proceso

   process

   More detail

   Podría is a conditional form of poder, meaning “could” here. The form is shared by yo, él, ella, and formal usted; in this request it addresses the listener and gives the request a polite tone. Example: ¿Podría ayudarme? — “Could you help me?” aclararme combines the infinitive aclarar (“to clarify”) with the attached pronoun me (“to me”). Here me marks the person who wants the clarification, and the thing to be clarified follows: cuáles son los próximos pasos. Example: ¿Puede explicarme el resultado? — “Can you explain the result to me?” cuáles is the plural interrogative form meaning “which ones” here. Cuál is the singular form; cuáles is used when asking about plural items such as pasos. Example: ¿Cuáles son tus opciones? — “What are your options?” son is the present-tense third-person plural form of ser, “to be.” It agrees with the plural noun phrase los próximos pasos. Example: ¿Cuáles son las fechas? — “What are the dates?” próximos is the masculine plural form of próximo, meaning “next” here: the steps that come afterward. It agrees with masculine plural pasos. Example: las próximas reuniones — “the next meetings”; the adjective is feminine plural because reuniones is feminine plural. pasos is the plural of paso, “step.” Here it means stages or actions in a process, not necessarily physical steps. Example: Estos son los primeros pasos. — “These are the first steps.” proceso is a masculine noun meaning “process.” del proceso means “of the process”; del is the contraction of de + el. Example: el proceso de selección — “the selection process.” Together, ¿Podría aclararme ...? politely asks the listener to clarify something for the speaker. cuáles son los próximos pasos asks what the upcoming steps are, and del proceso identifies the relevant process. The complete meaning is: “Could you clarify the next steps in the process?”

2. El comité revisará sus materiales y decidirá si hace falta otra conversación.

   The panel will review your materials and decide whether another conversation is needed.

   comité

   panel

   revisará

   will review

   sus

   your

   materiales

   materials

   decidirá

   will decide

   si

   whether

   hace falta

   is needed

   otra

   another

   conversación

   conversation

   More detail

   comité means “panel” here. It is a singular masculine noun, so the following verbs use the third-person singular forms. The plural comités means “panels.” revisará means “will review.” Its base form is revisar; the ending -ará marks a third-person singular future form. Example: El comité revisará la solicitud. — “The panel will review the application.” sus means “your” in this sentence because that is the meaning fixed by the translation. It is a possessive determiner used with a plural possessed noun here, materiales; sus does not show whether the owner is singular or plural. It also commonly means “his,” “her,” “its,” or “their” when context supports those readings. materiales means “materials.” It is the plural of material; the plural ending -es is used because the singular ends in a consonant. Example: Envío los materiales. — “I am sending the materials.” decidirá means “will decide.” Its base form is decidir, and -irá marks a third-person singular future form. The two future verbs, revisará and decidirá, have the same subject: El comité. si means “whether” here because it introduces the matter to be decided: whether another conversation is needed. This is the conjunction si, written without an accent in this use; it is different from sí, meaning “yes” or “indeed.” hace falta is a reusable expression meaning “is needed” or “is necessary.” In this sentence, otra conversación is what is needed, so the expression is singular. Example: Hace falta más tiempo. — “More time is needed.” otra means “another” here. It is the feminine singular form of otro, agreeing with the feminine singular noun conversación. The plural form is otras, as in otras conversaciones — “other conversations.” conversación means “conversation.” It is a feminine singular noun; its plural is conversaciones. The accent remains on the final ó in the singular and shifts in pronunciation in the plural: conversaciones. Together, El comité revisará sus materiales means “The panel will review your materials.” y decidirá adds “and will decide,” while si hace falta otra conversación specifies what they will decide: whether another conversation is needed. The complete utterance therefore means: “The panel will review your materials and decide whether another conversation is needed.”

3. Puedo subir las muestras solicitadas a través del portal de la solicitud.

   I can upload the requested samples through the application portal.

   Puedo

   I can

   subir

   upload; raise

   muestras

   samples

   solicitadas

   requested

   a través de

   through

   portal

   portal

   solicitud

   application; request

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder, meaning “I can” here. Poder + an infinitive expresses ability or possibility: Puedo entrar means “I can enter.” The form identifies the speaker as the subject; the following infinitive supplies the action. Subir is an infinitive meaning “to upload” in this digital context. Its other common meaning is “to go up” or “to raise,” so the context determines the relevant sense. After a conjugated form of poder, Spanish uses the infinitive: Puedo subir el archivo means “I can upload the file.” Muestras is the plural of the feminine noun muestra, “sample.” The plural ending -s indicates more than one sample. In this sentence, it is the direct object of subir: the samples are what can be uploaded. Solicitadas means “requested” here. It is the feminine plural form of solicitado, agreeing with muestras in gender and number. The adjective or participle follows the noun and identifies which samples are meant. For example, las piezas solicitadas means “the requested pieces.” A través de is a reusable prepositional expression meaning “through” or “by means of.” It introduces the route or channel used for an action: envié el documento a través de la plataforma means “I sent the document through the platform.” Portal is a masculine singular noun meaning “portal,” here a website or online access point. The article in el portal shows its masculine singular grammatical form. Portal de ... can specify what the portal is associated with, as in portal de pagos, “payment portal.” Solicitud is a feminine singular noun meaning “application” in this context. It can also mean “request” in other contexts; the surrounding reference to an application makes “application” the intended meaning here. In de la solicitud, de links the portal to the application, and la is the feminine singular article. Together, Puedo subir expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility to upload something. las muestras solicitadas identifies the requested samples as the uploaded items, and a través del portal de la solicitud gives the channel: through the application portal. The complete meaning is: “I can upload the requested samples through the application portal.”

4. El resumen del proyecto que mencionó sería especialmente útil.

   The project summary you mentioned would be especially useful.

   resumen

   summary

   proyecto

   project

   mencionó

   mentioned

   sería

   would be

   especialmente

   especially

   útil

   useful

   More detail

   resumen means “summary” here. It is a masculine noun; its gender is shown by el in el resumen. Example: El resumen es claro. — “The summary is clear.” proyecto means “project.” In del proyecto, del combines de + el and means “of the project.” Example: El proyecto avanza. — “The project is progressing.” mencionó means “mentioned” here. It is the preterite form of mencionar for a third-person singular subject. The fixed translation identifies that subject as “you,” but Spanish does not show from mencionó alone whether this is usted; the same verb form can also accompany “he” or “she” in other contexts. Example: Usted mencionó el proyecto. — “You mentioned the project.” que introduces the relative clause que mencionó. Here it refers to the thing mentioned and functions as the object of mencionó; the subject is the “you” identified by the fixed translation. In Spanish, que has the same form for singular and plural antecedents in this use. sería means “would be.” It is the conditional form of ser for a third-person singular subject. Here, its singular form matches the singular subject el resumen; sería itself does not mark masculine or feminine gender. The conditional presents the assessment as projected or conditional rather than as a plain present statement. Example: El resumen sería útil. — “The summary would be useful.” especialmente is an adverb meaning “especially.” It intensifies útil, indicating a particularly high degree of usefulness. Example: Es especialmente claro. — “It is especially clear.” útil means “useful” here. It is singular and does not change for masculine versus feminine gender; its plural form is útiles. Example: La información es útil. — “The information is useful.” Together, El resumen del proyecto means “the project summary.” The relative clause que mencionó identifies it as the summary you mentioned. sería especialmente útil says that this summary would be particularly useful. The complete meaning is: “The project summary you mentioned would be especially useful.”

5. Puedo incluir el contexto sin revelar información confidencial de clientes.

   I can include context without exposing confidential client information.

   Puedo

   I can

   incluir

   include

   contexto

   context

   sin revelar

   without exposing

   información

   information

   confidencial

   confidential

   clientes

   clients

   More detail

   Puedo is the first-person singular present form of poder, “to be able to” or “can.” It expresses the speaker’s ability or permission in this sentence. The subject is built into the verb, so Spanish does not need a separate subject pronoun. For example: Puedo ayudar. — “I can help.” Incluir is an infinitive meaning “to include.” After a conjugated form of poder, Spanish uses the infinitive: puedo incluir, “I can include.” The infinitive does not show a separate subject here; puedo supplies the first-person singular information. Example: Puedo incluir una explicación. — “I can include an explanation.” Contexto is a masculine singular noun meaning “context.” Its article is el in the utterance: el contexto. Example: Necesitamos más contexto. — “We need more context.” Sin revelar means “without exposing” or “without revealing.” Sin is followed here by the infinitive revelar, “to reveal,” creating a reusable pattern: sin + infinitive, “without doing something.” Example: Trabajó sin revelar el nombre. — “They worked without revealing the name.” Información is a feminine singular noun meaning “information.” The phrase información confidencial means “confidential information.” Spanish commonly uses an uncountable singular noun here, even when English might discuss pieces or items of information. Example: La información es importante. — “The information is important.” Confidencial is an adjective meaning “confidential.” It follows the noun in this phrase and describes información. Its form does not change between masculine and feminine singular: un documento confidencial, una nota confidencial; in the plural it becomes confidenciales. Clientes is the plural of the noun cliente, “client.” The plural ending -es marks more than one client. The form cliente can refer to a male or female client; when a feminine form is needed, clienta is also used, with plural clientas. Here, de clientes identifies whose information is meant: “client information.” Together, Puedo incluir el contexto means “I can include the context.” The preposition sin introduces the condition or accompanying action revelar información confidencial de clientes: the speaker can include the context while avoiding the exposure of confidential client information. The complete utterance therefore means: “I can include context without exposing confidential client information.”

6. Ese tipo de criterio al manejar información confidencial es importante aquí.

   That kind of judgment when handling confidential information is important here.

   Ese

   that

   tipo

   kind; type

   criterio

   judgment

   manejar

   to handle; to manage

   información

   information

   confidencial

   confidential

   importante

   important

   aquí

   here

   More detail

   Ese means “that” and is a masculine singular demonstrative. It agrees with the masculine singular noun it modifies here, tipo: ese tipo. Demonstratives also distinguish distance or discourse placement; the exact distance is not specified by this sentence. Example: Esa idea es útil. — “That idea is useful.” Esa is feminine singular because idea is feminine. tipo means “kind” or “type.” In ese tipo de + noun, it identifies a kind or category: ese tipo de criterio means “that kind of judgment.” The noun after de names the category’s content. Example: Me gusta ese tipo de música. — “I like that kind of music.” criterio means “judgment,” “criterion,” or “discernment,” depending on context. Here it refers to judgment used when dealing with information, as confirmed by the translation. It is a masculine singular noun, so ese tipo de criterio uses the singular form. Example: Necesitamos buen criterio. — “We need good judgment.” manejar is the infinitive “to handle” or “to manage.” In al manejar, al is the contraction of a + el; this pattern commonly means “when” or “upon” doing something. The infinitive remains unchanged for the person because it does not itself show a subject. Example: Al manejar datos, hay que tener cuidado. — “When handling data, one must be careful.” información means “information.” It is a feminine singular noun, and its accent mark is part of the spelling. In información confidencial, the adjective follows the noun and describes its nature. Example: La información es útil. — “The information is useful.” confidencial means “confidential.” It describes información here and agrees with it in number; this singular form does not show a different masculine or feminine ending. Its plural is confidenciales: documentos confidenciales — “confidential documents.” importante means “important.” It is a singular descriptive adjective, and its form is the same for masculine and feminine singular nouns: un criterio importante, una decisión importante. Its plural is importantes. Example: La revisión es importante. — “The review is important.” aquí means “here,” referring to the relevant place or situation. It is an adverb, so it does not change for gender or number. Example: Trabajamos aquí. — “We work here.” Putting the parts together: Ese tipo de criterio means “that kind of judgment”; al manejar información confidencial specifies the situation in which that judgment matters, “when handling confidential information”; and es importante aquí says that it is important here. The complete utterance therefore means: “That kind of judgment when handling confidential information is important here.”

7. ¿Cuándo debería esperar recibir noticias sobre el resultado de la revisión?

   When should I expect to hear the outcome of the review?

   ¿Cuándo

   When?

   debería

   should

   esperar

   expect

   recibir

   receive

   noticias

   news or updates

   resultado

   outcome

   revisión

   review

   More detail

   ¿Cuándo asks for a time: “when?”. It is used for an unknown or requested point in time. Example: ¿Cuándo llega? means “When does it arrive?” debería is the conditional form of deber, “to have to” or “should”. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the intended first-person reading: “should I”. The ending -ía is shared by yo, él, ella, and usted in the conditional, so the form itself does not uniquely mark the person. Here it softens the question about what time the speaker ought to expect, rather than stating a firm schedule. Compare debo (“I must/should”) with debería (“I should” or “I would be expected to”). esperar is the infinitive “to expect” here. After debería, the infinitive supplies the action whose timing is being asked about: debería esperar means “should I expect”. Esperar can also mean “to wait” or “to hope” in other contexts, but the following infinitive recibir supports the “expect to receive” reading here. Example: Espero recibir una respuesta. means “I expect to receive a reply.” recibir is the infinitive “to receive”. The pattern esperar recibir + noun is reusable for saying that someone expects to receive something. Example: Espero recibir noticias mañana. means “I expect to receive news tomorrow.” noticias is a plural noun meaning “news” or, in this context, “updates”. Spanish uses the plural form noticias for information or reports of this kind. Example: Recibimos noticias del comité. means “We received news from the committee.” resultado is a masculine singular noun meaning “result” or “outcome”. In el resultado, the article el agrees with this masculine singular noun. Example: El resultado fue claro. means “The result was clear.” revisión is a feminine singular noun meaning “review”. The phrase de la revisión identifies the review whose result is meant; la agrees with feminine singular revisión. The accent mark in revisión is part of the standard spelling. Example: La revisión continúa. means “The review continues.” The remaining connectors assemble the relationships: sobre el resultado means “about the outcome”, and de la revisión means “of the review”. Thus noticias sobre el resultado de la revisión means “updates about the outcome of the review”. With esperar recibir, the question asks for the time at which the speaker should expect to receive those updates. The whole utterance is therefore: “When should I expect to hear the outcome of the review?”

8. Nos pondremos en contacto con usted después de que el comité termine su debate.

   We will contact you after the panel finishes its discussion.

   Nos pondremos en contacto

   we will contact

   usted

   you (formal)

   después de que

   after

   el comité

   the panel

   termine

   finishes

   su debate

   its discussion

   More detail

   Nos pondremos en contacto is the reusable expression ponerse en contacto con alguien, “to get in touch with someone.” Here pondremos is the first-person plural future of poner, and nos is the reflexive pronoun belonging to ponerse; together with the following con usted, it means “we will contact you.” Compare present nos ponemos en contacto (“we get in touch”) and future nos pondremos en contacto (“we will get in touch”). usted is the formal singular “you.” It refers to the person being addressed in the fixed translation. Although usted refers to one person, the verb form associated with it is third-person singular: for example, usted recibe means “you receive.” después de que introduces a clause meaning “after.” The event after this connector is expressed as a subordinate clause, and here termine is the present subjunctive of terminar. In this future-oriented sequence, the subjunctive presents the committee’s finishing as an event that has not yet occurred: después de que termine = “after it finishes.” The indicative termina would state a different kind of fact rather than this expected future event. el comité means “the panel” here. comité is a masculine singular noun, so the article is el; its plural is los comités. The noun is the subject of termine, which is therefore third-person singular. su debate means “its discussion” in this sentence. su is a possessive determiner used with a singular possessed noun; it does not show whether the possessor is singular or plural. The fixed translation identifies the committee as the possessor, while debate is the singular noun being possessed. The noun debate can also mean “debate” in other contexts; here the intended sense is a discussion by the panel. Putting the chunks together: Nos pondremos en contacto con usted gives “we will contact you,” and después de que el comité termine su debate specifies when: “after the panel finishes its discussion.” The complete utterance is therefore “We will contact you after the panel finishes its discussion.”